Name: Yael Magen
How long have you lived in Marblehead? Moved to Marblehead in December 2020 (center of family life since 2014)
Profession: Municipality attorney representing towns including Wakefield, Lynnfield, Rowley, Princeton, Chester and more.
Elected and appointed positions held: Not specified
With Marblehead facing a structural deficit, what are your priorities for balancing the budget without compromising essential services? Would you support a Proposition 2½ override, and under what circumstances?
Marblehead is one of the most unique and spirited towns, filled with marvelous history, beautiful landscapes and places where we gather as a community. Marblehead has a budget problem and a history of repeated Proposition 2 1/2, which I can say from experience, not all towns have. We must be more efficient in our financial decisions, infrastructure, technology and operations and find ways to bring in more revenue through grants, partnerships and other resources. Our turnover rate is extremely high, which puts a strain on our finances and efficiency. We must build/repair structures with quality and an eye towards the future that eliminate the need for frequent repairs. Proposition 2 1/2 should only be used for essential services with no other recourse, and prior to it being proposed it is the responsibility of the Select Board and Finance Committee to find all the ways possible to avoid it.
Do you believe hybrid meetings should be mandated for all Marblehead boards and committees? Why or why not, and how would you address any logistical or financial challenges to making that happen?
When COVID hit, as a town’s attorney, I was responsible for advising and teaching all the different towns how to operate legally and efficiently on zoom and hybrid meetings. Town governance could not stop functioning just because we could not gather in the same room. Thus, zoom meetings started with the anticipation of going back to personal meetings in the future. We found during this process that zoom, and hybrid meetings allowed for more public involvement, especially among elders, parents, disabled, sick and anyone who just can’t make it physically to the meeting. Marblehead is an amazing town due to the vast public engagement in all aspects and hybrid meetings help everyone, especially those in need. There are many grants and partnerships that Marblehead can use to help finance this step. Other of the towns I represent are doing this, there is no reason Marblehead will not succeed.
How would you balance the need for housing development with the preservation of Marblehead’s historic and community character?
Zoning by-laws are governed by the town because only we understand our landscape, residents, history, businesses and characteristics. We must leave the decision of multi-families within our hands. If a developer wants to build a multi-family,they utilize Chapter 40B, which requires a special permit from the town and 25% affordable housing. As Article 3A is written we will lose our governance over multi-families as it allows “as of right,” and only 10% above 6 units will be affordable housing, which will reduce or eliminate affordable housing completely. Pleasant St. is included, and we are risking our local restaurants, stores, theatres, banks and businesses being bought by developers, turned into multi-families with potentially zero affordable housing. That is why I filed an amendment at the Town Meeting and co-sponsored a referendum to bring Article 3A to a vote, because it will be detrimental to our town and should not be adopted.
How would you approach long-term capital planning to address aging infrastructure and climate resilience needs, while ensuring fiscal responsibility?
We are blessed to live in one of the most beautiful towns surrounded by peaceful landscapes, rich history and a diverse population. We are a multi-generational town and are fortunate to live near or with our families. I live with my husband of 24 years, 3 kids and my dad in my in-law-suite. As a coastal historical town, we are facing aging infrastructure and need for climate resilience in all aspects. We must address these issues with practical steps and advanced technology to ensure a future for our children. Marblehead adopted the Net Zero Roadmap to reduce carbon emission and increase clean and affordable energy. There are many grants and partnerships that we can utilize to ensure we receive the maximum external financial help to protect our town. As technology evolves, we need to use efficient ways to repair/protect our structures while leading towards a thriving future.
