SAUGUS – A Saugus resident started a petition to bring back Richard Garabedian as the operations manager for the Saugus Cable Television Station.Gary Sund started the petition on change.org, which also calls for the removal of the SCTS Board of Directors.”Richard Garabedian’s termination as Operations Manager of the Saugus Cable Television Station was unjust and unlawful,” said Sund in the petition. “Continued harassment and bias from the cable station Board of Directors culminating in Richard’s removal was unfounded and just plain wrong.”Sund also called Garabedian’s firing an “unfair and deceptive work practice.””Termination from a position for which he was never officially hired, not afforded a contract and benefits like every other town employee, and slanderous political bias make this a casue celeb (sic) for what is wrong with this system’s management of our local cable operations,” he said.Garabedian was fired after a unanimous vote by the SCTS board last month. An attorney hired by the board read a list of several accusations against Garabedian at the meeting.So far the petition has just 17 signatures with a goal of 100. Chet Stentiford, who hosts “Creative Gardens” on SCTS, was one of those who signed.”I don’t think he should have been fired in the first place,” he said. “It’s a vendetta set forth by the Board of Directors. It just seems like if things are said that they don’t like, they retaliate. It’s quite troublesome.”On Tuesday Garabedian said it’s “certainly humbling” to see people supporting him.”I hope this helps the people of Saugus realize that they have a voice and they have to use that voice,” he said. “They’re the ones that are really in charge. If they have the inclination, they can make the changes.”In other SCTS news, selectmen are looking to fill two two-year slots on the board of directors as the terms for James Ravagno and Davis Cottam are set to expire in July.Anyone interested may submit a letter of interest or resume no later than July 1, 2013 to Saugus Board of Selectmen, Saugus Town Hall, 298 Central St., Saugus 01906.View a timeline of the unfolding drama at Saugus cable. Click on each event for more information
From SCTV to SCTS on Dipity.
Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].
