Veterans in Marblehead will be able to get free Transfer Station and beach stickers, thanks to a citizens petition that passed at Town Meeting Tuesday night, 343 to 192. It was sponsored by local vet Charles Nordstrom.
“There are 750 veterans in town, 360 of them from the Vietnam era,” Nordstrom said. “After doing our service, we’re asked to pay again. I don’t think anyone here wants us to pay twice. I think it’s just fair to the veterans to take that into consideration.”
Resident Jay Michaud stood and spoke in support.
“I didn’t serve, but I have three sons and a grandson who have. They paid for their stickers a long time ago with their blood and sweat,” he said. “They were protecting us so we could live the way we are. If you don’t vote on this I can’t understand why.”
The measure could cost the town $56,000 a year, according to Finance Committee Vice Chair Molly Teets.
Public restrooms
The other successful citizen petition was to refurbish the the State Street Landing public restrooms and keep them open year-round.
“A new efficient gas furnace would be installed and connected to existing ductwork, the water and gas would be turned back on and the facilities would be restored,” said Philip Blaisdell, who sponsored the article. “We’d have real public restrooms again.”
The article passed with no debate.
Leaf blowers
The remaining petitions didn’t fare as well.
Several people spoke against three articles that would expand the town’s summer gas-powered leaf blower ban. The changes would make the ban year-round and apply to town employees, not just residents and landscapers. One article would fine landscapers, in addition to homeowners, who violate the ban.
“Some people can’t take no for an answer,” said resident Ben Cleary about supporters of the new articles. “Our time is valuable away from our families, our friends and other commitments, and here we are talking about leaf blowers — again. I for one am fed up with this topic.”
Several landscapers complained about the expense of electric leaf blowers, adding that they don’t work very well.
A few people spoke in support of expanding the ban, but to no avail.
“This is a public health issue. It’s not good for any of us,” she said, referring to the environmental and health effects from the blowers’ noise and fumes. “We have not been successful enforcing the partial ban.”
Voters approved indefinite postponements for all three leaf blower articles.
Select Board terms
Former Select Board member Buck Grader spoke in support of his citizen petition to rescind last year’s Town Meeting vote to move to staggered, three-year terms for the Select Board. Grader’s article was rejected after current Select Board members Alexa Singer, Erin Noonan and Bret Murray spoke against it.
Recalls
A recall petition that would set up a process for voters to recall elected officials came up for discussion after 11 p.m. and was indefinitely postponed without any debate.
Three petitions authored by traffic safety advocate Dan Albert failed or were pulled. Other petitions, including appropriating funds for a new town website and a change in the shed size bylaw, were indefinitely postponed.
Read the results of all Town Meeting votes in the Current’s Town Meeting Guide.
Editor Leigh Blander is an experienced TV, radio and print journalist.
