New chairman for Saugus School board

SAUGUS-Under the watchful eye of his wife, a former School Committee Chairman, Joseph Malone picked up the gavel and called his first School Committee meeting to order Thursday.”I’ll have to be on my toes,” Malone said with a laugh. “I have a good critic.”Malone was unanimously voted chairman of new School Committee after topping the ticket during Tuesday’s election. Malone said he looked forward to a second term, working with the new board and what he called crack staff.”We don’t have the money,” he said, “but we have the talent, we have the assets.”Political newcomer William Leuci was unanimously elected vice-chairman of the board.”My wife has been in politics for years,” he said referring to Town Meeting member Janet Leuci, “and I’ve always sat back.”Leuci however said when it looked like there would only be four names on the ballot for the committee he felt compelled to take action.”I couldn’t let that happen,” said the long-term educator.He said his wife asked if he knew what he was getting into, “but I decided I’d give it a try and really that’s all I can do.”Malone gave the members a chance to make a comment during the brief meeting held largely to organize the new board.Incumbents Wendy Reed and Christine Wilson along with Malone, thanked their families and supporters.Wilson said Thursday’s meeting kicked off her seventh term.”I thought you’d be sick of me by now,” she joked, “but you still have faith in me and I appreciate that.”Newcomer Frederick Doucette said he primarily wanted to thank his wife Julie who was home, pregnant with their first child.”This was a really big step for her to allow me to make this step,” he said adding that “the board all knows getting elected this time was easy?now the hard part starts.”And it’s shaping up to be another dicey year for the committee. Along with dealing with the ever-dwindling budget and over crowded classes, committee members also find themselves headed not only for a superintendent search but quite possibly shopping for a new Director of Pupil Personnel as well.