7:10 p.m. Town Moderator Jack Attridge gavels to order what everyone hopes will be the last night of Town Meeting 2025. There are 17 articles left to be debated and voted on, including several citizen petitions.
Votes coming up include:
Article 37 — Rescind the current age limit (not older than 32 years) for hiring police officers.
Article 38-39 — Give the Select Board the responsibility for setting building and electrical permit fees after a public hearing.
Article 44 — Increase parking ticket fee for snow emergency to $100.
Article 46 — Have an independent audit of the town.
Article 47 — Remove sustainability coordinator position.
Article 48 — Institute residency requirements for town employees.
Article 49 — Establish a Town Meeting parliamentarian.
Article 50 —Take overrides as separate items at the ballot box.
Article 51 — Institute a reconsideration procedure change at Town Meeting.
Article 52 — Institute a recall provision for elected officials.
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7:25 p.m. Town Meeting approves an article to establish a Stormwater Enterprise Fund, effective July 1, 2025.
7:30 p.m. Police Chief Dennis King speaks to an article that would remove the requirement that new officer hires be 32 years old or younger.
“The last two hiring cycles, I had excellent candidates who were just over the age limit,” King said.
The article to eliminate the age restriction passes, 375-14.
7:45 p.m. Articles 38, 39 are being debated.
“The goal is to get through Town Meeting much more quickly,” explained Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer. “If 38 and 39 are accepted, rather than Town Meeting having to deliberate on setting those fees the Select Board would be the body that sets the fees for electrical and building permits, after a public hearing.”
Town Meeting approved Articles 38 and 39.
8 p.m. Town Meeting approves a transfer from the Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust to the Cemetery Department the sum of $80,000 for the purpose of capital needs, maintenance and operations at town cemeteries. Town Meeting also approved the transfer from the Sale of Lots Trust Fund to the Cemetery Department for capital needs.
Town Meeting approved Article 44 to increase fees for parking tickets during snow emergencies to $100. The vote was 383-47.
8 p.m. Citizens Petitions
Article 47 was indefinitely postponed by its sponsor, School Commmittee candidate Emily DeJoy. Article 47 would have eliminated the town’s sustainability coordinator position.
Article 48, sponsored by resident Phil Mancuso, was indefinitely postponed. It would have required town employees to live in Marblehead.
Article 49, sponsored by Jack Buba and others, was indefinitely postponed. It would have hired a parliamentarian for Town Meeting.
8:15 p.m.
Article 50: Resident John Prindiville spoke in favor of his petition to allow residents to vote on override requests separately at the ballot box.
Town Meeting approved Article 50 335-102.
Resident John DiPiano indefinitely postponed his article to change Town Meeting’s rules around reconsideration.
Article 52 is being discussed. It would institute a recall provision bylaw in Marblehead. “It is intended only for situations of misconduct or breach of duties,” said sponsor Luisa Boverini, who added that 150 communities in Massachusetts have a recall provision.
Marblehead High School teacher Michael Fu outlined amendments to the article to make it more difficult to recall an elected official.
Fu listed several reasons for a recall provision, including more “transparency,” “engagement” and “empowerment” of voters.
“I urge you to vote yes to empower you and the collective 17,000 voters of Marblehead,” Fu added.
Resident Albert Jordan spoke, “We should’ve done this a long time ago and if they’re crooks, we should be able to vote them out.”
Resident Ginny O’Brien said the long delay in repairing the leaky high school roof is a good example of why the town needs a recall.
School Committee member Sarah Fox spoke against the recall saying it wasn’t fully baked. She suggested that the town’s Charter Committee discuss the idea of recalls and report back next year.
Ultimately, Town Meeting rejected the recall petition.
Town Moderator Jack Attridge then gaveled the meeting to a close.
