Saugus officials verifying recall signatures

SAUGUS – The Town Clerk’s office and the Board of Registrars have been working steadily to certify the thousands of signatures that were turned in on Nov. 10 calling for a recall election on four selectmen.Although Town Clerk Ellen Schena declined to say how many signatures have been verified, she said the process has been going as planned.According to the Town Charter, the signatures of at least 25 percent of the town’s registered voters – or 4,441 signatures – are needed in order to force a special election. Save Saugus PAC submitted more than 5,400 signatures for each of the four selectmen it is seeking to recall: Chairman Ellen Faiella, Maureen Dever, Paul Allan and Stephen Castinetti.The recall effort is in response to the board’s 4-1 vote to terminate former Town Manager Scott Crabtree Oct. 29. Selectman Debra Panetta cast the lone vote in favor of Crabtree and will not be included in the recall.”I’m hoping to get this done by Thanksgiving,” Schena said. “It’s not as easy as it sounds.”Schena said the process began on Nov. 13 after she and her staff completed the paperwork for the Nov. 4 election.”The election took precedence,” Schena said.