To the editor:
This June 9, we ask that you join us in voting for Mike McCarthy for Marblehead Recreation and Parks Commission. We met “Coach Mike” almost immediately upon our arrival in Marblehead as parents of three kids involved in Marblehead Youth Sports.
For most of the last eight years, our son has been on a team coached by Mike. If you have spent time on the sidelines you know that there are all sorts of coaches, but the coaches that are remembered aren’t just chasing wins; they are the ones who make every kid on the bench enjoy being a part of a team while feeling like they belong. That’s Mike. Enthusiastic, encouraging and genuinely glad to be there — the coach who knows the true meaning of being a part of a team and sharing the love of sport. As our son nears the final few weeks of his youth sports career, we can’t help but feel overwhelming gratitude for the role Mike has played in making sport a lifelong passion for our son.
We have a second son who has never been coached by Mike. This is our art and theater kid who never found his true place on a court or field. Mike could have easily focused only on the son that he coached but Mike has always gone out of his way to chat and to take the time to make our other son feel just as important as any of his players. This connection matters to kids and it truly speaks to who Mike is.
Mike McCarthy is the type of Marbleheader we should all want on the Recreation and Parks Commission. Recreation in Marblehead isn’t just fields and sports. It is the parks, the programs, the beaches and the public spaces meant for everyone — the athletes and the artists, the very young and the seniors, the families who have been here for generations and the folks new to town who are still finding their way. Mike already sees that recreation is about the whole community.
Mike can always be counted on to show up and always signs up to volunteer at school events.
The kids look forward to his fun-loving presence at MVMS Spirit Day or at Village Field Day. When the time came to chaperone the sixth grade Bournedale trip, of course Mike signed up. Mike McCarthy is a huge part of the core memories of countless Marblehead kids. That’s the real test for this kind of seat. The Recreation and Parks Commission is a working board that needs people who will put in the hours, listen, and collaborate to get things done for Marblehead. Mike has been doing that version of the job for years already — just without the title.
On June 9, please join us in giving him the official title and vote for Mike McCarthy for Recreation and Parks Commission.
Chris and Reece Dahlberg
Fieldbrook Road
