SAUGUS – The town’s four embattled selectmen have vowed they will not go quietly into the night – and with the help of Dennis Gould, they may not have to.Chairman Ellen Faiella, Vice Chairman Maureen Dever, Stephen Castinetti and Paul Allan will be subject to a recall election as a result of the board’s 4-1 vote on Oct. 29 to terminate former Town Manager Scott Crabtree. Selectman Debra Panetta cast the lone vote in favor of Crabtree and will not be included in the recall.Last week, Gould became president of Save The B.O.S. PAC, the rival group of Save Saugus PAC, which gathered almost 5,000 certified signatures for each selectman it is attempting to remove.”I feel very comfortable,” said Gould of his role. He said he has worked with three town managers in the past and held various leadership positions throughout his 40-year career at General Electric in Lynn.Gould said the group’s intention is to highlight the positive things the board has done during the past year, including bringing public comment back to selectmen meetings as well as taking action on grease traps and the flooding issues at the Elm Street bridge.”There’s really no reason to recall them, they’ve really worked hard,” said Gould.He said he expects voters will agree when they take to the polls on Feb. 3.”I really believe they won’t recall any of them,” he said.Prior to joining the group, which numbers “in the hundreds,” Gould said, he had mixed feelings about the nine allegations the board made against Crabtree on Sept. 15. However, he said he felt compelled to join Save The B.O.S. after the board explained those charges on Oct. 29.Gould said he understood the board’s overall logic that cited Crabtree’s lack of communication and acting on matters without authorization.”He was kind of his own guy,” said Gould. “He had plenty of time to turn that around.”Gould did not approve of more than 60 Save Saugus signs being stolen in the middle of the night two weeks ago. “I don’t condone that,” he said, adding that such acts are uncalled for and the signs should be returned.Going forward, Gould said he will speak only when it is necessary.”I’m not going to be vocal just to be vocal,” he said. “We’re going to communicate with data and facts.”Gould said he approached Save Saugus Chairman Mark Mitchell about a shared Facebook account as well as participating in a televised forum.”Mark has declined to do that,” said Gould.Mitchell said Save Saugus has nothing left to prove as the voters have already spoken.”There is nothing to debate with him,” Mitchell said, adding that more signatures could have been obtained had there been more time.”Ninety percent of the people we spoke to signed the recall,” he said.Town Meeting member Robert Long disagreed, saying many people signed Mitchell’s petition without prior knowledge of what it meant.Long said having Gould at the helm will give the group the boost it needs.”Dennis is a great choice,” he said.Long said he has always known Gould to act based on facts rather than emotion.”He has that calm demeanor about him, he doesn’t get flustered,” said Long. “It lends a terrific amount of credibility to Save The B.O.S.”Faiella, Dever, Castinetti and Allan did not return calls seeking comment.
