Former Saugus selectman petitions to bring back citizens forum

SAUGUS – If selectmen thought the brouhaha surrounding the changes in the citizen’s forum portion of their meeting had died down they should think again.Calling the changes akin to censorship, one-time selectman Janice Jarosz has started a petition aimed at bringing the old style citizen’s forum back to the floor.The selectmen voted in November to cancel the portion of the meeting labeled citizen’s forum. Instead the board asked residents who want to appear before the board to send a letter or call and ask to be put on the correspondence portion of the agenda. The idea behind the change was it would streamline the process and the board would hear concerns earlier in the evening.The move raised a small outcry from citizens and two board members, Stephen Horlick and Michael Kelleher, who likened the loss of the forum to taking away a constitutional right.”I just don’t think you can take away something that has been around for so long,” Jarosz said. “At least not without a discussion.”Selectman Stephen Castinetti, who supported the change in format, said the wording on the petition was misleading to say the least.”If I were not aware of the situation and had only that to read,” he said, “I would sign the petition myself.”While Saugus did have the citizens’ forum segment for a number of years they are not the only town to not have it on their agenda.Nahant has no public comment portion during its meetings and Swampscott tends to use it only on an as needed basis.In Lynnfield selectmen generally ask at the end of a meeting if anyone has an issue to bring up.Jarosz said she doesn’t believe there was any malice behind the board’s decision to change the format, but she said she doesn’t think they realized the impact it would have.Castinetti said he couldn’t believe Jarosz didn’t have better things to do with her time than to spend her energy on a perceived issue that doesn’t exist.Jarosz said the issue clearly does still exist because residents are still talking about it and she is hoping to prove that with the petition.The petition asks that reconsideration be given on the removal of the forum because “it is a valuable venue in the democratic process.”The petition also said signers believe the 3-2 vote attaching requirements prior to addressing the board is a direct affront against First Amendment rights and that being required to write a letter in order to speak is a form of censorship.Castinetti all but called the notion of censorship ridiculous. He also pointed out that during the first meeting of the new year only one person sent a letter asking to be put on the agenda.”And he had a chance to speak about three hours earlier than he would have if he’d come to the last meeting we had,” he said. “We didn’t get to citizens’ forum until almost 11 o’clock.”Castinetti said he also believed the public was being unfair by not giving the new regulation a chance.”Citizens’ forum will be reviewed in three months and six months,” he said. “The Board of Selectmen has compromised by reviewing the changes. It’s the vocal minority that refuse to compromise.”Jarosz called the loss of the forum detrimental to the entire town.”With all the issues and problems in this town today,” she said, “I have to say they never should have taken this away from the people.”