Countdown Till Saugus Town Meeting

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Annual Town Meeting convenes on Monday, May 4. As a special service to our readers and the registered voters of Saugus, we are reaching out to all 50 Town Meeting members, focusing on one precinct each week, in the weeks leading up to the start of Town Meeting, asking members about their expectations for the upcoming Town Meeting. This week, we received responses from three of the five Town Meeting Members in Precinct 5. For next week’s newspaper, we will reach out to the five Town Meeting Members from Precinct 6. The 2026 Annual Town Meeting convenes six weeks from Monday.

Question One: What do you consider the top priority for the town as you prepare for the opening of the 2026 Town Meeting session?

Lori Fauci: I think there are a lot of competing needs in our community and I hope to continue to hear from my precinct about their concerns as their representative. One glaring issue from my Precinct and throughout residents in town is the need to better fund our public schools. I have heard from many citizens about frustrations over class sizes, lack of electives and AP courses, and the hardships caused by limited school bussing. Our community has invested a lot into new structures and buildings to give Saugus the facilities we need to bring better education to our citizens. However, maintaining those facilities and investing in staffing for them has been a struggle. There are varying outlooks on how much funding our School Department needs, but I’d like to help ensure that my neighbor’s investment into the Saugus Public Schools pays off by advocating for more funding towards education. I think it will long term benefit our entire community and I think citizens deserve to reap the rewards that having a competitive and strong school system provides. Right now, we just are not and it is a problem that is impacting our town on many levels.

Jaclyn Hickman: A top priority as we prepare for the 2026 Town Meeting session is advancing a West Side Public Safety Building to ensure that all Saugus residents receive an equal level of protection. At the same time, it is essential that we maintain our strong bond rating as we take on the financial responsibilities associated with the new Vocational School. Equally important is providing sufficient, sustainable funding for all departments across the town to ensure continued delivery of high-quality services.

Ronald Wallace: The biggest question in town is how are we going to pay for the New Safety Complex (Third Fire Station) and also the new Northeast Regional Vocational School without taxing residents out of Saugus.

Question Two: What do you consider the top priority for residents in your precinct as you prepare for the opening of the 2025 Town Meeting session?

Lori Fauci: In Precinct Five, there are some neighborhood specific concerns. We have an issue with certain streets not draining after prolonged or heavy rain. This short term flooding impacts homes in the neighborhood. Citizens are working with the DPW to address it, but I’d like to see this issue resolved long term for my neighbors. Many residents in our Precinct are concerned about the state of the Lynnhurst School building. Despite a forum that discussed possible uses of the property (and the other closed school buildings) in a five year plan, many of these properties are essentially in disrepair. In the same vein, citizens would like to see some improvements to the grounds, park and courts that are still used by residents and local youth sports. Additionally, some residents wish we had a polling location that was in our district. As a new Town Meeting Member I am looking forward to working with more seasoned representatives to further understand the full scope of our needs in Precinct 5 and working together to help address them.

Jaclyn Hickman: A consistent top priority for Precinct 5 residents continues to be addressing traffic concerns along Walnut Street, where congestion remains an ongoing issue. Additionally, residents are very interested in the future of the Lynnhurst School site, as its eventual use will have a significant impact on the neighborhood and overall community planning.

Ronald Wallace: The biggest question I get asked in Precinct 5 is what’s going on with the Lynnhurst School. It’s a run down mess and needs to be torn down. Broken glass, Plywood over windows making it a total eyesore. It’s time to start talking about all the vacant school buildings.

Question Three: Are you working independently or in collaboration with other members on articles to be introduced for this year’s Town Meeting? Could you please elaborate? Summarize your article and what you hope to accomplish.

Lori Fauci: As of right now, being newly elected, I have not put forth any articles nor am I collaborating on any articles at this time.

  Jaclyn Hickman: At this time, I am not currently working with other members from my precinct on a specific article for Town Meeting. However, I am interested in collaborating with them on an initiative to organize a Precinct 5 community clean-up. Litter along our roadways has been a persistent concern, and this effort would aim to address that issue while fostering greater community involvement and pride in our neighborhood.

Ronald Wallace: Yes, I’m thinking about writing an article about all the trash everywhere in Saugus. Recycling bins are not enforced properly and trash blows all over town. It’s a really bad look on Saugus in my opinion. We have addressed the abandoned homeless camps but no one ever talks about the rest of the trash all over the place. If you own a dog or walk around Saugus you know what I’m talking about.