Residents pressed the town’s newly formed Charter Committee on Oct. 22 about potential changes to Marblehead’s centuries-old open town meeting format during the committee’s first public forum at Abbot Hall.
The 11-member committee, tasked with drafting Marblehead’s first formal governing charter in its 375-year history, sought to reassure concerned citizens that there are no plans to move away from the open town meeting system that allows all registered voters to participate in person.
“If you ever wanted to break a record at town meeting, just try to take away open town meeting,” committee member Jim Zisson said, noting that of towns similar in size to Marblehead (15,000-25,000 residents), 85% maintain open town meetings.
The evening revealed tensions between preserving tradition and increasing civic participation. Committee member Seamus Hourihan highlighted current challenges with the system.
“The reality is, only 5% of the voters participate in town meeting,” Hourihan said. “We need to increase that number.” He suggested potential solutions like restructuring the warrant to simplify voting procedures and condensing meetings into single-day sessions. Some suggested moving town meetings to Saturdays instead of Monday nights.
Modernizing town government
Several residents advocated for modernizing access to town government while maintaining its essential character. Nancy Davidge called for universal hybrid meeting options and better accommodations for working parents.
“It would be really helpful to have childcare, arranging for transportation for people without transportation, and perhaps even doing part of it online,” Davidge said.
The committee explained that the charter development process is being supported by the Collins Center for Public Management at University of Massachusetts, Boston, funded through a $20,000 COVID grant. Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer, who previously worked with the Collins Center, described it as a “think tank slash consulting firm” specializing in municipal government.
Some residents expressed skepticism about the process. John DiPiano voiced concerns about language in the presentation suggesting potential centralization of government.
“My biggest concern is that Marblehead continues to maintain its tradition of open town meeting, and that this committee doesn’t (create) a charter to be the first step of moving away from it,” DiPiano said.
Committee member Sean Casey emphasized that the charter would primarily document existing practices rather than impose major changes. He explained that while the charter would have the force of state law, it would defer to existing bylaws on operational details like meeting schedules.
The committee plans to draft the charter in sections, with multiple opportunities for public review and comment before presenting a final version to the Select Board. If approved by the board, the charter would need to pass at town meeting, receive approval from the state legislature and win a town-wide vote before becoming law.
Chair Amy Drinker said that there is no set date for the proposed charter to be presented to Town Meeting, and she emphasized that the process will take as long as needed to ensure thorough consideration.
Meanwhile, committee member Ron Grenier defended the group’s independence from its consultants, emphasizing that members had conducted extensive research before joining.
“We’re not ashamed or scared or afraid to say we disagree [with each other], and we’re going to do it this way, and we have our own thoughts,” Grenier said.
The proposed charter will include sections on government structure, elected and appointed positions, financial procedures and general provisions. Drinker emphasized that drafts will be made available online for public review as they are developed.
The committee maintains an email address, Charter_Committee@marblehead.org,
for public feedback and meets twice monthly at Abbot Hall, with hybrid attendance options available.
