~ The Saugus Advocate Asks ~

Selectmen and School Committee members pick their top stories for 2024 and share their New Year’s wishes for Saugus

 

  Editor’s Note: For this week’s column, we reached out to each of the members of the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee and asked them if they would like to pick their top stories in Saugus during 2024, make a New Year’s resolution for the betterment of Saugus and share their wishes with residents for a Happy New Year. All five selectmen responded. Four of the five School Committee members participated. Their individual comments follow.

 

Q:

1) What do you consider the top story in Saugus during 2024? Feel free to elaborate.

2) If you were able to make one New Year’s Resolution for the Town of Saugus – a goal to make the community better – what would that be?

 

Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta

1/Top Stories

Saugus Flooding

• The beginning of 2024 saw heavy rains which caused the Saugus River to flood streets, yards, and basements. The Saugus Board of Selectmen sent a letter to our state and federal delegation requesting that funding for the Saugus River Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study be allocated as soon as possible.

Brush Fires

• The brush fires in Saugus caused significant destruction and hardship.

  Article 18

• The Attorney General approved a new town bylaw (voted by Town meeting) that establishes important environmental performance standards for solid waste facilities that are subject to Board of Health enforcement. Solid waste facilities in Saugus must satisfy specific emissions standards for ash, light, noise, visible emissions, and other air pollutants.

  Maintaining our AA+/Stable Global Rating

• This strong rating helps Saugus achieve better borrowing rates which eases the tax burden on residents.

The Anna Parker Park Enhancements

• Saugus has had a significant upgrade to Anna Parker Park. We have 6 new pickleball courts, a street hockey rink, and a picnic area for families to enjoy.

Continental closure

• For 72 years, the Continental Restaurant has graced Route 1, serving their delicious popovers and hearty meals. We hated to see one of our iconic restaurants close their doors. The Board of Selectmen are giving them a citation at their next meeting (1/8/25) recognizing their years of service in Saugus.

  New Year’s resolution / Goal

I would like to see our Town officials, employees, and residents continue to work together for the betterment of our community.

The more residents that volunteer and get involved, the stronger our community will be.

  Closing

This has been a difficult time for me and my family, having lost my mother this month. We sincerely appreciate the outpouring of love and support given to us by our Saugus family.

For 2025, I wish everyone good health, much success, and good fortune in everything you do. God bless.

 

Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Jeffrey Cicolini

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy and safe new year. As we head into 2025 I am encouraged and optimistic that the economy will prosper and the cost of living will become less burdensome on our residents. Inflation has had a crippling effect on many residents who live on a fixed income whether it be social security, pensions or disability. It is important to note the town is doing everything we can to alleviate the burden on our residents. Our administration is very conservative and does not overspend our budget. The town hired many key positions (that were budgeted for) in 2024 including for example, a new town engineer, an assistant town planner, a communications director to improve our communications with the residents, additional police and fire and additional manpower added to the DPW. The key is to find the balance on what positions are absolutely critical and what ones are more of a want than a need. This helps us maintain our successful track record of being able to add to the town’s stability reserves so we can maintain our stellar AA+ bond rating that saves our residents millions on the cost of our borrowings.

As for a goal or new year’s resolution for 2025 to make our town even better, that is a tough one to choose. One side of me would like to see our town further unite and stop the negativity and the divide that exists as we are all one community and we don’t have to agree on everything, but we can do so without name calling, hurtful words and making false allegations. Life is too short. Everyone should step back and smell the roses and be appreciative that we live in such a wonderful community filled with so many things to be thankful for.

One additional goal for 2025 is I would like to see finalization on our 3rd fire station assessment so the voters can decide once and for all if this is a project they support. If so, I am hoping we can move full steam ahead with this project. I also am very excited to see additional investments in our parks and playgrounds that are slated for 2025 most notably Golden Hills and Stackpole are the 2 that are next on the list. When I travel around town it is amazing to see the investments that have been made namely the new Christie Serino stadium and field at the new HS/MS complex, Bristow Park, Veterans Memorial school park, Basketball courts on Central St., new tennis courts and tot park at Belmonte, the new pickleball courts and street hockey rink at Anna Parker. It has been truly amazing to see all that has been done by this administration….teamwork and collaboration are the key to our success in Saugus!!! I am very proud to be a 4th generation Saugonian!!

 

Selectman Anthony Cogliano

For me, the biggest story for Saugus residents and our Country as a whole, is the return of President Trump to the Oval office.

After four years of open borders, and the failed economic policies of the Biden Administration, enough was finally enough. The voters of Saugus got it right on November 5, 2024 and January 20, 2025 can’t come soon enough.

