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E-mail Address:
Precinct: 3
Current Positions Held / Political Experience
First time candidate for Town Meeting. Former Vice Chairman, Committee for Political Education (C.O.P.E.) for IBEW Local 2321. Active member of Selectman Crabtree's successful campaign team 2009 as well as John Kelly's State Sentate campaign team 2010.
Current Occupation / Work Experience
Licensed Oil Burner Technician - Retired telecommunications technician.
Degrees Held / Education
Associate's Degree - Business Administration
Currently A Member Of...
North Shore Labor Council & IBEW Local 104 - Power Lineman Union
What are your plans for the town over the next two years in light of the present economic situation??
As a 33 year resident of Saugus, I am committed to the growth and upward movement of our town. It is important to me that all who call Saugus home have a safe environment to live, raise children and retire. Now more than ever, it is important to have the best and brightest at every level of local government, listening to our residents and formulating attainable benchmarks to reach our goals. I pride myself on my ability to use common sense solutions to solve issues big or small. I also know that as a newcomer it is important to listen to those around me to fully understand the Town's issues and what tactics have been used in the past for successful resolutions. My goal is to approach this position as I do with most important aspects of my life, that is to say, I am team player who knows the only way to make progress is to support and work with those around me who I feel have Saugus' best interest in mind.
What else do you think is important?
When looking at any of the thriving communities around us, it is important to have excellent school systems, a thriving business community, top notch community services including caring for our elders, attention to our environment, and an overall commitment to providing excellent town services to our residents. If we achieve the above goals then we can return Saugus to being "Someplace Special". This slogan is one that I believe wholeheartedly in and was coined by former Town Manager, Ed Collins. This was a time when Saugus had a successfull capital improvement plan that included our new Public Safety building, library, and Senior Center. I will work to the continued improvement of our town. Thank you for your consideration on Tuesday, November 8.
Submitted: 2011/11/07
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E-mail Address:
Precinct: 5
Current Positions Held / Political Experience
Town Meeting Member, Precinct 5 (10 years) Chairperson, Saugus School Committee co-President, Saugus River Watershed Council Treasurer, Board of Directors, SCTV Past Vice-Chairman, Saugus Charter Commission President, Rumney Marsh Toastmaster Club past-President, SAVE past Board member, SHORE Collaborative
Current Occupation / Work Experience
Current: Joslin Diabetes Center, Budget Manager Prior jobs: John Hancock, Senior Financial Officer Wellpoint/UNICARE: Director of Financial Planning & Analysis Tufts HealthPlan: Actuarial Manager
Degrees Held / Education
Bachelors in Accounting, Suffolk University (Magna Cum Laude) Masters in Business Administration, Northeastern University American Real Estate Academy - Real Estate license
Currently A Member Of...
SAVE, Saugus River Watershed Council, Friends of Breakheart, Friends of the Saugus Historical Society, Toastmasters, Board Member/Treasurer of SCTV, PTO, Blessed Sacrament Church
What are your plans for the town over the next two years in light of the present economic situation??
Summary / Opening
Saugus faces the challenge of remaining a full service community during challenging economic times. My financial and communication skills are well suited to help meet this challenge. The next Board of Selectmen should be more engaged in the budget process throughout the year. Monthly budget reports as well as working with the Town Manager to establish short and long term goals and a capital plan are ways to address this challenge.
Finance Issues / Budget
Being a TMM for 10 years, I have seen what happens on TM floor when there is additional cash to be allocated, or when budgets have to be reduced. It can be very difficult because TM members want to do what's best for the community.
When it comes to the budget, the Selectman (per the Charter) receive the budget to review on February 15th, and need to give their recommendations back to FinCom by March 1st. That gives them less than two weeks to review.
Where I see an opportunity is that the BOS can become more involved throughout the year in monitoring and evaluating the town budget and program spending. We need to review publicly monthly variance reporting, which compares the actual financial results to the budget, by department. That way, if there are any potential year-end misses from budget, we can take action earlier in the year to alleviate the problem. Unless additional free cash comes into Saugus (like it just did), we typically don't like surprises when it comes to budgeting.
We need to continue budget meeting prior to the Selectman making their budget recommendations. But we should also administer post budget evaluations to examine if spending achieved defined goals. When we budget, we should have not just financial goals, but strategic goals as well. We want to know where we are heading as a community. That is one of the reasons that I feel it is important to have a capital improvement plan. It is important that we are continuously maintaining our buildings, so a maintenance plan for each town building is important.
Environment
Saugus is still under an Administrative Consent Order for our sewer system from the Mass Department of Environmental Protection which was issued on April 15, 2005. This was due to Saugus dumping raw sewage into the Saugus River. It is important for us to keep the Saugus River clean. By controlling the inflow and infiltration system capacity, we can better utilize the sewer system which is related to increasing the tax base. We all want a clean environment, but we still need to insure orderly growth to our tax base.
The Town's recycling contract is about to expire. The next BOS will give input to the Town Manager, and really look into single stream recycling. I'd like to make it as easy as possible for people to recycle so that we can increase our tonnage and lessen the amount of trash that goes to RESCO.
Communication
Another significant challenge for the next Board of Selectmen is to improve communication among board members and with the public. I would advocate for more opportunities to listen to the public prior to making any policy decisions. I believe that communication is as much about listening as it is about being heard. If the public feels they are being listened to, and if they believe what they say matters, all things are possible in Saugus.
Conclusion
My approach to those I serve with is to include, involve, insure all voices are heard and respected. Issues facing Saugus require openness and collaboration.
What else do you think is important?
- Maintaining our Library
- No third burner (or any other type of expansion) at the RESCO facility
- Single-stream recycling
Saugus should achieve and then exceed recycling expectations- Continue public forums with citizen input
- Belmonte school override (I'm in favor)
- Saugus High School --> I'd like to see Saugus get state aid for our High School
- Eliminate illegal dumping
- Preserve Recreational /Historical / Natural Sites in Saugus
- Keep Essex Street Fire Station open
- Setting goals for the Town Manager and having yearly evaluations
- Ensuring that newly licensed establishments have sound business plans that will result in success.
- More community involvement for the youth of our town. I do support the skate park. I've always supported our Youth and Recreation center. It is vital that we have organized activities for our children and a safe place for them to socialize.
- Making sure that the Senior Citizens in town are engaged in the happenings in Saugus. One way to do this is by having the Selectmen visit the Senior Center on a quarterly basis to give updates and answer questions. It is also important that we maintain our Senior Center.
Submitted: 2011/11/07
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