To the editor:
March 17, 2025, marked the 10th anniversary of the Saugus recall election that positively changed the town’s trajectory.
Before that historic election, Saugus was plagued by a revolving door in the back office, with town managers averaging just two years since Feb. 16, 1948 — the year Saugus adopted the Plan E town manager form of government. The Boston Globe once dubbed Saugus “the land of 1,000 town managers,” referring to the community’s tumultuous relationship with its managers, severely impacting long-term planning.
These consequences kept Saugus stuck in a time warp, while other communities progressed through multiple renovations and even renaissances — such as the city of Peabody during the 1980s. This curse was finally broken on March 17, 2015, when the town’s citizens decisively reinstated Scott Crabtree after his brief exile on Baker Hill.
Crabtree was initially hired in 2012 after former Town Manager Andrew Bisignani’s contract was not extended. Bisignani would later face indictment while town manager in Nahant for actions in both Saugus and Nahant. In the 2013 Saugus election, allies of the indicted former manager gained control of the Board of Selectmen by a 4-1 margin and fired Crabtree, largely in retaliation for the town not supporting Bisignani. Debra Panetta stood alone in supporting Crabtree during those challenging days.
Al DiNardo is a second-generation, lifelong resident of Saugus. He attended Saugus public schools and served as an elected Town Meeting member from 1988 to 2020. He moved to Plymouth to help care for his 90-year-old mother-in-law and currently serves as an elected Town Meeting member there.
Al DiNardo
Plymouth
