This article is the latest in a Current series profiling races in the town’s June 9 election. Read more at MarbleheadCurrent.org.
Voters will choose among three candidates for two open seats on the Select Board in the June 9 town election, with each contender pointing to experience and differing priorities as Marblehead faces ongoing financial and governance challenges.
Incumbent Erin Noonan is running for another term, with challenges from Rossana Ferrante and Jenn Schaeffner.
The Current caught up with three candidates to preview the race.
Ferrante
Ferrante, an attorney who has served on several town boards, said her decision to run stems from a desire to improve collaboration across local government.
“I want to help solve our town’s challenges on a broader scale and find solutions to unite us as one community,” Ferrante wrote in an email. “We need to bridge communication and collaboration gaps at every level: among town officials, boards and commissions, and the community. The divisive way we tackle issues costs the town time and money. We need to challenge each other to reach common ground.”
Ferrante has lived in Marblehead for 15 years and has served on the Planning Board, the Charter Committee — where she was vice chair — and the Recreation and Parks Commission, which she chaired. She said those roles have given her insight into town operations and the importance of cross-department cooperation.
“My focus is on people, process and policy,” she said. “I am committed to bringing people together to find solutions. I am interested in progress, not division.”
Among her goals, Ferrante emphasized improving coordination between the Select Board, town administration and schools to identify efficiencies and new revenue opportunities.
“Until we align, we will continue to lose opportunities to work smarter and fail to hold ourselves truly financially accountable to the community,” she said.
Noonan
Noonan, the incumbent, has served five years on the Select Board and is seeking reelection.
She pointed to her record in office as a key reason voters should support her candidacy.
“I ask voters to judge me on my record of working to move Marblehead forward, including the ongoing effort to address our longstanding structural budget deficit, which predates my tenure on the board,” she said.
Noonan laid out her priorities for another term.
“My focus for the next term will continue to include three core items for Marblehead: getting the town budget on a sustainable financial path, investing wisely in our infrastructure and making sure people at all stages of life can afford to live here,” she said. “Right now, that means helping residents understand why a general override is so important to maintaining the services we all rely on.”
She also pointed to potential redevelopment opportunities in town.
“I also think we have a real opportunity at the former Coffin School site to create affordable senior housing in a way that fits the neighborhood and strengthens our community,” she said.
Noonan, who grew up in Marblehead, said she returned to raise her family and lives near extended family.
“We’re now raising our three children on the same street where I grew up, near their grandparents,” she said.
Professionally, she is a trial and appellate attorney representing children and families in Juvenile Court.
Schaeffner
Schaeffner, a current School Committee member with a background in finance, highlighted the town’s fiscal challenges as her primary motivation for running.
“Marblehead faces a serious structural deficit that can no longer be addressed with short-term fixes. The stakes are real. If we get this wrong, we risk making our town unaffordable and undermining the very things that make Marblehead so special,” Schaeffner said.
She served seven years on the School Committee and is currently chair of the Marblehead Housing Authority. Professionally, she spent more than two decades in banking and investment management and now operates a local property business.
“I am experienced, diligent, prepared and well-versed in the challenges of town government,” Schaeffner said. “My financial acuity and depth of knowledge on municipal budgeting is a genuine asset.”
Schaeffner outlined three primary goals: strengthening fiscal accountability, implementing long-range financial planning and improving transparency.
“Before asking taxpayers for anything more, we must prove we have exhausted every option,” she said. “That means a rigorous review of every expense line for efficiencies and a thorough look at every available revenue source.”
She also called for a five-year financial forecast and clearer communication with residents.
“Our residents deserve to understand exactly what is being spent, why and what it means for them,” she said.
A Marblehead native, Schaeffner said her roots in the community inform her approach.
“This town is not just where I live. It is where my roots are and where my heart is,” she said.
The Select Board serves as the town’s chief executive body, overseeing municipal operations, setting policy and working with the town administrator on budget and strategic planning.
