SAUGUS — Charter change is officially on the ballot this fall after the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Tuesday night to insert a question asking residents if a commission should be elected to review the town’s governing document — and the race to serve on the commission is already heating up.
As of Wednesday morning, 14 people had pulled papers to run for a seat on the nine-member Charter Commission this fall, headlined by Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano, who led the charge for getting charter change on the ballot. Along with Cogliano, Anthony Speziale, Fred Federico, Julie Mitchell, Robert Camuso, Thomas Traverse, Lori Gallivan, Arthur Grabowski, Judy Worthley, Gene Decareau, Donald Cicolini, Peter Rossetti, James Russo, and Kenneth DePatto have all taken out nomination papers.
That list features a number of prominent figures in town, with Camuso and Rossetti serving as Precinct 2 Town Meeting members, Traverse chairing the Zoning Board of Appeals, and DePatto chairing the Finance Committee. Grabowski is a former School Committee member, but was stripped of his subcommittee memberships in the wake of racist comments he made and ultimately voted off the committee in November 2021.
The long list of residents who have already taken out papers, which became available only a few weeks ago, indicates there is an appetite in town for change, though it’s unclear exactly how far the commission might go in revising the charter.
In a statement, Cogliano said he was thrilled that the creation of a commission to study the charter had garnered so much attention.
“The mix of people running is also a great sign … and I expect many more to join in before the Sept. 12 deadline to pull nomination papers,” he said. “I believe we deserve better in Saugus, and if I’m fortunate to serve on this commission, I will do the work necessary with the help of all our residents, to bring Saugus to the next level.”
The Charter Commission race has provided an additional layer of intrigue to the coming fall elections and could drive more voters to the polls, with candidates likely to sell different views of Saugus’ future.
Once elected, a nine-member commission would have 18 to 24 months to produce a report detailing proposed changes to the charter, which would then go before residents as a ballot question the following November. A commission could propose a series of changes by as narrow a margin as 5-4, though the most recent elected commissioners in town voted unanimously to advance a plan that was ultimately defeated at the polls.
Cogliano, who was the top vote-getter in the two most recent town elections, has suggested that Saugus amend its charter to elect a town manager as opposed to that person being appointed by the Board of Selectmen, a move he has said would give the post additional accountability to residents.
But, a charter expert indicated that doing so while maintaining other, traditional structures of town governance — like Town Meeting and a Board of Selectmen — would likely be seen as a violation of state law by the attorney general’s office and the legislature.
Cogliano’s push for charter change began in January with talk of the town changing its charter to become a city, a proposal he has backed away from in recent months after finding little support across town, even from close allies like fellow Selectman Corinne Riley.
