Saugus Town Meeting 2024 – Members disengage themselves from Community engagement article; returning it back to its maker

By Mark E. Vogler

First-term Town Meeting Member Matthew Parlante says community engagement has always been his motive behind Article 23. But the more it got discussed at this year’s Annual Town Meeting, the less engaging Parlante’s colleagues found it. Initially, the article to establish a Community Engagement Committee passed by a narrow margin. But Precinct 10 Town Meeting Member Peter Manoogian – a supporter – moved to have it reconsidered at a meeting two weeks ago because he didn’t think it had a strong backing of members.

Manoogian offered to meet with Parlante and help refine the article’s language so it would be more palatable to members. An amendment that Parlante submitted to members at Monday’s meeting reduced the size of the committee from 10 members to five and modified the language to include this: “The purpose of the committee is to engage citizens to bring about better understanding of Saugus Town Government.”

The article originally stated as its purpose “to generate more participation of community members in civic matters and increase civic engagement through educational forums and existing town public events.”

“Third time’s the charm,” Parlante told colleagues Monday night, adding, “I met with my colleague from Precinct 10. We had a great conversation.”

“I’d love to see 50 members taking part in this. I don’t see anything negative that can come out of this,” the Precinct 2 Town Meeting member said of his amended article.

Some members questioned the format, suggesting that what was presented as an amendment should have been considered as a substitute motion. Several members said they thought narrowing the membership down to five members made it less inclusive. Some questioned the need for such a committee. Others questioned the motive and the concern that such a committee could be turned into a political organization tool.

“There’s a thin line between community engagement and political activism,” former Town Meeting Member Andrew Whitcomb said.

But Parlante insisted it wasn’t political at all. “We have 25 percent voter turnout. Just that tells us that people are not engaged,” Parlante said.

Precinct 7 Town Meeting Member Frank Federico noted that some people on a neighborhood Facebook group “can’t name a single selectman.”

“People actually think the town manager is a mayor. They can’t even determine what kind of government we have,” Federico said.

Precinct 8 Town Meeting Member Arthur Grabowski said he didn’t “like the fact we’re brow-beating and criticizing residents of this community.”

“If there’s voter apathy, that’s their prerogative,” he said.

Precinct 2 Town Meeting Member Robert J. Camuso, Sr. said he thinks Parlante’s proposal was very worthwhile, given the disconnect between residents and their local government. “This town needs more communication. Residents should be a part of this,” Camuso said.

Manoogian noted, “There’s nothing more that can be done to get people to vote.”

“A better understanding of town government is the thrust of it,” Manoogian said of the purpose of a community engagement committee.

“Hopefully, we can be more collaborative. There used to be a League of Women Voters in this town,” he said.

Apparently, Manoogian’s suggested revision of the original article drew less support from members, who declined to adopt it. A motion to amend the original version failed 20-24 with five members absent. Members voted 27-17 to return the article back to its maker. Had members voted to oppose the article outright, Parlante would have to wait two years to reintroduce it.

Precinct 4 Town Meeting Member Robert Long, who made the motion to return the article back to its sender, said the opportunity for people to participate in their town government is there, providing people take advantage of the opportunities. “Any resident who wants to speak, they can come to this Town Meeting and have five minutes to speak on every article,” Long said.

“If this committee is being formed, you might be grossly disappointed in what you achieve,” he said.