Saugus board votes on library trustees tonight

SAUGUS – The Saugus Board of Selectmen interviewed three candidates for the Library Board of Trustees Thursday night, two months after removing the previous board for a lack of oversight.Matthew Canterbury, Paul Allan and Bob Cox all went before the board and tonight the selectmen will vote on appointments.Canterbury, who ran unsuccessfully for selectmen in November, said his business background as an owner of a concierge service combined with his interest in the library make him well-suited for the job.?My business is very similar to the library in that it has a fixed budget and has a certain amount of staff and a certain amount of hours,” said Canterbury. “That?s what I do for a living and how I put food on my table. It?s something I?m very familiar with. I have to answer to board of trustees at all my properties. I have to answer to residents and property managers. I understand oversight. I think I?m uniquely qualified.”The selectmen based their January decision to remove the trustees on the findings of forensic audit of library?s financial records after former administrative assistant Linda Duffy was arrested and charged with stealing more than $800,000 from the library. Duffy pleaded innocent in U.S. District Court in Boston to four counts of mail fraud, 10 counts of money laundering and one count of aggravated identity theft. Duffy is due back in court on March 27.Since then Allan, Town Treasurer/Collector Wendy Hatch and Assistant Town Accountant Joanne Gayron have been serving as trustees on a temporary basis.On Thursday, Allan said he would like to remain on the board to help bring the library back into a “positive light.”?I have good management skills from what I do,” said Allan, who works as a general manager at Staples. “There was a lot of things that needed to be fixed and there still are a lot of things that need to fixed, but it?s all going in the right direction. We just need the right people that can bring it back up and get everybody back on board and show the trust worthiness of it.”Selectman Steve Castinetti questioned each candidate about their knowledge of what role the trustees have.?You know what got the previous board in trouble, their lack of performance according to the auditors,” said Castinetti. “I think a lot of that was due to the fact that they weren?t familiar with what was required.”Bob Cox, who served as a Town Meeting member and has been on the Appeals Board for more than 20 years, said he?s been “very active” with the library since he was a kid, and pointed to his work in getting the library re-certified in 2009.?I keep trying to push projects such as author?s nights and special features to augment the interest of people beyond just taking books out,” said Cox. “I feel that everything has to be watched and has to be watched closely, especially the financials. They need to be open to those who want to know what?s going on.”Residents Gail Murray and Dennis Gould also applied for position on the Board of Trustees, but were not present for Thursday?s interviews.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].