Recall Reflections

St. Patrick’s Day will mark the 10-year anniversary of the day the town voted to oust four selectmen who fired the Town Manager

By Mark E. Vogler

SAUGUS – Precinct 10 Town Meeting Member Peter Manoogian likens the March 15, 2015, recall election to “the equivalent of a community civil war.” It will be 10 years ago next Monday – St. Patrick’s Day – that the town voted to remove the four selectmen responsible for firing Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree the previous fall and replaced them with four newcomers who had never served in Saugus government.

“I personally invested 100s of hours and expended personal funds to bring it about, so yes, I was for it and believed it was necessary,” Manoogian told The Saugus Advocate.

The special election that unseated incumbent Board of Selectmen Chair Ellen Faiella, Vice Chair Maureen Dever and Selectmen Paul Allan and Steve Castinetti was so polarizing that people on both sides of the issue don’t feel comfortable talking about it even today.

“It’s hard to believe that it was 10 years ago already,” Selectman Corinne Riley recalled in an interview this week.

“Not one of those anniversaries I care to dwell on, as it caused nasty and hurtful division between neighbors, friends and family,” Riley lamented.

Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta – the only selectman who was not recalled, because of her unwavering support of Crabtree – prefers not to talk about that period of political turmoil in the town once nicknamed “the graveyard of town managers.” “Our Town has successfully moved past the dark days of the recall,” Panetta said.

“I want to focus on the positive work that our Town Manager, the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Finance Committee, Town Meeting, our Town Departments, and the other Boards and Commissions have accomplished,” she said.

For his part, Crabtree declined to comment on the recall election, which enabled him to return to the Town Manager’s Office a short time after Panetta and a new board consisting of Mark Mitchell, Jeff Cicolini, Jennifer D’Eon and Scott Brazis voted to reinstate him.

As things turned, Crabtree – who was fired after two years – has gone on to serve nearly 10 more years to become the longest-serving town manager since Saugus hired its first town manager in 1948. He’s also the only town manager to serve for a decade.

Crabtree has been on the job about 14 years and has carved out a career in his hometown that could lead to two decades in the Town Manager’s Office. Selectmen in February voted unanimously to extend Crabtree’s contract through Jan. 31, 2030. They also voted to give Crabtree a 1.5 percent pay increase effective Feb. 1, 2025, and 4 percent increases for 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029.

For this week’s edition, The Saugus Advocate reached out to two dozen longtime participants in local Saugus government to get their reflections of the recall election, the impact it had on the way town government operates and the residents’ view of local government. Most of those officials contacted did not want to comment for this story.

Recalled selectmen respect voters

The Saugus Advocate attempted to get comment from the four recalled selectmen. Castinetti and Dever both said they accepted the decision of the voters without any bitterness.

“The town voters spoke at the time and hopefully they’re satisfied with what they got from it,” Castinetti said.

Although he moved away from Saugus to Danvers several years ago, he maintains a public profile in Saugus through his work as commander of the Saugus Veterans Council. “The people made their decision and we have to respect that,” Dever said.

Former Selectmen Allan and Faiella could not be reached for comment at press time this week.

Here are the reflections offered by four current and former town officials:

Former Town Meeting Member Al DiNardo

“There was an enormous outcry after the firing of Scot Crabtree from the public. No one person has the authority to recall a sitting board of selectmen, but the citizens of the town. All we did was galvanize those voices that felt that the Crabtree administration was doing a good job at restoring Saugus.

“Saugus was at a multi-generational decline before this administration. The town was even under a consent order for dumping raw sewage into the Saugus River. After hearing from hundreds of citizens, I decided to run the recall from my home on Essex Street. We had over 200 volunteers that wanted to work to change the direction of the Town.

“Unfortunately, I had to move to Plymouth to help care for my 91 year old mother-in-law with my partner. I am proud to be part of a movement that changed the direction of the town out of potential receivership into the many accomplishments since this administration took over. It was the citizens of Saugus that ordered a recall 10 years ago.

“It is a strong testimonial to our way of government that the people have the final say to adjudicate issues when they are not happy. Far different from the old country where Kings and Queens execute their authority. We the people of Saugus supported the work of the Crabtree Administration.”

