Akanksha Goyal - Marblehead Current

01 Sep

Town still working out how new ADU rules work — homeowners feeling uncertainty

Akanksha GoyalMunicipal Matters, real estate, Top Stories

Massachusetts has spent the past two years making it easier for homeowners to build accessory dwelling units, but in Marblehead, figuring out how those rules apply to individual projects has proven more complicated. The town has received 12 ADU applications since 2024, according to Community Development and Planning Director Brendan Callahan. Three applications were submitted and approved in 2024, another three were approved in 2025, and four were approved through June 2026. Two remained pending as of June. Town officials are still trying to determine…

28 May

Marblehead’s Modica takes center stage at pro-housing rally on Beacon Hill

Akanksha GoyalPolitics, Top Stories

Under the sweltering sun outside the State House May 27, a large crowd of pro-housing advocates gathered on the front steps of Beacon Hill to urge lawmakers to pass zoning reforms aimed at accelerating housing production across the state. But even at a rally centered on a statewide housing crisis, Marblehead repeatedly found itself at the center of the conversation. And one resident, in particular, had become something of a celebrity. David Modica, whose remarks at Town Meeting in May went viral online, drew some…

19 May

Marblehead teen Oscar Galante appears briefly in court, next hearing set for July

Akanksha GoyalLocal News, Public safety

Marblehead teen Oscar Galante briefly appeared in Lynn Juvenile Court Friday morning for a compliance and election hearing connected to the fatal August 2025 crash that killed 13-year-old Savanah Gatchell. The hearing itself lasted less than a minute before the case was continued to July 17 for further compliance and election proceedings. Galante, who is charged as a youthful offender with motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation, entered the courtroom alongside family members wearing a dark navy suit and coral tie. A couple of supporters…

19 May

If 3A is resolved, what’s next for housing in Marblehead?

Akanksha GoyalMunicipal Matters, Top Stories

Marblehead’s yearslong battle over MBTA Communities Law zoning may finally be winding down, but the debate it ignited over housing in town appears far from settled. At Town Meeting earlier this month, voters approved a new 3A zoning plan intended to bring Marblehead into compliance with the state’s MBTA Communities Law after the town lost roughly $4 million in state grants following the rejection of a previous proposal in a referendum vote last year. But critics questioned whether the new plan — which includes the…

27 Apr

Board of Health advances curbside trash plan, sets fees

Akanksha GoyalHealth, Top Stories

The Board of Health on Monday approved new curbside trash and recycling regulations and a fee structure that could take effect July 1 if a proposed tax override fails. The Board of Health Monday night approved and set new trash fees that will take effect July 1, unless a $2.3 million override is passed in June. The board’s actions come as the town weighs two funding paths for curbside collection: a Proposition 2 1⁄2 override to be decided at Town Meeting and at the ballot…

27 Apr

Local effort helps Afghan girls secure university offers, but funding stands in the way

Akanksha GoyalEducation, Nonprofit corner, Top Stories

For a group of Afghan girls studying in secret under Taliban rule, acceptance letters from top universities abroad marked a rare moment of possibility. Now, that opportunity is at risk of slipping away. Four seniors at Pax Populi Academy — an underground online school for girls founded by a Marblehead resident — have been admitted to Canadian institutions, including the University of British Columbia. But without roughly $164,000 in additional funding, they may not be able to attend. “I just can’t bear the idea that…

22 Apr

OVERRIDING CONSIDERATIONS: Limited revenue options keep town reliant on property taxes, overrides

Akanksha GoyalMunicipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Meeting

This is the final in a six-part series examining Marblehead’s budget challenges and possible paths forward. To read more in the series, MarbleheadCurrent.org. Over the past several weeks, Marblehead officials have laid out the numbers behind the town’s three-year, tiered override proposal, driven by rising costs, constrained state aid and the limits of Proposition 2 1⁄2. But beyond an override, are there any other ways to raise revenue locally that can meaningfully help close the $7.7 million gap? The answer, based on local data, state…

21 Apr

New resident-built website uses AI to make sense of town’s budget ahead of override vote

Akanksha GoyalMunicipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Meeting

A new website breaking down Marblehead’s finances has emerged ahead of the town’s override vote, offering a mix of charts, data analysis and interactive tools built almost entirely with artificial intelligence. The site, Marblehead Budget Data (marbleheadbudgetdata.com) was created by resident, homeowner and parent Andrew Baber, who said the project began as a personal effort to better understand the town’s finances and the arguments surrounding the override before expanding into a broader public resource. “I want this site to be a valuable tool for anyone…

14 Apr

OVERRIDING CONSIDERATIONS: Costs are outpacing the cap: Marblehead’s challenge under Prop 2½

Akanksha GoyalMunicipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Election Guide, Town Meeting

In 1980, a tax revolt that reshaped how every city and town in Massachusetts raises revenue was driven in part by Barbara Anderson, a Marblehead resident and one of the leading figures behind the campaign. More than four decades later, in the town closely associated with Proposition 2 1/2, local officials say the law is increasingly at odds with the financial reality facing the town today. The law limits how much a community can raise in property taxes each year, generally capping annual increases at…

09 Apr

School Committee approves override tiers, MOU after detailing 22 cuts

Akanksha GoyalMarblehead Public Schools, Municipal Matters, Top Stories

The School Committee on Thursday approved the school funding levels tied to each proposed override tier and endorsed a memorandum of understanding aimed at limiting future tax increases, as administrators detailed more than $3 million in cuts made to the fiscal year 2027 school budget. The votes come following a Select Board meeting where town officials outlined a tiered override structure ranging from $9 million to $15 million across town departments and schools. Marblehead Assistant Superintendent of Finance Mike Pfifferling, top right, walks the School…