The newly appointed Marblehead Charter Review Committee held its inaugural meeting on June 13, marking the beginning of a historic journey to draft the town’s first official governing charter since its incorporation in 1649.
The 11-member committee, established by the Select Board in late April, is charged with studying Marblehead’s existing government structure, engaging with the community and ultimately presenting a recommended charter to codify the town’s governance principles.
Chair Amy Drinker opened the meeting by emphasizing the committee’s mission and the importance of transparency.
Marblehead has never adopted a formal charter, relying instead on a patchwork of local bylaws and state laws, which has led to ambiguities and inefficiencies in its governance. To support the process, the Select Board approved a $20,000 contract with the University of Massachusetts-Boston’s Collins Center for Public Management to provide professional consulting services.
Michael Ward, director of the Collins Center, has addressed the Select Board, highlighting the significance of a well-designed charter.
“A charter is really your constitution,” Ward said. “Think of it as the framework which lays out the key elements of your town government.”
The committee members, appointed through a competitive selection process, bring diverse backgrounds and expertise to the table. Vice Chair Rossana Ferrante emphasized the need for the work.
“At the end of the day, that’s how we get to the best decisions and the best recommendation,” she said. “I really do feel we need to be productive, objective, gather information and be respectful.”
Over the next several months, the committee plans to conduct thorough research, analyzing governance practices in comparable communities, facilitating focus groups and public forums and assessing citizen satisfaction through surveys and outreach.
Ron Grenier, another committee member, emphasized the need for extensive public engagement.
“We really need to extend ourselves on the transparency front [and] on the public hearing front,” he said. “if people don’t understand where you are in the process, what you’re looking at, and hearing us — it’s so much information — people get glassy-eyed.”
The Town Charter Committee meets on the second Thursday and fourth Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at Abbot Hall, 188 Washington St. and via Zoom.
