Saugus charter receives no satisfaction

SAUGUS – Nearly 80 percent of organizations in town that responded to a Charter Commission survey said they were dissatisfied with the town’s charter.The Outreach Committee, a subcommittee of the commission, sent out a three-question survey to 23 organizations/churches in town asking them what they thought of the town’s current structure. The questions included, “Are you satisfied with the current structure of the present town charter?”, “What would you change in the current form of government?” and “What would you like to stay in the current form of town government?”A report of the results was put together by subcommittee members, which includes Tom Stewart, Cam Cicolini, Peter Manoogian, and Chairman Debra Panetta.Although 80 percent of those queried claimed they were dissatisfied with the current charter, the ideas for change were varied.Some wanted to see the Town Meeting eliminated in favor of a city council and others wanted to increase the number of Town Meeting members or turn it into an open Town Meeting process.A number of respondents wanted to see staggered elections for the Board of Selectmen, several suggested increasing the number of members from five to seven or even nine, and at least one person wanted to give the board more power.The results also indicated that all town officials, board and commission members and the town manager position should be elected positions, that there be less union demands and more highly qualified department heads, along with more communication with residents and a change in town counsel every four years.The list of what survey respondents wanted to keep was much shorter than what they disliked.According to the report, many people simply wrote “nothing” under what they would like to keep. Others noted they would like to keep the position of town manager and the Board of Selectmen, along with retaining the police and fire chiefs. Participants also want to hang onto the Citizen Forum sections for public meetings, see more people get involved, see everyone allowed to participate in Town Meeting and put an end to any new taxes.The survey also reveals a strong concern regarding conflict of interest issues within Town Meeting, particularly when it comes to meeting members voting their own departmental budgets. Respondents indicated they would like to see more accountability when it comes to town finances and they blame the unions for much of the town’s financial woes.In the reports, summary committee members state they feel it’s clear residents are frustrated with the lack of timely decisions on important needs, but it doesn’t expound on what the needs are.A line under question 2 aptly sums up the entire survey. It simply reads, “People feel that the current charter has been ignored in many situations.”The Charter Commission continues to meet each Thursday and the public is encouraged to not only attend, but also participate.