Saugus charter board to get expert advice

SAUGUS-The Charter Commissioners are going to get some invaluable advice Thursday when Winthrop Town Council President Tom Riley stops by for a chat.Riley served as vice-chairman of Winthrop’s Charter Commission when it went through a charter change two years ago. Saugus Charter Commission Chairman Peter Manoogian said Riley’s institutional knowledge should give the commission a huge insight into what lies ahead for them.”We’re still in the investigation stage,” Manoogian said. “To hear how Winthrop did it will be enlightening for the membership.”The commission meets Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Public Library’s meeting room.Manoogian said the commissioners must stay focused on the fact that they are still investigating different avenues of reviewing the charter, not drafting a new one.”This is a huge task,” he said.The commission is beginning to break that huge task down into parts.Manoogian said during the commission’s last meeting, commissioners voted to adopt an eight-part model to guide them. The model includes identifying and researching the need or problem, developing possible solutions and selecting the best one, constructing a prototype of the solution to test and evaluate, telling everyone about the solution then redesigning the need based on the solution.While other boards and committees are dropping the issue, the charter commission also voted to include a public comment portion to its meetings.In a press release on the issue the commissioners wrote, “Public comment will be as important to the Saugus Charter Commission as a patient’s responses are to a doctor’s questions during a physical. By allowing a time period for public comment at the beginning of the meeting during the diagnostic phase, we hope to make participation easier for the general public who may not be able to wait until the end of our meetings.”The commissioners also voted to work in pairs to break down the current charter into presentable, understandable pieces.Lastly the commission appointed colleague Karla deSteuben its information liaison. She will work with the town’s technology director to develop a charter Web site, but the group already has an email address, [email protected] residents are more than welcome to attend Thursday’s meeting, Manoogian hopes even more residents will turn out Dec. 19 when the commission holds its first public hearing regarding the operation and effectiveness of the town’s government.