Saugus town moderator testifies against charter change

SAUGUS – Saugus Town Meeting member Al DiNardo said he will no longer support Bob Long as Town Moderator next year.?He will not have my vote when he?s up for re-election,” said DiNardo on Wednesday.DiNardo said he was “shocked” when he heard Long went to Beacon Hill last month to testify on the Town Meeting article that would change the vote requirement to extend the Town Manager?s contract from four votes to three.?We have a moderator that?s not adhering to the will of Town Meeting,” said DiNardo. “This was a vote of Town Meeting ? Town Meeting voted for the charter change so it should become law. A moderator is a referee. He?s not there to institute his opinion. If one member feels slighted like I do, then we?re all open to unfair play here. He?s been voicing his opinion a lot lately as a citizen.”Long said Wednesday that being the moderator “doesn?t mean I relinquish my right to be a Town Meeting member” and does not prohibit him from expressing his view. Long also noted he didn?t speak against the article but wanted it to be sent back to the public for a vote.?I certainly didn?t talk about any individual,” Long said. “I spoke really about them amending the article to go back to the voters in November. The public now is beginning to see we?re in a different environment now ? It?s one group of people who are really trying to limit what people can say ? People are talking about an environment here in Saugus that?s not financial, just an environment they feel uncomfortable living within. People are very quick to catch on when there?s a change in the political environment.”Long said the Charter was originally changed from three votes to four votes to hire and fire a manager in the 1980s because “we used to spin people of here,” noting that past selectmen would “bounce managers at will.”?I?m not happy with amending the Charter for one person?s job,” Long said. “That?s not what the Charter is all about ? An extension is very similar to a new hire. Why should a vote to re-hire a person be different than hiring the person to begin with? These same people who worry about me speaking ? aren?t they really trying to make sure their points of view are presented without any kind of discussion or challenge? These people are really a danger to speech in this town.”Town Manager Scott Crabtree could not be reached.DiNardo asked if the article did go back to the voters, what?s the point of Town Meeting members like himself showing up on Monday nights??People like myself have a greater insight into the political dynamics that are taking place,” said DiNardo. “This is a political game that is going on with some people. People like myself and others have great insight into the dynamics that the average voter does not have.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].