Instead of moving forward with a three-tiered proposal that will be debated as Article 29 at Town Meeting on Monday, a special Town Meeting should be called to “provide the people of Marblehead with a sensible option to the massive, multi-year overrides proposed by the town,” the Marblehead Liberty Foundation said in a press release.
Who is the Liberty Foundation?
On Friday, MLF contacted the Current to answer questions about its press release, identifying Jack Buba as its point of contact. Buba is also named in MLF’s filing as a charity with the state Attorney General’s Office. In that filing, the Liberty Foundation reported that it did not have bylaws, explaining, “We are a small club that wants to promote patriotism and preserve Marblehead.”
The Liberty Foundation’s statement of purpose reads, “We host community discussions that encourage civic awareness and respectful discourse across generations. Through partnerships with local residents, we aim to celebrate Marblehead’s rich history while creating space for conversation on modern challenges to liberty and democracy.”
MLF declined to identify any other members to the Current.
Monday’s Town Meeting
Voters will begin deciding the fate of a tiered ($9 million, $12 million and $15 million) override at the annual Town Meeting on May 4. If the override doesn’t pass at Town Meeting and again at the June 9 election, the town has projected dozens of staff reductions and program cuts to fill a $7.7 million budget deficit.
In its press release, the Foundation said it “believes that there are reasonable alternatives to the severe options currently under consideration for Marblehead taxpayers; punishing cuts to services or a $9-$15 million override forever.”
The focus of its proposed special town meeting would be to “Fix it First,” according to the Liberty Foundation press release. The Foundation proposes approving only enough funding so the town can function for another year (while keeping the library open and blocking cuts to the COA) while town leaders work on fundamentally changing how the town operates.
“This means considering efficiencies such as: consolidation, reviewing employee benefits, outsourcing and privatization, among other options,” the press release reads.
Asked how the Liberty Foundation would fund town government for the one year, it answered, “It is anticipated that the town could use free cash for these items for one year, The town has used free cash for the last 15 or so years, so one more year for these few important items to tide us over will not break the bank.”
Select Board member Erin Noonan criticized the call for a special town meeting.
“The town already has a duly scheduled Town Meeting on Monday night, and that is the appropriate and transparent forum for residents to debate, amend and vote on the proposed budget and override plan,” Noonan wrote in an email. “If there are differing views on priorities or funding mechanisms, those views should be brought forward there, where all voices can be heard within the established process.”
Noonan pointed out that budget discussions have been happening for months.
“This issue has not emerged overnight,” she said. “There have been numerous public meetings going back to November addressing the projected budget deficit, all offering ample opportunity for community input. Yet no one publicly associated with this group has come forward during those proceedings to offer comment or perspective before the board. The current budget proposal is the result of a collaborative, months-long process involving significant input from elected and appointed boards, as well as many dedicated volunteers with a deep understanding of the town’s finances.”
Noonan added, “Calling for an additional special town meeting at this stage risks confusion, duplication of effort and unnecessary expense. There is nothing fiscally conservative about creating another town-wide proceeding — with its own administrative and financial costs — while the community is already preparing to convene and deliberate through the normal course. This petition would not replace the existing process; it would simply layer another one on top of it. Residents deserve a single, orderly public debate about the town’s financial challenges, not a fragmented approach that complicates decision-making. Marblehead’s strength lies in open, structured civic participation. That process should be respected, not bypassed.”
Trash override and next steps
MLF does endorse an override to cover the increase in cost of the new trash contract.
MLF also calls on the town to employ an “outside consulting agent, an expert in municipal efficiency, to audit the town and make efficiency recommendations. It is not clear, as demonstrated by the recent punitive budget cuts, that the current leadership team can accomplish this rethinking without outside assistance.”
Any resident can compel the town to host a special town meeting within 45 days of submitting 200 signatures.