As someone who always encourages people to get involved in town government, I look forward to seeing some new faces with new ideas vying for seats come November. As for me, I’ve been on the Board for 16 years and haven’t made up my mind if I will seek another term. However, as long as I’m here I will always do my best for our residents and look forward to the challenges ahead.

Happy New Year to all.

 

Selectman Corinne Riley

Regarding top stories, I think that 2024 has been a relatively quiet year, which isn’t a bad thing. Stories that do come to mind include some that are near and dear to my heart like the improvements to the American Legion building and safety improvements in Cliftondale Square, specifically additional pedestrian crossing lights and traffic cameras. The wildfires at Breakheart was an important story, and I want to recognize our firefighters for working these fires under very difficult conditions. One story I am happy to bring up is the improved safety on and around the rail trail. I’ve heard significantly fewer reports of kids on bicycles harassing people. I have no doubt that this is a result of regular rail trail patrols of our police on the trail. Great work by our Police! Another important story this year is that the flooding in the Lynn Fells Parkway area has been addressed.

Regarding resolutions, I’d like to see more of us resolve to be more civil toward one another, regardless of political differences, whether at the local, state, or national level. Too many of us have let elections and politics affect relationships; life is too short for that. We get the opportunity to elect our leaders and representatives every year. I wish more of us would take advantage of that opportunity, and be a bit nicer to each other along the way. I want to wish everyone health, peace and tolerance in 2025.

 

Selectman Mike Serino

I believe the 2024 top story in Saugus is the smooth operation of Town government. Saugus is in good shape financially and our Town form of government is stable. We have dedicated employees and a great bunch of residents who love to volunteer on various boards, committees and sports programs, along with the many non-profit organizations throughout our community. Saugus has modern schools for our kids and we continue to build new parks, playgrounds, roadways and sidewalks.

My goal for 2025 is to continue the progress that has made our community a much better place to live in for all residents. In order to continue this progress, I do intend to run for re-election to the Board of Selectmen in November 2025. I wish all of you a very Happy and healthy New Year. God Bless, Mike Serino

 

School Committee Chair Vincent Serino

1. What do you consider the top story in Saugus during 2024? Feel free to elaborate.

There were many stories in 2024, but I don’t believe one stood out. The election of a new president for our country is a big story that affects everyone throughout the country.

I think it will affect all communities including Saugus. As far as local stories, there were too many to narrow down to just one.

2. If you were able to make one New Year’s Resolution for the Town of Saugus – a goal to make the community better – what would that be?

My New Year’s Resolution for the Town of Saugus would center on the schools. I would resolve to make the schools more competitive in learning, to get our students the services they need, and to get the community of Saugus working together to achieve the goals we set.

I want to wish everyone in Saugus a very happy and prosperous new year.

 

School Committee Member Ryan Fisher

You’ve asked me this question every year, and I’ve gone to pandemics and upheavals and acrimonious elections or other events. Happily, this year, there isn’t an obvious answer to point to. We’re investing in our schools and in our town. We’re listening and adjusting. Nothing’s off the table. We’re committed. Stability isn’t a flashy answer, but I’ll take it. Next year, my resolution is to put in a lot of hard work. We have a challenging budget season starting, and many of our contracts are up for negotiation. It’s going to be a really packed year on the school committee!

 

School Committee Member Stephanie Mastrocola

I would have to go with the closing of the Continental. This restaurant has been a place where people have shared many memories. We often times take for granted that something will always be there. Many people were heartbroken when hearing that they were closing. That being said, I hope the staff and everyone who made up the Continental know they played a wonderful role in people’s memories. The friendships that were made there I’m sure are everlasting. Good Luck and most of all Thank You!

My New Year’s Resolution for the Town of Saugus would be a Big Community event. We have a lot of new families moving in and want a sense of belonging. Holding a big corn-hole tournament to raise money for a charity that is dear to a Saugus child’s heart. It not only is fun but teaches kids to work on something for others. It would give us all something to look forward to on a yearly basis. The wheels are turning already! Let’s put our mind to it and do it. Happy New Year to All and Stay Safe

 

School Committee Member Thomas Whittredge

To be honest, after a tumultuous 2023, it’s been a rather lackluster 2024. The top story to me is the Town’s investment in multiple buildings around Town. The Town Hall, Library, public safety, Roby, 25 Main, American Legion, Senior Center and DPW buildings have all benefited with significant improvements. We also have a brand new pickle ball/Hockey complex at Anna Parker. With more projects on the horizon, I’d say the taxpayers are getting their money’s worth.

My resolution for the Town would be for people to stop getting their misinformation from the town tabloid pages on Facebook.

Hope everyone has a healthy and prosperous NewYear!