Saugus recalls 1974

SAUGUS – It may be 40 years since the last successful recall election in the town, but the circumstances surrounding it were similar to the ongoing effort to remove four members of the Board of Selectmen.Save Saugus PAC submitted approximately 5,400 signatures Monday for each of the four selectmen it is trying to recall: Chairman Ellen Faiella, Maureen Dever, Paul Allan and Stephen Castinetti. The number of signatures was approximately 1,000 more than required for each selectman. Town Clerk Ellen Schena must certify the signatures. A special election would likely be held in January.The Board of Selectmen hired Robert Hagopian as town manager in January 1974 and gave him a five-year contract, only to terminate him eight months later. Selectmen cited Hagopian’s poor job performance and overall lack of communication. The board at the time included Chairman Clayton Trefry, John Bucchiere, David Dwyer, Benjamin MacGlashin and Christie Serino.Hagopian’s removal sparked a campaign to remove the entire board and was spearheaded by Andrew Sarno, chairman of the Saugus Citizens’ Recall Committee. The final group of signatures needed for the special election was submitted to Town Hall on Oct. 29, 1974 – exactly 40 years before the current Board of Selectmen voted 4-1 to terminate Town Manager Scott Crabtree, an action that prompted the current recall effort.Bill Stewart, currently a member of the Affordable Housing Trust, said Hagopian had done “a lot of crazy things” while he was in office, including chasing pigeons from the Town Hall belfry, earning him the nickname “the pigeon plucker.””The people reacted much as they’ve reacted this time,” said Stewart.Trefry, Serino, Dwyer and Bucchiere resigned their seats prior to the recall election in February 1975. Bucchiere was the last selectman to give up his seat, resigning “under protest” on Dec. 21, 1974.MacGlashin did not resign and was recalled in the special election of Feb. 4, 1975. Trefry, Serino, Dwyer and Bucchiere were among the 14 candidates for four spots on that same ballot, but only Trefry and Serino were able to retain their seats, as Dwyer and Bucchiere were defeated by Joseph Kerwin and Brian Robinson. John Bryant subsequently filled MacGlashin’s term.At that time, elected officials facing the prospect of recall had the option of resigning and entering the special election as private citizens in an attempt to get voted back into office.Town Counsel John Vasapolli said the Town Charter was amended in 1979 to require any elected official who is voted out as part of a successful recall to wait two years before running for office again.Following the 1975 recall, Hagopian filed a lawsuit against the board “seeking damages for the asserted deprivation of his Fourteenth Amendment rights,” alleging he was denied due process. Although Hagopian was initially awarded $30,000, the decision was contested before the U.S. Court of Appeals and was reversed in 1981.