With his three-year contract extension approved by the Board of Selectmen on July 20, Saugus Town Manager Scott Crabtree is on his way to becoming the longest-serving chief executive in the town’s history.
Understanding Crabtree’s unique tenure requires an appreciation of Saugus’ tumultuous political climate and its penchant for giving managers short shrift. Between 1981 and 2017, nine people held the job of town manager.
In 2014, Board of Selectmen members Stephen Castinetti, Maureen Dever, Paul Allan and Ellen Faiella voted to fire Crabtree as manager. Board member Debra Panetta was the sole dissenting vote on the firing and she was the only board member in March, 2015 to survive the fury of Saugus voters who swept Allan, Castinetti, Dever and Faiella off the board in a historic recall vote.
In 2017, a newly-configured board that included Panetta gave Crabtree a five-year contract with board member Jennifer D’Eon characterizing the town manager as a “renaissance” man who boosted the town’s bond rating and renovated town parks.
Crabtree told board members in 2017 that his ” …goal has always been to create a vision for higher standards and expectations in the town of Saugus.”
Five years later, Crabtree continues to enjoy the board’s support. Panetta and Jeffrey Cicolino — veterans of the 2017 board — voted to give Crabtree a second, five-year extension in July along with members Anthony Cogliano and Michael Serino, who praised Crabtree for leading a strong town response to COVID-19 and shepherding the town’s ambitious school-construction project.
Board member Corinne Riley was the sole vote against extending Crabtree’s contract. Riley said the extension defied the will of the voters who, in her words, “voted for change” in the 2019 town election.
We disagree with that analysis and note that the will of the voters in 2015 reconfigured the Board of Selectmen to set the stage for Crabtree’s return to the manager’s office.
Crabtree clearly has a mandate as town manager and we would like to see him map out long-term goals for the town.
Those goals could encompass his vision for town finances based on the $4 million in free cash his management has helped the town amass. They could include his vision for improving local schools by building on the new and renovated state-of-the-art schools and it should include a vision for future local development founded on the Route 1 development revival that began two years ago and the exciting vision for Cliftondale that has taken shape over the last year.
Crabtree thanked the selectmen for their vote of confidence in July by saying, “I’ve been through a lot. I love the job.” We have no doubt those words ring true for Crabtree and for Saugus.