Saugus takes charter plan to State House

SAUGUS – Several Saugus town officials descended on the State House last week to speak on a proposed charter change that would make it three votes to extend a Town Manager’s contract instead of four.Selectmen Vice Chairman Steve Castinetti said the proposal, which was approved, 29-11, by Special Town Meeting in April, is “obviously not for the benefit of the town, but for the benefit of the Town Manager.””I went down because I obviously oppose the change of the charter,” said Castinetti, who voted against extending Town Manager Scott Crabtree’s contract in March. “I went and testified against it because, the main point I brought up was, if it’s four to hire, why wouldn’t it take four to rehire when, in effect, an extension of a contract is nothing more than hiring somebody for a longer period of time.”Castinetti also said he asked legislators to bring the article “back to the voters of Saugus.””Something this important shouldn’t be left to a handful of legislators,” he said. “I think the people in town, the people that this is going to affect, have the right to vote on it. But the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen didn’t feel the same way. He felt the residents of Saugus didn’t have that right.”Selectmen Chairman Michael Serino spoke in favor of the article, now known as House Bill 3508, noting 33 charter changes have been approved by the State House since 1947 without fail, including in 1982 and 1984 when the charter was changed to a four-fifths vote to hire and fire a Town Manager respectively.”This is really nothing unusual,” he said. “It’s happened 33 times since 1947 … It would be the first time something Town Meeting voted a two-thirds vote didn’t pass.”Serino also said charter changes are only put to a town-wide vote when they have to do with elections.”They never felt that way in 55 years, I don’t know why they would want it now,” he said. “But that’s not the process. The only time the residents vote on anything is when it has to do with an election … I think Steve (Castinetti) feels that way because he doesn’t support Scott (Crabtree).”Town Moderator Bob Long and Town Meeting member Peter Manoogian also went to the State House to testify on the bill. And while the article has been a hot button issue for Saugus officials, State Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein, D-Revere, said it’s “not controversial” to the legislature because it’s “the will of the town.””It’s what they asked us to do,” said Reinstein. “We have an obligation. When we get a home rule petition we don’t amend it. It can only be amended by the local governing body.”State Rep. Donald Wong (R-Saugus) said the bill is with the steering committee right now and will go for its third reading this week. After the third reading it goes to the House floor for a vote.”I didn’t speak for or against it,” said Wong. “At the hearing, what I did was bring them the information … Some people forwarded me emails and petitions and I just handed it in during the hearing saying, ‘This is what I’m getting from my constituents.’ The petition and emails were people asking for it to go to the voters.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].