Horlick gives Bisignani flack over warrant request

SAUGUS – The Board of Selectmen voted to set a special Town Meeting Wednesday, but when the motion was made to leave the warrant open specifically for the town manager, Stephen Horlick balked.
Horlick said he is tired of what he believes has become a common practice with Town Manager Andrew Bisignani keeping the warrant open an extended amount of time just for him. The result, Horlick said, is articles are inserted in the warrant without the board seeing them.
“The manager gets to see the Board of Selectmen’s articles and everyone else’s,” he said. “I told him the last time I would not keep it open and I won’t. I would like to see what he’s going to spend.”
Selectman Stephen Castinetti said Bisignani, who was not at the meeting, had a valid reason for wanting the warrant left open. Two articles – one dealing with the Kasabuski Arena deficit and another aimed at having streets officially recognized by the state – have reports tied to them that won’t be finished until next week. Castinetti said Bisignani couldn’t put a dollar figure on either article until the reports are received, therefore he asked that the warrant be kept open until the end of the week.
Selectman Peter Rossetti said timing was another reason for not stalling the posting of the meeting. With the presidential election coming up and the holidays just behind, Rossetti said the special Town Meeting needed to be set by the end of October to avoid conflicts.
Horlick said that argument wasn’t good enough.
“I’m not talking about delaying it, you have enough votes to put it through,” he said.
Horlick argued that he at least wanted the right to see the verbiage of the articles Bisignani is proposing, even if they don’t have dollar amounts.
“I need this, I need that,” Horlick said all but mimicking Bisignani. “I’ve been listening to this for five years now and I’m sick of it.”
Bisignani later said he had no choice but to ask for the warrant to remain open and he felt Horlick was being unfair.
He said it was customary to hold the warrant for the manager long before he came to town and it was also practical.
“I think it’s unreasonable to ask that all the articles be submitted at the time they set the date,” he said. “It’s not practical and it’s always been left open. I think this issue is more political than practical.”
The board voted 5-0 to hold the special Town Meeting on Oct. 27 and 4-1 to keep the warrant open until Oct. 10 strictly for Bisignani.