The Saugus Review

Falzone has said that Public safety is an extremely important priority, and that the front lines of the commuunities’ protection are the fine policemen who put themselves at personal risk every day on our behalf.” Hence it is no wonder that the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (Mass C.O.P.) and the International Brotherhood of Police Officers  have chosen to give their endorsements to Mark Falzone for state representative in the district which includes portions of Lynn, Lynnfield, Saugus, and Wakefield.

“It is important to have someone with Mark Falzone’s commitment to the safety of the citizens of the Commonwealth working with police officers.” Kenneth Scanzio, vice-president of Mass C.O.P., said. He furthered that they look forward to his continued support to police officers and the community in the future.

Ray McGrath, a retired police officer and director at the International Brotherhood of Police Officers also reccommends Mark Falzone, stating that he has been a champion of law enforcement and a great supporter of the police officers who protect the communities. He says that “We need to make sure that pro-law-enforcement candidates, such as Mark Falzone, are elected who understand our issues as law-enforcement officers.”

Based on his outstanding record on issues of public safety and his concern for issues of law enforcement within his local district, Mass C.O.P and IBPO chose Falzone.

Falzone has been noted to have said in reply that the policemen deserve our full support, and that he was very proud to have the endorsements of two such superb organizations that represent police officers in our community and throughout our region. They know my record and my commitment to public safety.”

He also stated that it was important that people give the police officers the tools they need to protect our families and neighborhoods. Falzone says that the police have a strong record of delivering this support, whether in grants for Community Policing or the progress of innovative programs and equipment secured for Breakheart Reservation.

Part of his advocacy is also to support programs that prevent young people from embarking upon lives of drug abuse or violence. Falzone says that he knows that the work he does in the legislature for shaping and improving these policies are appreciated by our police officers and district attorneys.

With Election Day coming up, we would like to help get all registered voters in Saugus, Massachusetts ready to vote! The notice below is from Saugus, MA’s official Election and Registration page.

Voter Registration

Voter registration requirements

• A person must be 18 years of age by election day
• A person must be a citizen of the U.S.
• A person must be a legal resident of Massachusetts
• A person must supply identification

A person has the right to register at any City or Town Hall in Massachusetts. Once registered the person is placed on a voting list in the Town where they reside. When registering, an applicant must give his/her date of birth, legal name, address and identification. The applicant will then sign an affirmation under the pains and penalty of perjury that all information given is truthful and correct.

The registration is permanent until a voter moves to another city or town or signs an affidavit stating they no longer wish to remain a voter. In order to remain registered, you must also return the town census. If you have not returned the census and have not voted in the past two state or federal elections you may be taken off the voters list. If a person moves within the Town, they must notify the Board of Registrars in writing.

Mail-in affidavits are also available by calling the Town Clerk’s Office.

Registration Deadlines

• If you are not a registered voter and plan on voting in the next election, the last day to register is 20 days prior to the election.

Absentee Ballots

Applications for absentee ballots must be made in person or in writing no later than noon of the day prior to an election, but preferably much sooner. A ballot is then mailed to the applicant and must be received in the Town Clerk’s Office before the close of the polls on Election Day. You may vote absentee if you are a registered voter and unable to go to the polls on election day due to a physical disability, religious belief or you will be out of town. Illegal absentee voting is punishable by up to a $500.00 fine and one year in prison.

Board of Registrars

The Board of Selectmen, from a list submitted by the Democratic and Republican Town committees, appoint the Board of Election Registrars. In accordance with the law, two members must be registered Democrats and Two members must be registered Republicans. The board is composed of three members and the Town Clerk, who serves as ex-officio. The registrars are responsible for certifying nomination papers, conducting the registration of voters, officiating at recounts and ruling on any voting/election discrepancies.

Members of Board of Registrars

Polling Locations

For further information on your polling location, please call the Town Clerk’s Office.

DiDomenico was elected to the Senate in May 2010 to represent the Middlesex, Suffolk and Essex District,and during his incumbency, the state senator has shown great priority for environmental issues. Hence it comes as to no surprise that that Massachusetts Sierra Club and the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters (MLEV) have chosen to endorse him for re-election to the state Senate. In turn, DiDomenico said he was honored to receive the support of the MA Sierra Club and MLEV.

