Saugus charter meet a success

SAUGUS – A group of 52 residents came together Saturday with the goal of bringing the Charter Commission’s proposed changes into focus and, for some, that’s exactly what the event did.Former Selectman Janice Jarosz adm-itted she was pleasantly surprised by the charter when presented in its entirety.”It was all very interesting,” she said.Made up of former and present town officials with a smattering of town employees and residents, the group was split into six subgroups each focusing on a different portion of the proposed charter. Jarosz said essentially they sifted through their given portions and pulled out what they liked and didn’t like about the proposal.Resident Judy Grove weighed in on the “Select Board,” the proposed term for what is now the Board of Selectmen”I think basically the proposed charter is a good thing and I’m in favor of it,” she said.Grove said she particularly liked the idea of separating the selectmen from the job of issuing liquor licenses.”I think a separate licensing board is a wonderful idea,” she said. “I’ve seen how many times different selectmen have had to recuse themselves because they hold a liquor license.”However, Grove admits the licensing board portion of the proposed charter might prove to be a stumbling block.Jarosz, who also sat on the Selectmen subgroup, said the issue of a separate licensing board was probably the most contentious issue for her group.The second sticking point, she added, was the idea that the chairman of the Select Board would have to run independently. Therefore if the person running for the chairman spot doesn’t win, they not only lose the chairmanship but they lose a spot on the board.”Think it should be between board members to decide who should be chairman,” she said.Like Grove, William Stewart is very much in favor of the changes presented in the proposal.The former Town Meeting member admitted his son serves on the Charter Commission but said that had nothing to do with his decision. Neither, he added, does the fact that he sat on a charter commission back in 1983.”I can appreciate how much work went into this,” he said.Fred Brooks also sat in on Saturday’s forum but said he has yet to form an opinion on the document.He does believe, however, that the commission might face some trouble in getting what he termed a lengthy and complex document approved by the voters. He suggested a revision might reap greater success than a completely new document.Jarosz liked much of what was proposed but like Brooks did not commit to supporting the document as a whole and worried that presenting a totally new charter came with risks.She said she’d like to see the commission break the document down, perhaps pull out the top 10 issues and present those to the voters.Manoogian, however, reiterated that voting on a new charter is still an all or nothing deal. Not only is the commission legally bound by state law to present the charter in its entirety Manoogian said it wouldn’t work any other way.”It’s all interlocking,” he said. “Each part compliments or augments another.”Manoogian said he was pleased with the weekend forum and insisted all the comments and concerns would be addressed by the committee. Some, he said, might be seen in the form of revisions but he said all would be addressed on the commission’s Web site, which can be accessed through a link on www.saugus-ma.gov.