Castinetti calls for resignation of entire Saugus TV board

SAUGUS – Selectmen Vice Chairman Steve Castinetti called for the Saugus Cable Television Station Board of Directors to resign Tuesday night and reinstate fired operations manager Richard Garabedian.?Words can?t describe how I feel right now about the disgusting display of abuse of power of that board,” he said. “I?m calling tonight for the immediate resignation of that entire board, a return to the former format and the reinstatement of the employee who was terminated the other night.”Several residents in attendance erupted into applause after his statement, which came at the end of Tuesday night?s meeting.Castinetti also took issue with board Chairman Christopher Peatridge and the board spending money on an outside labor attorney instead of town counsel and hiring police details to attend the meeting and wait at the high school.?This board decided to spend your money,” he said. “At the end of the meeting, the chairman confiscated the recording of the meeting. That?s absurd. I don?t know who he thinks he is. He takes it upon himself to do whatever he wants. A police detail was hired to sit at the high school until noon the next day. What were they expecting? An attack by the residents?”Castinetti said he has a loss of confidence in the board for its “reckless political agenda and fiscal irresponsibility.”While Peatridge did ask for the tape after last week?s meeting, the video of the meeting was posted to the video sharing website Vimeo on Tuesday.About 10 residents spoke out against the SCTS board while around a dozen stayed to show their support. Resident Cynthia Alba called the board “aggressive and arrogant.”?It?s a disgrace to this town and I?m a taxpayer in this town and it bothers me,” she said.Chet Stentiford, who hosts Creative Gardens on SCTS, said Garabedian did a fantastic job and told selectmen the SCTS board is a “total embarrassment” and should be ashamed of themselves.?There is no other town that is not a non-profit except for Saugus,” said Stentiford. “I think it?s time these questions were asked ? This town is getting jipped royally.”While Selectmen Chairman Michael Serino prevented anyone from mentioning Garabedian for legal reasons, Saugus resident Stephanie Fail said the board is “taking a very big risk because it was your hands that appointed this board.”?No matter what this board does ? it could still come back to the Board of Selectmen,” said Fail.Fail urged the board to listen to the residents in attendance and remove the board of directors including its chairman.?It?s not an insult to your intelligence that you might have picked the wrong guy ?” said Fail. “I think that person who leads the television board should be removed. All of these voices have said this. Your name is on this. Do you trust this person with the assets of Saugus? Do you trust this person to not be abusive to the next employee? Please hear us, because we?re also going to voice our opinions through voting.”Town Meeting member Maureen Dever said there are issues of concern that “disturb her greatly,” including censorship.?Censorship is not allowed in this country,” said Dever. “Why is it allowed in the town of Saugus?”Dever, however, along with Town meeting member Barbara Malone, urged selectmen in December of 2011 to bring in consultants to review the SCTS contract to take it in a more positive direction, which ultimately led to it being switched to its current format.After everyone spoke, Serino cited the allegations read by the attorney at last week?s SCTS meeting against Garabedian, saying he didn?t think the studio was being run properly.?I think if you have anybody to blame for those mistakes it?s the old board and not the new board,” he said. “They?ve been trying to clean it up.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].