MLEV’s executive director Lora Wondolowski  says that the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters is proud to announce its endorsement of Senator Sal DiDomenico’s re-election campaign. She also says that the senator has demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental issues in his short tenure in office and that he worked diligently to expand the Bottle Bill the states most effective recycling program, and he was the only legislator to speak out against the expansion of the Resco incinerator facility in Saugus. “Sal has a strong history of fighting for his constituents on health and environmental issues and we look forward to the Senator’s continued efforts to preserve our environment.” Executive Director Wondolowski furthers.

In response DiDomenico says that he is proud to have received the support of the Massachusetts Sierra Club and Massachusetts League of Environmental voters. He also said that it is important that the state takes the necessary steps to protect and preserve our natural resources.

State Rep. Mark Falzone who is campaigning for reelection to his state representative seat for Lynn, Lynnfield, Saugus and Wakefield, accommodated the crowd of his kick-off campaign at the Saugus Elks last Tuesday.

“At a time when it is difficult to get money from the state—who brought us the money for the track at the Middle School? Who got the money to keep open the Senior Center? Who secured $2.5 Million for the reconstruction of the Lynn Fells Parkway? Who brought to fruition the Shops at Saugus on Route 1 with its $1 million bonanza in new tax revenues? Who kept the Youth and Recreation Department functioning? Who saved us millions of dollars by getting our town workers in the GIC state health insurance?”

The crowd roared with each rhetorical question Saugus School Committee member Joe Malone asked to which the answer to all was ‘Mark Falzone.’

“The best social program is a job”  Says Falzone who talked about prioritizing jobs and economic recovery for the next two years. He also talked about work full-time for education, cost control of prescription drugs, local aid, tax relief from property tax pressures, and meaningful real government reforms where the benefits exceed the cost to taxpayers.

After his introduction Falzone talked about his familiarity with the problems of thecommunity.  Falzone talked about starting his own small business in information technology, and understanding the struggle to find jobs and it’s connection to being a homeowner and having mortgage to pay which Falzone says he is also familiar with.  He also stated that because he knew that the library is a great help in finding jobs with the use of the internet there is the reason why he founded and chair the Legislature’s Library Caucus. “Libraries are the front line in job searches, helping people to prepare their resumes, search the Internet, improve their skills, find a place in higher education and research business ideas.”

Lastly, he talked about the importance of having steady local aid when State aid runs lean, making his revitalization  of the School Building Assistance Program an example.

Originally from WickedLocal.com:

By Staff reports
GateHouse News Service
Posted May 12, 2010 @ 01:54 PM

With all the Democratic opponents out of the way in last month’s primary, Sal DiDomenico, an Everett city councilor, was elected state Senator Tuesday.

DiDomenico, a Democrat, was up against John Cesan, a little-known Independent from Agawam. He ascends to the seat previously held by Anthony Galluccio, who resigned in January and is now behind bars after failing Breathalyzer tests while under house arrest because of his alleged role in a fall hit-and-run accident.

In Saugus, DiDomenico won 124 votes while Cesan won 22 votes. He repeated the success of last month’s Democratic primary when he easily outpaced five challengers locally for the party’s nomination.

DiDomenico will represent Precincts 2, 6 and 10 in Saugus.

Over in Everett, campaign supporters introduced DiDomenico as “senator-elect” at a celebration at Shooter’s in Everett.

DiDomenico, the 38-year-old former chief of staff for embattled former state Sen. Anthony Galluccio, is expected to be sworn in May 20. He said he would resign his seat on the Everett City Council this coming Monday.

“I’m looking forward to being a senator,” said DiDomenico.

Friends who were aware of how much a financial burden his sickness had been for Selectman Stephen Horlick and his family helped them out by holding a fundraiser for Horlick last March. A large number of people showed up at the Fox Hill Yacht Club 5pm of March 24 for the fundraiser which made the event a great success.

Horlick said that the outpour of support was really overwhelming. The selectman was deeply touched by the townspeople’s generosity, saying that the warmth and support they showed him made him feel like a true Saugonian.

“It doesn’t matter who the person is, whether they come home from the military or an illness, this town always takes care of its own, which is why I love Saugus so much.”

