Grabowski running for Saugus selectman

SAUGUS – School Committee member Arthur Grabowski believes selectmen shouldn?t operate as one mind, and that?s why he?s seeking to give up his seat to serve on the board.He is running for all four seats currently occupied by Paul Allan, Maureen Dever, Ellen Faiella and Stephen Castinetti in the March 17 recall election.?If you wanted all five selectmen to be of one mind, why do we elect five?” Grabowski asked. “Why not just elect one? What kind of healthy discussion and discourse can we have if five think as one?”If elected, he said he will set benchmarks for the new town manager.?I will require periodic assessments of how well he is achieving his goals,” Grabowski said. “Most importantly, I will require a formal performance review.”But Grabowski said he doesn?t want to overpromise and underperform, especially just to get elected.Grabowski graduated Saugus High School in 1967, attended Boston College and joined the U.S. Army in 1969. Having worked for a multinational grocery chain, he is a retired warehouse manager. Most recently, Grabowski worked as a team supervisor for a national retail chain.Besides being elected to serve on the School Committee for three terms, Grabowski is on the Board of Directors for the Saugus Business Education Collaborative, a nonprofit group that annually raises funds to support educational programs. Grabowski also serves on the policy sub-committee as well as chairman of the athletic subcommittee and chairman of the safety and transportation subcommittee – which is all part of the school committee.He said his background on the school committee has prepared him for this role.?Due to chronic underfunding of the educational needs of our community, I have been involved in many decisions – some unpleasant – to see that our schools and students continue to advance and are offered the best possible education,” Grabowski said. “As an elected official that is the role we have to take on – we cannot just be cheerleaders – we need to step forward and be leaders. I feel that I have stepped forward and advocated relentlessly for the betterment of our schools.”