Newcomers, incumbents vie for Saugus selectmen seats

SAUGUS – Saugus residents could have plenty of candidates to choose from in November as 11 people have pulled nomination papers to run for selectman.All five incumbents, Chairman Michael Serino, Vice Chairman Steve Castinetti, Julie Mitchell, Debra Panetta and Stephen Horlick, are running for re-election and are joined by Ellen Faiella, Paul Allan, Maureen Dever, Gary Sund, Eugene Decareau and Joshua Jake Greenstein.Mitchell said Tuesday that her year-and-a-half on the board was a learning experience and hopes to accomplish more with a second term.?Now I think I?m ready to move forward,” she said. “I have a lot of things that I wanted to accomplish that I haven?t yet and I would like to finish them ? I was pretty much kind of tossed in and it was kind of a learning experience. I think I?m settled in now and I think I?m ready to get some things accomplished. Now that the Town Manager has a contract we can move forward and make some things happen.”Horlick said he?s running again because there are always “more positive things that can be done in town.”?Now that we have a town manager in for approximately another five years, we have all the contracts signed, we?re on a financially stable platform ? there?s just a lot of good that the board can do with the town manager,” said Horlick. “From what I can see, we have a better outlook and are starting to see some clear skies ahead for the town financially now. Now it?s time to get a lot of positive things done.”Sund said the firing of former Saugus Cable Television Station manager Richard Garabedian is what made him decide to run for selectman.?I?ve watched things go on ? I?ve seen friends get screwed over and finally the tipping point was when Richie got relieved of his duties and I said, ?This is ridiculous ??” said Sund. “I?ve looked at a few other issues like the funding of the pension of the town employees ? and there are other things that could make the town better like term limits for various elected office. And the other thing I?m worried about is the educational system.”Serino said he?s running for re-election because it?s important to “keep on the same track that we?re on now.” Serino said he thinks the board has accomplished a lot over the past two years and is hoping to put together a five-year capital improvement plan over the next two.?We turned the financial mess around, we?ve got the middle school completed, the new rail trail, we hired a new town manager, a new accounting system and fuel management system, and a new economic development person,” said Serino. “I think it?s important that we keep the town moving forward and support the manager that?s in there. I think he?s done a great job in the short time he?s been there.”However, Castinetti said there?s still a lot of work that needs to be done in town, noting the town is in a “very stale situation” and saying the current board has a “lack of foresight.” Castinetti also said the town needs to capitalize on a potential casino at Suffolk Downs.?We?ve done nothing, in my opinion ?” said Castinetti. “Saugus is in a prime position to capitalize on the revenues from the casino by attracting the type of businesses where people will spend money in Saugus ? I think the board has been ineffective. It?s been reactive rather than proactive ? We?re not looking at tomorrow, we?re looking at what we did yesterday. There?s been absolutely no thought given to how we can make this town better over the last two years.”Allan said the main reason he is running is to “get the town working together” and improve the town?s economy.?I think we need somebody that can be centered in the town ?” he said. “I?m also standing strong with the economic development plan for the town to try to drive revenues from other sources other than raising taxes ? and to make sure we never run into issues again we went through two years ago with the library, the Saugus Youth and Rec, the senior center. All those commodities need to stay strong and we need to supp