Ex-Saugus pol guilty of abusing Boy Scout

SAUGUS – The former chairman of the Board of Selectmen and onetime candidate for Saugus Town Manager is awaiting sentencing following his conviction for sexually assaulting a Boy Scout in New Hampshire.David B. Smith, 62, of Londonderry, N.H., was found guilty March 9 in Rockingham County Superior Court of five counts of felonious sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault and four misdemeanors.Smith, a former executive for the General Electric Co. in Lynn, was taken into custody immediately after the jury handed down the verdict following the three-day trial and two hours of deliberation.According to Rockingham County Assistant District Attorney Karen Springer, the victim met Smith at a Boy Scout jamboree and sought assistance from the defendant in earning his Eagle Scout badge.Rather than assist, Smith went to the boy’s Derry home and sexually abused him, Springer told the jury.The assault occurred sometime between Sept. 1 and Nov. 3, 2007, according to the assistant prosecutor. The boy, now 19, was among several witnesses to testify at the trial.Smith testified in his own defense. His attorney, Donald Kennedy, claimed evidence presented by the boy at the trial included lying about the sexual assault. Kennedy asserted the boy told a lie and then stuck with the story rather than reveal the truth. The attorney further argued in court that the boy was angry at Smith for not promptly helping him obtain the coveted Eagle Scout badge.According to Springer, Smith worked as a district executive for the Boy Scouts, overseeing a region which included Derry and surrounding communities. Smith resigned from that position after he was indicted three years ago.Springer said the boy first unveiled details of the assault to his friends approximately seven months after it occurred. An investigation ensued as the tale made its way up the Boy Scout chain of command until it was eventually reported to police.Smith faces possible imprisonment of 31/2 to 7 years for each of the sexual assault charges. He will be sentenced in April, according to the prosecutor’s office.Smith served as a Saugus Town Meeting member for Precinct 4 from 1973 to 1977, when he became the town’s youngest selectman and chairman to date. He was a four-term Saugus selectman, starting in 1977, the same year he was installed as master of the William Sutton Masonic Lodge but, in 1985, announced he would not seek re-election.Smith cited increasing job responsibilities at his GE River Works management job in Lynn. He was soon transferred to the GE plant in Hooksett, N.H. and moved to Londonderry, N.H. with his wife, Susan. He re-emerged in Saugus politics in 2002 when Steve Angelo resigned after serving four years as town manager, opening the seat to a field of candidates. The Board of Selectmen whittled the list to three candidates who received interviews. The candidates were Smith; Terry Ackerman, then town administrator in Braintree; and Andrew Bisignani, then Revere’s chief financial officer and currently the Saugus Town Manager.Michael Kellerher, a member of the Board of Selectmen in 2002, recalled receiving many telephone calls in support of Smith. “He was interviewed. He had this incredible resume and lots of people were in support of him,” Kellerher said Monday upon learning of Smith’s conviction.Selectmen in 2002 voted 3-2 to give the job to Bisignani on a temporary basis. “Smith was a candidate, but the board was leaning toward Andy. I didn’t vote for Andy at the time because I wanted to get to know him better,” Kellerher said.Janette Fasano, Chris Ciampa, Anthony Cogliano, Susan Raich and Kellerher comprised the Board of Selectmen when Smith applied for the town manager’s job. Fasano voted against him. She could not be reached for comment.”Here’s a guy who was a member of the board of selectmen, who sat in the chairman’s seat, and 10 years later he’s going to jail,” Kellerher said.