Horlick was released early this March from being hospitalized for six weeks because of a serious infection. His recovery has been well and Horlick says he has been doing physical therapy and exercising around the house to further improve his condition.

Due to his illness Horlick has been unable to work at the electronics repair shop he operates in Wakefield. But at the rate he of improvement he has been experiencing the past few weeks, Horlick estimated he should be able to resume his professional duties soon.

As consequence to a potential reduction in the $200 million state aid in fiscal 2011, an estimated $400,000 might be cut from the money Saugus uses to pay salaries and help carry out basic services.

Nothing is final yet but Town Manager Andrew Bisignani has already been thinking up a contingency plan if ever this budget reduction comes through.

He says that he has resources to deal with the cut and has mentioned a fall back of the free cash they still had and a reduction in operating expenses.

This was not the first time a cut to local aid has been made, in the past there has been a cumulative 1.8 million reduction in aid over two years and there is a trend of operating expenses rising every year. What’s more, Bisignani says, was that the uncertainty on the state affects contingency planning. He recalls how the town didn’t receive its final local aid number last year until July.

On the brighter side, House Budget Chief Charles Murphey said that communities may see less than the maximum cut and that they are looking into giving municipalities control over health care costs. Moreover, in a recent radio interview House Speaker Robert De Leo hinted that an expanded gambling proposal to be debated in the House next month could be used to ass to local aid fund.

For the mean time Bisignani is watching out for further developments and will be adjusting his contingency plan accordingly.

In Massachusetts, approximately one-quarter of high school students are overweight or at risk for becoming overweight and the rates in the entire country has tripled for the last 30 years. But thankfully, the amendments sponsored by McGee have finally been adopted into the new nutrition bill.

The amendment states that there should be constant updates of data on physical education practices in schools. The data that are collected should then be studied and analyzed before making recommendations for new exercise and nutrition programs.

He says the bill he filed was aimed at providing the children with quality physical education that would improve their health over the course of their lifetimes and that it was not just about physical fitness but emotional and cognitive as well. McGee also says that by focusing on both nutrition and physical activity, the obesity epidemic will also be indirectly addressed.

“Every student in Massachusetts deserves the opportunity to benefit from quality physical education which will provide them with the foundation to adopt healthier and physically active lifestyles,” says McGee.

To have a big turnout is an incredible feeling, says Everett City Councilor Sal DiDomenico during his kick-off campaign where even on a snow day, more than 300 friends and family along with elected officials showed him support.

Dozens of government officials from Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk Districts all came by to give support for DiDomineco. Among them were Scott Crabtree and Michael Serino from Saugus.

This was not the first time that the elements were against DiDomineco. Previously, his campaign at the Silver Fox restaurant had been canceled also due to bad weather that never came but ironically occurred instead on the day it was put off for.

Amazed at DiDomineco’s dedicated supporters, Manager Chris Koehan says that no other candidate could have had people showing up in the intense weather conditions they had that day and that it shows just the kind of determination and strong support DiDomineco was backed-up by.

For more information on his campaign, please visit Sal DiDomineco’s website at: http://www.salforsenate.com/.

Chairman of the Wakefield School Committee Anthony Guardia has recently announced that he will be running for state representative for the Ninth Essex District under the Democrat party.

The 24 year old is the grandson of Italian immigrants. Hard working and diligent, Guardia is currently completing his JD law degree at Suffolk University Law School in Boston.

He has also served on the committee for four years and chairman since April 2009, Guardia says that he’s has watched his community divide over budget issues too many times and has over the years been forced vote for the lesser of two evils rather than voting for what is best. Seeing what is happening in the community has brought him the desire to run for office.

He is clear on the issues he stands on and the main issue Guardia wishes to tackle is local aid and funding. Elaborating further on the matters in the ninth district, he says:

“If there were simple and fair local aid funding formulas our communities would be able to reduce
property taxes and increase quality of life. If there were fair capital funding formulas, our schools and other
municipal projects would be updated properly.  Finally, if we are creative in how we approach our most pressing issues i.e. job creation, affordable health care, quality education and protecting our environment, we can make our Commonwealth a leader for years to come.”

To know more about the issues he wishes to focus on and address, a deeper look into his family background and education, you can visit his site:  http://www.anthonyguardia.com/