SAUGUS — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday night addressed the controversy following the revelation that Chairman Anthony Cogliano signed declarations on behalf of residents living near WIN Waste Innovations at the company’s request as it defended itself in a class-action lawsuit.
Cogliano was the first board member to address the issue, reading a prepared statement and disclosing that he had been contacted by the state ethics commission about his connection to the company. The commission asked just two questions, he said — “Are you employed by or compensated in any way by WIN?” and “Is the town of Saugus a party to the class action suit?” The answer to both was an emphatic no, he said.
The crux of the blowback he faced came regarding his decision to sign declarations on behalf of residents living near the company’s facility. He had contacted them to ask if they had issues with the waste-to-energy plant. He later obtained the actual signatures after being told he needed to.
But, the signatures are now essentially a non-issue as WIN, at Cogliano’s behest, dropped the declarations from the suit.
“For those of you that want to make a big issue out of it, best of luck to you, that’s the truth, and I guarantee nothing will come out of it,” he said before gavelling the board into a 10-minute recess.
Board member Corinne Riley, likely Cogliano’s closest ally on the board, said she believed it is necessary for board members to be able to live as private citizens, and emphasized that the board is not involved in the suit.
“The only time the Board of Selectmen has any authority is when it is in session,” she said. “The signatures were gathered outside of session.”
“Elected officials don’t lose their rights to have an opinion on an issue,” Riley added.
She said the board should move past the issue.
Board Vice Chair Debra Panetta, one of the most vocal opponents of WIN, did not speak on the signatures issue during the meeting despite numerous promptings from Cogliano for board members to help fill the time between scheduled public hearings. Board member Jeff Cicolini did not address the issue either.
Board member Michael Serino did not attend the meeting Tuesday night.
The class action lawsuit, filed by Brenda Sweetland in U.S. District Court, alleges that WIN’s facility spews noxious odors and ash into neighboring communities, which the company wholeheartedly denied.
There are “no odor or dust impacts from our Saugus facility,” WIN said in a statement.
The company’s proposed Host Community Agreement was on the meeting’s agenda, but remained tabled.
“We’re not prepared at this point to proceed,” Cogliano said.
Clarification: An earlier version of this story misstated Corrine Riley’s position on the issue of Cogliano’s signature gathering. She believes what Cogliano does as a private citizen, outside of his role on the Board of Selectmen, is his business, and not the business of the Board.
