Saugus moderator defends pick for finance board

SAUGUS – Town Moderator Robert Long is defending himself from criticism that he didn?t adhere to a 2006 Town Meeting resolution when making a recent appointment to the Finance Committee.?This talk about advertising sounds really good, but in reality it doesn?t always work out that way,” Long said on Thursday. “The moderator is the appointing authority. If they want to change that, they?re going to have to change the charter.”Long appointed Swampscott town accountant Dave Castellarin to the Finance Committee last week, but a 2006 resolution states: “We expect that when filling vacancies on the Finance Committee that the Moderator will use a public process to solicit qualified applicants from the community.”The resolution passed 43-4.Town Meeting member Al DiNardo said the resolution is “the voice of Town Meeting.”?If we?re meeting three or four hours on a Monday night to come up with these resolutions and they?re not adhered to, it?s a problem, and it?s an ongoing problem,” he said. “Listen to what we?re asking here. We passed a resolution, this is the voice of Town Meeting that this stuff should be public.”Town Meeting member Wayne Brooks acknowledged that the resolution was passed before he was a member but said he “certainly feels that should be adhered to.”Town Meeting member Sean Maltais called the appointment a “slap in the face” to Town Manager Scott Crabtree.?These positions haven?t been advertised in the past and I?m not going to tell Bob what to do,” said Maltais. “I don?t know what his qualifications are. I hear good things about this man ? but it?s a slap in the face to the town manager. The town moderator put someone on FinCom that wants to be town manager.”Long said he twice had announcements in the newspaper when seats opened up on the committee in 2006, but said he only received one resume one year and none the next.Long said the resolution proved to be “unworkable” in a “couple of successive years” and noted he had Finance Committee Chairman Robert Palleschi interview Castellarin before appointing him.?I tried to go with that resolution and it didn?t work,” he said. “Some things just don?t work the way people think it will. That?s a very thin thread that they?re clinging to ? It would still come down to me even if I had 100 applicants without having to explain to anybody why I chose them.”Long also said those Town Meeting members upset with his appointment “haven?t gotten over” the failure of the charter vote in 2009.?The problem is that this most recent appointment is a person who some people did not care for because he?s viewed to be on the so-called other side,” said Long. “This fractionalism continues to go on in Saugus by a small group of people who just can?t get over the notion that the charter was not voted three or four years ago and they continue to try come up with ways that they can bring it to whatever they thought they had three or four years ago. They create this ?us-against-them? environment.”Town Meeting member Steve Sweezey said Castellarin is “more than qualified,” but noted he would think Long would adhere to the resolution.?I don?t know if that?s an issue or not, but if that?s what Town Meeting agreed to, I would think Bob would want to make sure he follows the wishes of the members,” he said. “They?re the ones that elected him.”Long said Town Meeting members have “no reason” to be upset and challenged certain members to find someone better suited for the job.?Where would they come up with a more qualified individual than the one I put on the committee?” said Long. “That?s the question to be asked of them.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].