SAUGUS — All seven candidates for seats on the Board of Selectmen were quizzed on their stances on environmental issues facing the town Wednesday evening at a forum sponsored by Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment.
WIN Waste Innovations expectedly dominated much of the conversation Wednesday, with the five incumbent board members — Anthony Cogliano, Debra Panetta, Jeff Cicolini, Corinne Riley, and Michael Serino — expressing varying opinions on the company and its operations. The pair of challengers running for seats, Sebastian DiModica and Sandro Pansini Souza, said they wanted to do more research into the issue. Candidates also fielded questions on recycling, how the town can boost its environmental efficiency, and what they do in their personal lives to aid the environment.
On WIN, four of the five incumbent members — Cicolini, Panetta, Riley, and Serino — said they are adamantly against any expansion of the company’s ash landfill, despite Cicolini and Riley supporting the Host Community Agreement the company reached with the town. Both members who supported the agreement said they viewed it as an “insurance policy,” noting that the selectmen ultimately have no permitting authority over the expansion. The agreement stipulates that the town will receive a number of economic and environmental benefits should WIN achieve the necessary permits from MassDEP to expand.
Cogliano, who spearheaded the HCA process, stopped short of expressing direct opposition to the company’s expansion, instead describing himself as a realist when it comes to the company.
“I don’t see the state ever prohibiting them from dumping ash,” he said.
Panetta and Serino vehemently opposed the possibility of expansion and previously voted against the agreement when it came before the selectmen.
Recycling and the town’s Center for Hard To Recycle Materials were the other major talking points during the forum, with candidates praising the steps the town has taken to bolster its recycling efforts while saying they believe more can be done.
“I do want to expand the CHARM center, I think that’s another huge success that we can say in Saugus,” Panetta, a former SAVE president, said. “I’m really proud of that because we worked really hard to get that up and running.”
Candidates also sought to promote their environmental record, with Serino pointing to his experience as chair of the Conservation Commission and his membership in the Conservation Law Foundation. Riley said she would continue to take practical steps within her control to protect the environment.
Both Serino and Cicolini fielded questions about the state of development in town, particularly on Route 1.
Serino stopped short of calling for another moratorium on new buildings in Saugus but said he believes the character of the town could be compromised if more developments are allowed to move forward.
“These apartments, I think it’s too much of an impact on the town, and I think we have to take another hard look at what we’ve done in town, especially on Route 1,” he said.
Cicolini called for stronger restrictions on residential development and increased commercial components for mixed-use developments, in part to preserve the town’s open space and decrease the strain on its resources.
“The over-development on Route 1 would be something I want to correct sooner than later,” he said. “From my perspective… we (should) revamp our zoning to increase the requirements for additional green space, additional commercial, less residential footprint in these developments to reduce the impact.”
While Souza offered few specific stances on policy issues, he said he is in the race to preserve Saugus for the next generation and to help the residents as best he can.
“I’m proud to be here, I’m proud to be in Saugus,” he said. “I was brought up to be a leader, and that’s the same thing I do with my kid.”
DiModica closed by calling for increased unity in the community — on every issue.
“We have a lot of good ideas in town… but we’re not on the same page,” he said.
