To the Editor:

In response to the recent interest shown in the Town of Saugus Census, the Board of Registrars wishes to provide the following information.

The Town Clerk’s Office has updated all of the 2008 census forms that have been returned to them. A second mailing will be mailed in the coming weeks to the over two thousand residents that have not yet responded to the first census mailing.

Every house, apartment and condominium unit have been mailed individual census forms. In addition to that, every landlord or manager of a multi-unit dwelling i.e., homes, condo’s, apartment complex, nursing home, etc., (newly constructed or not) has been mailed out a list of tenants along with a cover letter which instructs them to complete and update the list and return it to the Town Clerk’s Office in order for the information to be updated

The Clerk’s Office has been painstakingly comparing every record in their office with information provided by the Building Department, Assessors Department, Water Department, Dog Licenses, Marriage Licenses, newly recorded Birth Certificates, Board of Appeals records and more to make sure that every household is included in the census mailings. However, if you have inadvertently not received a 2008 Town Census form, please call the Town Clerk’s Office at 781-231-4101 in order to correct the situation.

The current population figure includes over 2,250 “Inactive” voters who have not returned their census in recent years. Therefore, if you are on the “Inactive” list and do not correct the situation by returning your completed census, you may be deleted from the Town Census and Voters List and will be ineligible to vote in the upcoming September State Primary Election and November Presidential Election.

Please remember that we are governed by State Law, which declares that a voter cannot be deleted from the voters list unless the following criteria is met: The registrars have been officially notified the voter has died; the registrars have received official notification the voter has registered in another community; the registrars have received a written confirmation from the voter that they have moved to another community; or the voter has not responded to the confirmation mailing and has not voted in the next two biennial state elections following the mailing of such notice. Hopefully, this will clarify the misconception of individuals who peruse the resident listing book and inform the Clerk’s Office that someone has moved, but have been neglected to be deleted them from the Town’s census.

The Board of Registrars is also considering the possibility of posting the names or addresses of all those who do not return the 2008 census in local newspapers and Town Hall, with the hope that friends and neighbors would persuade non-respondents to return a completed census to the Town.

The Board of Registrars had several meetings over the past few months, all of which have been open to the public and posted on the Town website, newspapers and Town Hall. However, not once did any member of the public attend. Attending our meetings would have afforded those who have been concerned and corresponding with the public in local papers the correct, accurate and official information, which unfortunately has not necessarily been the case in recent weeks. If you have any questions, concerns, or wish to obtain information that may or may not be passed on to others, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office or the Board of Registrars for accurate and official information.

The present census count is 25,964. That’s an increase of over 2,300 from last year at this time. The Board of Registrars would like to commend the Town Clerk’s Office for their hard work and continued efforts to get a more accurate census count. However, without the assistance and cooperation of the citizens of Saugus, their efforts are futile. Therefore, we respectfully request that if you have not already done so, please complete and return the 2008 Town Census to the Town Clerk’s Office immediately, and if you have returned your updated census, we wish to take this opportunity thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,
Board of Registrars
Gary Butt, Chairman
Daniel Berg
Jennifer Smith
Joanne Rappa