On June 9, almost half of the town’s registered voters turned out to vote candidates for public office and to vote on the four override questions. This was the largest turnout for the annual town elections in over 20 years. It is clear that the override questions were the driving force for so many voters casting their ballots.
The overrides
Leading up to last week’s election, passions ran high on whether and to what degree to support a general override to address the level of services and attendant costs our residents favored. Proponents and opponents of the general overrides waged vigorous campaigns in support of their respective positions, and social media was flooded with opinions and facts, some accurate and some not so much.
In the end, all three general overrides received a majority of affirmative votes with Question 3, the largest authorized increase, receiving 54% of votes cast.
Question 4, meanwhile, was an override to keep the cost of curbside trash pickup within the operating budget of the town, eliminating the need for a separate and uniform trash fee to be assessed to each household. This question also passed, as voters made clear their preference to let these costs be paid in proportion to the assessed values of homes.
Prior to the election, town leaders had signed a memorandum of understanding, pledging not to seek any further general overrides over the next three years, should the general override pass. They also committed to quarterly reviews of the town’s finances and budgets.
Because the largest override amount was approved, the burden will be squarely upon our elected and appointed officials — in conjunction with all town department heads — to fulfill their promises to provide transparency to all matters associated with future annual budgetary requests and to work together to seek efficiencies whenever possible and practical. To do otherwise would undermine the trust placed in them by virtue of last week’s vote.
While the memorandum of understanding addresses the next three years, we believe that voters will be expecting town leaders to develop a longer plan of action to prevent the need to again request a general tax override three years from now.
The candidates
With the exception of the contested seat on the Housing Authority Board, all incumbents on the ballot were re-elected. Long-time Housing Authority Board member Jean Eldridge was unseated by Jeffrey Weeden. Eldridge has provided years of faithful service to the town, and we thank her for all she has done.
Incumbent Erin Noonan returns to the Select Board along with Rossana Ferrante, both of whom won handily in this contested race. Ann-Marie Jordan and incumbent Melissa Clucas were elected to the School Committee in another of the featured contested races.
We have two newcomers to the Board of Health — Dr. Julie Selbst and Kristen Dubay Horton — who will join incumbent Tom McMahon who topped the ballot as the Board of Health expands to five members.
Our elected board and commission members are dedicated volunteers who spend countless hours in the service of the town, and for that we are grateful. And we thank all who chose to seek elected office this year. It is hard work and oftentimes thankless to carry out the duties of these offices. We are fortunate to have so many of our residents who are willing to put their names on the ballot for consideration. And we take this moment to encourage any citizen who feels that she or he can make a difference in running the affairs of Marblehead to consider running for public office in the future.
Parting thoughts
This was a hard-fought campaign, and now that it is over, we urge all citizens to come together. One subject on which the 54% who supported Question 3 and the 46% who did not largely agree is that these increased tax revenues need to be spent responsibly and transparently.
To that end, we’d like to offer an unofficial “memorandum of understanding” of our own. We pledge to closely monitor the use and management of these funds and to report to our readers — factually and regularly — the results of our findings.
Over the course of the past many months, we have striven to provide accurate and in-depth reporting on the development of this year’s proposed budget, the facts behind the assertions of our town leadership that a fiscal crisis existed and their reasons for advocating a general tax override. We take pride in producing Marblehead’s only nonprofit weekly newspaper and robust presence on our website and social media channels, which enable us to provide up-to-the-minute breaking local news.
We are able to continue to reach our readers and social media followers because of the support of our many community businesses and organizations who regularly choose to advertise with us and because of the generosity of so many of our donors. We can never thank all of you too often for your past and present support.
To those of you who likewise appreciate receiving the Current in your mailbox each week and the daily postings online, please help us continue those efforts by making a contribution as we conclude our annual spring fundraising campaign.
