LETTERS

To the editor: There is a lot of coverage lately about a looming budget shortfall for the town and a likely request for the voters to approve a general override of Proposition 2 1⁄2. I am not certain what to think about this. Like many Marbleheaders, I am averse to higher taxes but I am also averse to compromising services we enjoy as citizens of this town. Town government has the luxury of executing the same basic things year after year. Therefore, it should not…

To the editor: “It is usually futile to try to talk facts and analysis to people who are enjoying a sense of moral superiority in their ignorance.” – Thomas Sowell I love Thomas Sowell. He’s a brilliant man. Ninety-five years old and still cogent. For anyone on the Left who doesn’t know who he is that’s OK. He’s a Black, conservative/libertarian author and economist who supports free markets and individual liberty and is against affirmative action, so he was kicked out of your liberal, woke…

There is an old expression: Cutting off your nose to spite your face. That is exactly what this town's proposed budget does. The roles of town planner, grant coordinator and sustainability director not only enhance many aspects of our town, they fight back against climate catastrophe, find ways to maintain shared resources and bring in much needed funds! Between them Donna Cotterell and Logan Casey have brought hundreds of thousands of dollars to this town for both necessary and enhancing projects. None of that is…

To the editor: I refer to the editorial in the Marblehead Current of March 25. It quoted President Obama when he attended the funeral for Rev. Jesse Jackson. The end of the quote was “… if we don’t stand up, no one else will.” I quote now a statement from a German pastor who originally supported the Nazis in the early 1930s but was later imprisoned in a concentration camp and survived. “As the Nazis arrested the communists, I remained quiet. I wasn’t a communist.…

On behalf of the Marblehead Republican Town Committee, we welcome open discussion, but believe the Current’s March 25 editorial, “In abnormal times, an affirmation of basic rights” and Article 40 itself are built less on genuine threats to constitutional rights and more on political opposition to the current administration. Our founding principles—individual liberty, limited government and the rule of law—are not under siege. Framing them as endangered creates a narrative of crisis that is not supported by reality. In practice, Article 40 appears to be…

To the editor: Marblehead is at a crossroads. In the weeks and months ahead, residents will be asked to make decisions that will shape the future of the town’s services, schools, and long-term stability. With the Select Board putting forward comprehensive, multi-year override options, this is an important moment for the entire community.  In this important moment, we want to introduce For Marblehead, a community coalition with a mission of strengthening our town’s municipal services, schools and infrastructure through sustainable funding, responsible policies and good…

I’ve read with interest the articles and letters about how to balance Marblehead’s 2027 budget. I can understand the various arguments from the point of view from which the various people have brought them. And despite its critical importance I can also understand why the school budget is in the spotlight: It is the biggest pile of money. I enjoyed Seamus Hourihan’s point of view where he wants to spread the pain across the board and have each entity bear their share of the burden…

To the editor: I miss America — the one I have known all my life. In the past 14 months, I have watched OUR Democracy slowly dissolving before my eyes. I am stunned that we are allowing this administration to do whatever they want with no accountability. This is the third week of the Iran war, and this administration does not call this a war but an “excursion” and is unable to explain why they started it. It has already cost us $22.8 billion of…

To the editor: The recently proposed budget cuts to Abbot Public Library will be a direct blow to our community’s well-being. Reducing the library’s budget means more than just fewer library staff. The result will be reduced operating hours, fewer literacy programs for our children, and limited access to the high-speed internet that many of our neighbors rely on for job applications and schoolwork. A more likely worst-case outcome is loss of certification (elimination of state aid and technology grants) and closure of the library. …

To the editor: As members of the Darling Dames Book Club and residents of Marblehead, we are disheartened to hear that our town is considering closing the library due to financial pressures. Like most residents, we understand that our town must make difficult decisions when budgets are tight. Responsible financial stewardship matters. But closing the library would mean losing one of the few places in our community that serves everyone — regardless of age, income or background. Libraries are far more than buildings filled with…