SAUGUS — A three-year term on the town’s Retirement Board is up for grabs this fall.
Candidates interested in serving on the Retirement Board, which oversees the pension system that provides benefits to public employees and their families, have until Sept. 18 at 4 p.m. to file nomination papers with Election Officer Ann Quinlan. The election will be held entirely by mail, with members of the retirement system required to submit their ballots to the retirement office at 25R Main St., Town Hall Annex by Nov. 2. Nomination papers are available at the office.
All members of the retirement system are eligible to run for the seat, currently held by Mark Gannon, and must submit nomination papers with signatures from 20 members of the system in order to appear on the ballot. Should Gannon or anyone else be the only candidate in the race, no ballots will be issued and they will claim the seat.
The board is comprised of two elected members, an ex-officio member, and two appointed members — one appointed by the Board of Selectmen and one appointed by board members. Those seats are filled by Gannon, Saugus Fire Capt. Bill Cross, who chairs the board, Donna Matarazzo, Gene Decareau and Doreen DiBari, respectively. Cross was re-elected last fall.
Quinlan serves as the board’s administrator, overseeing the day to day operations of the system.
Board members are responsible for making decisions on a member’s eligibility for benefits, investing the board assets, and the supervision of the board staff. The system is overseen by the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission.
The board represents roughly 750 active, retired and inactive members of the retirement system, representing the Town of Saugus, the Saugus Housing Authority, and some positions within the School Department.
