SAUGUS — Selectwoman Debra Panetta, who has been involved in town politics for more than 30 years, is planning to run for reelection this fall.
Panetta, a member of the Board of Selectmen for a decade, said she planned to pull papers at Town Hall Thursday evening in a bid to retain her seat. She has until Sept. 10 to garner the required 50 signatures and return her papers.
“I’ve been involved with Saugus politics now for over 30 years and there’s been some initiatives that I have started that I want to continue on,” said Panetta.
One of the projects that Panetta is most proud of during her time on the board is the revitalization of the town’s economy. At one point, town officials were in discussions over having to enter into receivership, but now Saugus holds an AA-plus rating with Standard and Poor’s rating system; this stable bond rating has saved taxpayers millions of dollars in Saugus, she said.
“It’s so important that we remain a full-service community,” said Panetta. “We have the correct police, fire, and we have garbage pickup, and we have all of these things that we are servicing the people in our town with the appropriate staffing. We take care of our residents.”
Panetta has been on the five-member Board of Selectmen for 10 years, but still believes she has some work to do. She identified two projects that she is intrigued with, which will be her focus if she is reelected.
Panetta and her colleagues on the board have been working on the division and strategic goals of the town’s master plan. She sits on the advisory committee for the plan and feels it’s important to establish goals and strategies for the town’s future.
“Including, making sure that the people of our town, the residents, have a voice in that plan,” said Panetta. “That’s why we have been having the public hearings and we’ve been very transparent in the work that we have been doing.”
Something that falls under the plan’s purview is figuring out what the town is going to do with the former school buildings; Saugus went from utilizing seven school buildings to now only having three after a district-wide consolidation.
“We have these schools that are out there (but) we, the town, can’t do anything with the schools until they are given back to the town because the schools technically own them and they are going to be given back to the town,” said Panetta. “Once they are given back to the town, that’s when we can actually have the meetings and start discussing it.”
For example, ownership of the former Ballard Elementary School has already been transferred back to the town; it is one of the few schools that has been transferred back so far.
Panetta is also a member of the Cliftondale Revitalization Committee. As the secretary of the committee, she really wants to see that project through and continue to find ideas to bring more business to the area.
A point of pride for Panetta is the fact that she returns every email and phone call that she receives. She says that she believes she is there for the people.
“If I felt I wasn’t being a value added, I wouldn’t run,” Panetta said. “The most important thing is you want the people to like you, feel comfortable with who you are and what you represent.”
The town election is Tuesday, Nov. 2.