Town Meeting Member Peter Manoogian

“Many feel the recall was only about the unjust firing of Scott Crabtree, but for me it was much more than that. Prior to his hiring, Saugus was on a downward financial slide. We were on a Department of Revenue Watchlist, the Town had experienced negative free cash, there was clear and later confirmed evidence of procurement improprieties and there was unrest among the employees due to unsettled contracts.

“Capital improvements to buildings and public spaces could not occur due to the constant refrain of ‘we have no money.’ The Town had been cited for dumping raw sewage into the Saugus River due to a lack of maintenance on our sewer infrastructure. Saugus needed special one year tax assessment legislation just to pay for snow and ice costs.

“Flash forward 10 years and the Town of Saugus is in the best financial condition it has ever been in. We have healthy reserves; bills, including snow and ice, are paid for within the fiscal year of their occurrence and our bond rating has remained just one notch below AAA thus saving hundreds of thousands of dollars on borrowing costs for capital improvements. We built a new high school, rebuilt and maintained our infrastructure, including sewer infrastructure, and there is a capital improvement plan that is properly executed.

“Yet, in spite of the progress, Saugus still has political divisions and there is a lack of a succession plan should the Town Manager’s position become vacant. As the only Town in the Commonwealth that does not have staggered elections, a ‘tempest in a teapot’ political issue could result in a Board of Selectman majority that could do exactly what the 2013 Board of Selectmen did.

“To sustain good government, it is incumbent upon citizens to actively become engaged in the civic life of the community. I do not see that happening outside of the nonsense one can view on Saugus social media pages, which unfortunately has a tremendous influence on many elected officials.”

Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta

  “Our Town has a AA+/Stable bond rating, the best bond rating that Saugus has achieved under any administration in town history. We built a state-of-the-art middle/high school and received a grant from the MSBA of up to $65.1 million to build this school. We invested in parks and playgrounds throughout town, which includes Bristow Park, Veteran’s, and Anna Parker (new pickleball courts, street hockey, and picnic area). Plans for updating Stackpole and Golden Hills are in the works.

“The Town is rolling out a new water meter program to ensure accurate water usage for all residents. The Town purchased two properties in Cliftondale Square showing its commitment to revitalize this area. There have been improvements in public safety communication, town hall updates, guard rail work, road paving, sewer rehabilitation, vehicle replacement program, capital upgrades and major renovations to the Belmonte and Veterans schools, new generators for Town Hall and the Senior Center, and so much more.

“The Town has done an outstanding job receiving grant money to help pay for items in Town, including green community grant money (~$1M), money for firefighter gear, funding for parks, $1M in Federal grant money for public safety communications, and $2.3M in Federal grant funding for revitalizing Cliftondale Square (parking). The Town also hired a media specialist who is doing a great job with communication in Town – which is vital. The Town, with the vote from Town Meeting, funded a $4.3M capital improvement design project at the Lincoln Avenue main sewer pumping station to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows into the Saugus River. And let’s not forget the completion of all the necessary improvements required with the administrative consent order (ACO) from the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Protections for the Inflow & Infiltration (I&I) issues. We also retrofitted all the streetlights in Saugus with LED lights, built a CHARM center for hard to recycle items, and created a solar farm behind the Public Works Department.

“I have been on various Boards and Committees in Town for over 30 years, and we’ve come a long way from almost being bankrupt and going into receivership, to maintaining the full level of services provided by our Town.

“There was a time when there wasn’t enough money to keep the Essex Street Fire Station open full time. Now the Town just finished the feasibility study for building a public safety EMS facility on the west side of town.

“Who can forget not having enough money to keep our library open and losing its certification? Our library is now flourishing. Remember the threats of closing our Senior Center due to budget constraints? Today, we can boast that we have one of the finest Senior Centers around with a phenomenal staff and wonderful volunteers.

“I certainly do not want to relive the days of the recall, but I will never forget how that one bad decision divided our Town. As long as the various Boards and Commissions work together with our Town Manager for the common good of all residents, we will continue to make significant progress in our Town. Our Town is financially stable and on a steady, positive course. Saugus is far better off now than it ever was, and we need to continue to work together to stay the course.”

Selectman Corinne Riley

“During my time on the Board, elected officials and the town administration have been able to cooperate effectively. As a Selectman, I think my time and energy is best spent looking toward the future rather than the past, so I am focusing on current and future initiatives to better our town like a third fire station, the replacement of the Golden Hills Playground, and a subscription-based email/SMS-compatible notification service for residents.”