SAUGUS — Question 1, which called for the formation of a Charter Commission, was defeated at the polls Tuesday night, as voters rejected calls to reform the town’s government.
The charter failed by a margin of 2,433 to 2,246. The rejection of the question represents a major political defeat for Anthony Cogliano, who also lost his chairmanship on the Board of Selectmen. Cogliano spent much of the summer collecting signatures to get the charter question on the ballot but ultimately came up short.
“It’s not what I expected,” Cogliano said at a campaign event at the Route 1 Grillhouse.
It’s essentially the first political defeat for Cogliano since he returned to town politics in 2019, pacing the field to become chairman of the board in both that race and the subsequent election in 2021. In that time, he was able to push through zoning change permitting recreational marijuana establishments and a Host Community Agreement between the town and WIN Waste Innovations, but charter change proved to be a bridge too far.
The centerpiece of Cogliano’s campaign — and that of a number of the other candidates he sought to serve with — was the promise of an elected town manager — a governmental system with no precedent in Massachusetts that one expert said would likely not pass muster with the attorney general’s office.
But, the elected town manager idea only emerged after Cogliano first called for making Saugus a city and indicated he would like to run for mayor. Cogliano acknowledged that talk of becoming a city ultimately did the question in, but said he does not regret anything.
“The question failed because of the misconceptions out there,” he said. “The scare tactics worked.”
One of the leading opponents to the ballot question, Peter Manoogian, who led the prior Charter Commission effort in 2007, said the results show public satisfaction with the current form of government.
“I think that they went about it the wrong way,” Manoogian said of the supporters of the ballot question. “They declared what they wanted and kept walking it back and walking it back.”
“Never has so much been spent to gain so little,” he added.
Another detractor, Michael Serino, who retained his seat on the Board of Selectmen Tuesday, said he was not surprised the question lost.
But, Serino acknowledged that the closeness of the vote indicated there was some appetite for examining the town’s governing document. While no Charter Commission will be formed, Serino said he would support Town Meeting forming a committee to suggest small changes.
“The other side deserves (to see) some committee put together,” he said, adding that he would like to see the town charter establish a standing charter committee to conduct reviews every three to five years.
And, Debra Panetta, who was the top vote-getter in the race for Charter Commission and likely would have chaired the body if the question had passed, said she was pleased it did not.
The question’s failure proved residents’ satisfaction with the current form of government and Town Manager Scott Crabtree, she said.
