Saugus selectmen cancel their cable subscription

SAUGUS – The Board of Selectmen has given the cable television station back to the town.In a 4-1 vote Tuesday night, the board returned the Saugus Cable Television Station (SCTS) to the citizens of Saugus. For the previous two years, the station had been run under the auspices of the board.The decision comes after three years of charges and countercharges involving two boards of selectmen and two competing cable entities.The SCTS station was formed in July 2012 after the previous board of selectmen declined to renew the contract of the nonprofit Saugus Cable Television (SCTV). In the November 2013 election, 87 percent of the voters said they wanted control of the cable station returned to the town.However, lawsuits filed by SCTV against both the town and the board kept selectmen from fulfilling the wishes of the voters, said selectmen chair Ellen Faiella. The fact that some of those suits have either been settled or dismissed prompted the board to change its stance, she said.?Every time (selectmen) tried to have a public hearing on (returning the station to the town), we were slammed with another lawsuit” by representatives from the SCTV board,” Faiella said.According to Attorney Ira H. Zaleznik, who represents the board, there are still three pending lawsuits involving SCTV and various town officials.In one of them, SCTV sued the board after it had rescinded an earlier vote it took to restore it as the duly authorized operator of the Public Education and Government (PEG) access channel. That case is still pending in Salem Superior Court.Zaleznik said another action, taken on behalf of selectmen last September, sought an injunction against SCTV – which was granted – for claiming to be the authorized operator of the cable channels. The suit also sought the return of all money and equipment previously in the possession of SCTV back to the town.SCTV sued the town and selectmen in April 2014 after selectmen rescinded their prior vote to restore SCTV as the operator of the public access channel. This case is still pending in Salem Superior Court.Faiella said the board has been patient with the process.?They (SCTS) have been torn down, had things thrown at them unnecessarily and fought legal battles that should never have taken place,” Faiella said. “There?s been a tremendous amount of experience between members of the board of directors, and we should allow them to do what the community asked for.”SCTS has a series of objectives, according to the agreement between the town and the board that was finalized Tuesday.?The first is our objective to work within the parameters of (the agreement) in order to create a high-quality, thriving station,” the SCTS board said in a cover letter on the pact. “Inherent in this is the fact that the station, in its totality, belongs to the Saugus community.”Or, as board member Greg Tully said, “now, it will be a town board, like a school committee,”?In spite of all the obstacles and roadblocks,” said board member Ed Wawrzynowicz, “it?s nice to see things turn out the way they should. It?s gratifying to see how smoothly proceedings went and now we can get started on the job we?re appointed to do.”?I?m very happy,” Tully said. “It?s been a long road trying to return the station back to what people wanted, and I?m very satisfied. I would have been surprised if it had not been put forth since we put so much work into it. Something like the last fiasco couldn?t happen again.”Selectman Debra Panetta cast the only dissenting vote.?I?m not trying to be unreasonable,” she said, “but I?d like to give the folks one last time.”?It doesn?t make you unreasonable,” Faiella said. “You just have a difference of opinion.”