Taking leave, for now

SAUGUS - The clock on its tower, installed just eight years ago, probably hasn't put in as many hours at Town Hall as Selectwoman Janette Fasano.

She's served 27 consecutive years on the Board of Selectmen, a town record. At 51, she has spent more than half her life debating liquor licenses and restaurant permits, congratulating Eagle Scouts and Little Leaguers. She's presided over public hearings that ran past midnight, and Saturday morning budget reviews. She welcomed then-Vice President George H.W. Bush to town in 1983, and followed the flag-draped casket of fallen Marine Corporal Scott J. Procopio last year to the town cemetery.

But Fasano's time is up. She's not running for reelection Nov. 6, ending her historic run in Saugus and tenure as the longest-serving selectman or selectwoman in Essex County. She will attend her last meeting as selectwoman on Tuesday. "This was a harder decision to make than when I first decided to run back in 1980," she said in an interview. "I made it with heartfelt pain."

Her decision - which stunned Saugus politicos - caps a challenging year.

Saugus is digging out from a fiscal crisis. The town had a $1.9 million deficit for the fiscal year that ended June 30. Town services have been cut sharply, and the state Department of Revenue has warned it may appoint a control board if finances don't improve.

But Fasano said she's not quitting on Saugus.

"I would never leave the town in bad shape. The deficit has been taken care of with a mix of cuts, and the deficit procedures allowed by the state. We're into a new fiscal year, and our budget is balanced. We're not going into receivership."

Town Manager Andrew R. Bisignani said Fasano will be hard to replace.

"She's served for almost 30 years. She has a distinct understanding of the issues," said Bisignani, town manager for four years. "I will miss her counsel."

Fasano - the first woman ever elected to the Saugus Board of Selectmen - may not be gone for long.

"I'm dedicated to public service," said Fasano, adding she plans to volunteer at the town library, which is struggling with staff cuts. "I'm hoping to return in some capacity, maybe even elected office some day. People have asked me to just take a break for a few years. I feel bad, because I think people have just come to expect me to be there."

Fasano - who first filed her nomination papers but later withdrew them - said her decision to withdraw from the nine-way race was more personal than political.

Her job as a regional manager for the US Small Business Administration, overseeing government contracts, will require more out-of-state travel in the Northeast, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands. Her workload wasn't clearly defined until the new federal fiscal year started Oct. 1, she said.

"I never know what the government will want me to do until then," she said. She spent two days on the road in New Hampshire this week. "I have always committed to serve a full term. It wouldn't be fair to the other candidates, or the public, if I didn't."

Fasano's departure is also marked by personal loss. Her mother, Antonia, died last year at age 79, after a long illness. Her late father, Guido, a machine shop owner, died seven years ago. Fasano, who is single, is the second oldest of six children. The family lived in a three-decker in East Boston, upstairs from Italian immigrant grandparents, before moving to Saugus when Fasano was 7.

"My parents wanted us to have a house and a backyard to play in," Fasano recalled over breakfast at the American Legion hall. "They built our house. I am one of five daughters, and my parents encouraged us to be strong and independent."

Her mother held her blue-and-white campaign signs in the town center. Her father would park his truck, covered with her signs, in front of Town Hall, then walk several miles home. "It's a sad time," Fasano said quietly. "My mother had health issues, but I thought she had a couple of years left. I got a call at work that she wasn't doing well. It's been a long year."

It has also been politically trying. Saugus last spring overwhelmingly rejected a $4.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 override, which Fasano feels would have alleviated the soaring deficit. She said she voted to put the issue on the ballot but played no major role in promoting it.

"She was an artful dodger," said Dick Barry, a former selectman who served 12 years with Fasano. "I think that hurt her. She may have started to count heads and saw the support for her might not be there this time around. "

Still, Barry said he admired Fasano's devotion, recalling that she sometimes spent entire days preparing for a meeting. "I admired her work ethic, her honesty, and integrity. She'd go the extra mile to make sure no one who came before the board felt shortchanged."

Even those applicants for licenses and special permits who didn't win Fasano's support give her high marks.

"She voted no against me a lot," said Richard Magnan, a Saugus lawyer who represents businesses before the board. "But I always felt that she was voting her conscience. She was always courteous and professional. I think on balance, she was good for the town."

Fasano's public life began at age 21. While studying at Boston University for a business degree, she was appointed an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals in 1977. A year later, she was appointed to the Finance Committee and served as an elected town meeting member from 1979 to 1980. In 1980, with a master's degree in public administration from Suffolk University, she topped a five-way race in a special election for a vacant seat on the Board of Selectmen.

She was reelected 13 straight times. And for nine of those, she topped the ticket, making her the board chairwoman for 18 straight years. (By tradition, the first-place finisher heads the board.)

A Democrat, she never held a political fund-raiser. "I probably spent $25,000 to $27,000 of my own money," she said.

Fasano earned $1,800 annually as board chairwoman and $1,700 as a board member.

In January, board members voted to give back their stipends, acknowledging the severity of the budget crunch.

In the last two years, Fasano had to get used to a new role on the five-member board.

After finishing third in the 2005 town election, Fasano passed the gavel to Peter Rossetti Jr.

The transition was difficult, but was not a factor in her decision, Fasano said.

"This has nothing to do with the chairmanship. My concern has always been to offer solutions and to protect the town," she said. "I'm proud of my accomplishments."

Over the years, Fasano earned a reputation as a strong advocate for neighborhoods. She pushed for family-friendly restaurants on Route 1, voting to deny a license to Hooters, a national chain that eventually decided not to open in Saugus. She also cracked down on violence at nightclubs.

"I wanted Saugus to be a community where everyone could live," Fasano said.

"Any vote I ever took was not personal for me. I always asked 'Is this going to be good for the town?' "

Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com.