All four selectmen swept out in Saugus

SAUGUS – Voters overwhelmingly backed a new board of selectmen Tuesday, ousting each of the four selectmen subject to a recall vote by a wide margin.”We got crushed. All four of us,” Selectman Steve Castinetti said Tuesday night. “I think we’re all somewhat surprised all four of us lost. But if that’s what the people of Saugus want, that’s what the people of Saugus get.”Voters Tuesday night in a special local election were asked if they wanted to recall four of the five sitting selectmen – Paul Allan, Castinetti, Maureen Dever and Chairman Ellen Faiella. The recall effort was triggered by their vote to fire former town manager Scott Crabtree, who is suing the town for wrongful termination.Selectman Debra Panetta – the lone vote not to fire Crabtree – was not subject to recall.Voters were also asked to select a person for each of the four board of selectmen seats in question. Jeffrey Cicolini challenged Allan, Mark Mitchell challenged Castinetti, Jennifer D’Eon challenged Dever and Scott Brazis challenged Faiella. School Committeeman Arthur Grabowski challenged each of the sitting selectmen. Although results were not posted at Town Hall until just after 9:30 p.m., it was apparent about an hour earlier from poll workers and observers that the incumbent selectmen had been decidedly defeated.Fifty-eight percent of voters supported recalling Allan; Cicolini garnered 54 percent of the vote for the seat to Allan’s 37 percent. Grabowski received 9 percent.Voters supported recalling Castinetti by a 58 to 42 margin; Mitchell received 49 percent of the vote to take the seat, Castinetti garnered 39 percent and Grabowski earned 11 percent.Fifty-nine percent of voters supported recalling Dever, and 55 percent of the voters selected D’Eon for the seat. Dever got 36 percent and Grabowski 9 percent.Sixty percent of voters supported recalling Faiella, and Brazis garnered 60 percent of the vote to Faiella’s 35 percent and Grabowski’s 5 percent.”I am a bit disappointed, obviously, but the voters have spoken and I respect that,” Faiella said Tuesday night.Castinetti and Faiella independently said they didn’t regret any decisions the board had made, nor did they regret many of the board’s actions that the recall subsequently prompted, such as questions about the legitimacy of signatures on the recall petition, and the board’s selection and swearing in of new town manager Sean Fitzgerald. Both said these issues will continue even though they are no longer on the board.”If this board doesn’t work with the new town manager, they’ll make a big mistake and they’ll find themselves in the same position as we did, being recalled,” Castinetti said. “I’d suggest the members of the new board put their differences aside and move forward with the new town manager and move the town forward.”Faiella agreed that the town should move on with Fitzgerald as town manager.”Saugus needs to move forward. We need to heal, and Mr. Fitzgerald is clearly the person to facilitate that,” Faiella said.She also said that the petition signatures “absolutely” remain an issue.”I accept the voters’ decisions,” Faiella said. “But when I see what I’ve seen in regards to signatures, in regards to procedures, in regards to biased approaches by both town counsel and the town clerk’s office, there were just no standards. It was so irregular. It’s frightening to me.”The question is whether the will to move on is enough.”I certainly hope so,” Faiella said. “Saugus is a wonderful community. People are passionate, and I hope that passion allows our community to become one of the most attractive communities, and I think this board was working very hard towards that.””What has taken place in this election…,” Faiella continued. “There were no winners, there were only losers, and the loser was the Town of Saugus. This should never have taken place.”