A record-breaking crowd and unexpected technology failure threw Marblehead’s annual Town Meeting into disarray Monday night, forcing Town Moderator Jack Attridge to postpone the meeting to Tuesday night and move it to the Marblehead High School field house.
More than 2,000 voters tried to attend Town Meeting in the Veterans School Performing Arts Center and gymnasium, exceeding safety limits, according to Fire Chief Jason Gilliland. Attendees in the gym also said they could not see important documents on screens there.
“This is sort of a moderator’s worst nightmare,” Attridge said. “Nobody wants to do this meeting tonight more than I do.”
Since 1983, a regular Town Meeting has not exceed 850 attendees, according Town Clerk Robin Michaud, who added that Town Meeting has not been postponed due to capacity issues in her 24 years working in Marblehead.
Earlier, it was learned that the new clicker voting system for Town Meeting had hardware problems at Vets and could not be used. League of Women Voter volunteers were on hand to do hand counts.
Attridge told the Current, he will try to make the clickers work at the field house. He also plans to ask neighboring towns for extra clickers.
After the Performing Arts Center cleared out, Select Board member Moses Grader said the town was “a victim of its own success.”
“There was such a great buzz here, and the anticipation for the agenda was really pretty good,” he said. “We’re going to have a debate, and we’re going to resolve it the way we’ve done for 375 years.”
A record crowd fills the Veterans School Performing Arts Center during Marblehead’s annual Town Meeting on May 5. Officials postponed the meeting and relocated it to the high school field house due to safety concerns. CURRENT PHOTO / GREY COLLINS
Hundreds of Marblehead residents wait in line outside the Veterans School on May 5, attempting to attend Town Meeting. The unprecedented turnout surpassed capacity limits, forcing the meeting’s relocation to the Marblehead High School field house the following night. CURRENT PHOTO / GREY COLLINS
Long‑time voter Christine Nuccio recalled quieter nights in the past. She said she has not missed a single Town Meeting in 35-plus years.
“There have been many years that it’s 7 p.m., and we’re begging people to come down in order to have a quorum,” Nuccio said.
