Municipal Matters - Marblehead Current

09 Jun

This Election Day, Marblehead voters deciding override, races

Leigh BlanderMunicipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Election Guide

Turnout appears brisk at Abbot Hall and the MHS field house this Election Day. Here's a sampling of supporters outside both polling places. CURRENT PHOTOS / LEIGH BLANDER Voters are deciding one of the town's most consequential financial decisions in decades: whether to approve a three-tiered tax override that would permanently increase property taxes and reshape the town's fiscal future. In addition to the override question — presented in $9 million, $12 million and $15 million options — voters will weigh in on several local…

08 Jun

Old trash barrels pile up as town prepares for automated collection

Leigh BlanderHealth, Municipal Matters, Top Stories

As Marblehead prepares to transition to a new trash and recycling contract July 1 featuring automated collection, residents are searching for ways to dispose of — or repurpose — their old trash and recycling barrels, which will no longer be compatible with the new system. Over the past several weeks, the town has delivered 16,000 new trash and recycling carts to homes and businesses. Discarded trash and recycling barrels are already piling up at the Transfer Station. COURTESY PHOTO Residents with Transfer Station access stickers…

07 Jun

Current denied request to attend health board member’s info session

Kris OlsonMunicipal Matters, Top Stories

Tom McMahon, a candidate for re-election to the Board of Health, has denied the Current's request to attend his information session on the override vote and the town's new trash collection program scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Tom McMahon Asked whether the press would be welcome to attend, McMahon first asked the Current to prove its lack of bias by demonstrating that it understood the formulas underlying the two override calculators created by the citizens' groups For Marblehead and Better Way Marblehead. After a response was…

05 Jun

Swimming in numbers: A user’s guide to the four override calculators

Leigh Blander Kris OlsonMunicipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Election Guide

Residents may have noticed that if you use the various override calculators to calculate the tax impact of the upcoming override vote, you get different answers. To help explain why that is, we ran the home value of a $1 million property through each calculator and spoke with the creators of the calculators to clarify deviations in the results. To try to keep the comparisons “apples to apples,” we are focusing on what the calculators are saying are the increases attributable to the overrides and…

01 Jun

Marblehead Current public notices, issue of June 3, 2026

Marblehead Current staffMunicipal Matters

11315700Download 11315701Download 11315702Download 11315703Download 11315704Download 11315705Download 11315706Download 11315707Download 11315708Download 11315709Download 11315710Download

01 Jun

Signs point to… not the whole story

Kris OlsonMunicipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Election Guide

By now, you likely have seen them on lawns throughout town: the anti-override group Better Way Marblehead’s signs, which read “$7,500+ Per Home Every 3 Years, Forever!” Some residents may have wondered, “Is that true?” Here’s our assessment. WHAT THE SIGN GETS RIGHT: The overrides the town will be voting on June 9 are, in fact, “forever.” They are general overrides that remain part of the tax rate rather than exclusions that drop off the tax levy when the bonds issued to finance a particular…

27 May

Overrides, trust and town’s path forward debated at candidates forum

Leigh BlanderMunicipal Matters, Politics, Top Stories, Town Election Guide

As the town faces four general override questions that would permanently increase property taxes, candidates for multiple boards and committees made their pitches at the Marblehead League of Women Voters candidates forum Tuesday night. The election is June 9. About 100 people crowded into the high school library to listen to candidates for Select Board, School Committee, Recreation & Parks Commission, Cemetery Commission, Housing Authority and town moderator. Select Board Incumbent Erin Noonan defended her role in crafting the town’s tiered override proposal (for $9…

26 May

Marblehead’s gas-powered leaf blower ban in effect

Leigh BlanderMunicipal Matters, Top Stories

Marblehead’s seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers is now in effect. The ban runs Memorial Day through Labor Day. The ban was approved at the 2022 Town Meeting after several years of debate. The first violation results in a written violation. The second violation comes with a $100 fine. For the third and any violation after, a fine of $200 will be issued. Each violation shall constitute a separate violation. Homeowners are responsible for the fees. CURRENT PHOTO Here is the language of the bylaw:…

26 May

CEMETERY COMMISSION: Rose McCarthy

Leigh BlanderMunicipal Matters

Former member of the Cemetery Commission and Rec & Parks What skills and experience would you bring to the Cemetery Commission? I have served on the Cemetery Commission. Why do you want to run for the Cemetery Commission? I want to run because there is an opening. It’s our duty to bury our loved ones and to take care of veterans that pass away. What goals for the Cemetery Commission do you have over the next 3-5 years? To fill in the pool. Also, to…

26 May

CEMETERY COMMISSION: Sally Sands

Leigh BlanderMunicipal Matters

Retired preschool owner, served on Old & Historic Commission, served 12 years as funeral deacon for Old North Church What skills and experience would you bring to the Cemetery Commission? I owned and operated a successful preschool business in Marblehead for 20 years, which involved budgeting and record keeping, collaboration and cooperation with parents, and annual inspections by the building and fire departments. I served for more than 10 years on the Old and Historic District Commission, working with homeowners to understand and comply with…