Wong rededicates himself to chairman role in Saugus

SAUGUS-Selectman Chairman Donald Wong caught a few of his colleagues off guard when he made a speech that gave the appearance that he was stepping down.He did not step down; instead he rededicated himself to his role as chairman.”You have been very patient since the election,” Wong read from a prepared statement during last week’s board meeting. “It has been a long learning experience for me.”Wong said he believed he needed to pay more attention to detail and procedure during the meetings in his role as general and promised that he would in the future.In regards to procedure, Wong’s short reign as chairman has been marked by uncertainty largely because he is unfamiliar with the rules that govern a selectman’s meeting.That is not uncommon however; his colleague, Peter Rossetti, suffered the same handicap, as have other chairmen before him who were new to the role.To get a better handle on his job Wong said he plans to step down from a several boards and committees he serves on in the Boston area.He said some of the boards have asked him not to but he said he believes strongly that he must.”So I can spend more time in Saugus,” he said.He also said he would like to see board members as a whole communicate in a more polite, civilized and courteous manner. He could have been referring to a recent spat between selectmen Stephen Castinetti and Stephen Horlick, when Castinetti called his colleague disgraceful and divisive for essentially disagreeing with him.”My philosophy has always been to think and act in a positive manner,” Wong said. “If I conduct meetings so, we will achieve positive action.”