Countdown Till Town Meeting

Editor’s Note: The 2024 Annual Town Meeting convenes on Monday, May 6. As a special service to our readers and the registered voters of Saugus, we will reach 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 two of the five Town Meeting Members in Precinct 9. For next week’s newspaper, we will reach out to the five Town Meeting members from Precinct 10.

Question One: What do you consider the top priority for the town as you prepare for the opening of the 2024 Town Meeting session?

Katrina L. Berube: One priority as I head into the annual town meeting is to ensure we maintain the fiscally responsible budget that the town has worked hard on over recent years and to vote the financial articles accordingly. Helping the town to grow – but with a plan toward sustainable growth & not overdevelopment – is another item I will keep in mind during the session. Preserving & improving quality of life for the residents is always a top priority.

Judith Worthley: A top priority should be to encourage new business in the community. Over the last few years many businesses have left the community for various different reasons. If this continues, it will have a profound effect on the town’s economic future.

Another concern is the amount of students leaving the school system. We need to work much harder to address the reasons why this is happening. To attract new families to the community, we need to improve the current status of our schools.

Question Two: What do you consider the top priority for residents in your precinct as you prepare for the opening of the 2024 Town Meeting session?

Katrina L. Berube: From hearing resident concerns at the “Saugus Over Coffee” forum held last fall, speaking to residents and seeing their posts on neighborhood social media groups, the top priorities for residents in Precinct 9 are the increased traffic – specifically at the intersections of Lynn Fells Parkway, Main Street & Howard Street, preventing overdevelopment in the area including the encroachment of Route 1 into the neighboring residential area, and related to that the preservation of the undeveloped natural spaces and playgrounds that we have in the Precinct. Making progress on getting a fire station on the west side is also a shared goal.

Judith Worthley: Obviously, a West Side Fire Station is and has been a top priority. I thank my fellow town meeting members who have supported this need in their previous statements. Over the years, there have been many, many articles passed and studies done. Before a serious situation develops, now is the time to make this happen. Also, many Precinct 9 residents have contacted me regarding the vacant Oaklandvale School. There seems to be great concern about the future of this school and all the empty schools in the town. I think updated information would help illuminate some of these fears.

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.

Katrina L. Berube: I did not work on any articles for this year’s town meeting.

Judith Worthley: I am not currently working on an article.

Question Four: Please feel free to share any other views about the upcoming Town Meeting. Thank you for your time.

Katrina L. Berube: The warrant for this Town Meeting session includes a diverse slate of articles and I think many will be beneficial for the town if passed. This is the first Town Meeting session after the last election, and I am looking forward to meeting the new members and working together for the betterment of the Town of Saugus.