SAUGUS – Not leaving anything to chance, Save Saugus PAC submitted 5,400 signatures Monday for each of the four selectmen targeted for a recall election – approximately 1,000 more than necessary.”Based on the level of work that we’ve put in, there will be a recall election,” said Jeff Cicolini, a member of Save Saugus PAC. “It was a Herculean effort all around.”Cicolini and Save Saugus PAC Chairman Mark Mitchell walked into Town Hall Monday morning with four stacks of petitions, one for each of the selectmen targeted for recall.”Jeff and I were really confident that we were going to get this done,” said Mitchell, who was five years old at the time of the last successful recall in 1975.According to the Town Charter, the signatures of at least 25 percent of the town’s registered voters – or 4,443 – were needed in order to force a special election.Cicolini and Mitchell turned in 387 pages of signatures supporting the recall of Selectmen Vice Chairman Maureen Dever, 386 pages for Chairman Ellen Faiella, 386 pages for Selectman Paul Allan and 385 pages for Selectman Stephen Castinetti.Selectman Debra Panetta was not included in the petition.Castinetti declined to comment on the impending recall; Faiella, Dever and Allan could not be reached.”It was a constant process,” Cicolini said of maintaining an updated signature count. “We did it in real time.” Although Save Saugus has collected more than enough signatures, Mitchell said his members would be delivering additional petitions to Town Hall throughout the day.”We’ll do this as quick and as fast as we can,” Town Clerk Ellen Schena said as she began processing the petitions.Town Counsel John Vasapolli expects the election to take place sometime in January.Efforts to recall the four selectmen galvanized after the four voted to terminate Town Manager Scott Crabtree. Panetta cast the lone vote in favor of retaining the town manager.”The people of this town need a chance to reassess,” said Cicolini. “This place should be incredible, people should be knocking our door down to come here.”
