Town Election Guide

DECISIONS ’26: Marblehead Candidates Guide

DECISIONS ’26: Marblehead Candidates Guide

Each year, the Current provides a Candidates Guide to help Marblehead voters make informed decisions at the town's spring election. This year, voters head to the ballot box on June 9 to decide several races, as well as four override questions. The League of Women Voters hosts its annual Candidates Night Tuesday, May 26, 7 p.m. at the high school library. Up first, we connect with the candidates for Select Board. We'll be adding to the guide over the next several days with more races…
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League of Women Voters to host Candidates Night

League of Women Voters to host Candidates Night

With Marblehead's election less than a month away (on June 9), the League of Women Voters will host its Candidates Night on Tuesday, May 26, at 7 p.m. in the high school library. Residents may arrive at 6:30 p.m. to meet and speak with candidates. Elizabeth Foster-Nolan, president of the Massachusetts League of Women Voters, will moderate. The forum will feature candidates in the following races: Select Board:Incumbent Erin Noonan and challengers Rossana Ferrante and Jenn Schaeffner are vying for two seats. School Committee:Incumbent Melissa…
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Status of in-person early voting for town election unclear

Status of in-person early voting for town election unclear

Voters may not be able to use in-person early voting for the June 9 election, which will decide a three-year, three-tiered override (up to $15 million) that would increase property taxes permanently. A second $2.3 million trash override is also on the ballot, as well as local races for Select Board, School Committee and other positions. In response to an inquiry from the Current, a staff member of the Town Clerk's Office said on Monday afternoon that there would not be in-person early voting available…
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Got questions about the override vote June 9?

Got questions about the override vote June 9?

To help residents better understand the tiered override ($9 million, $12 million or $15 million) approved at Town Meeting and heading to a townwide vote June 9, the Select Board and School Committee are holding eight information sessions before the vote. Several residents asked questions at similar sessions leading up to Town MEeting. The meetings will be held at Abbot Hall, 9-10 a.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m. each of the following days: Monday, May 11Tuesday, May 19Wednesday May 27Tuesday, June 2 The override tiers are meant…
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Three experienced candidates vie for two Select Board seats

Three experienced candidates vie for two Select Board seats

This article is the latest in a Current series profiling races in the town’s June 9 election. Read more at MarbleheadCurrent.org. Voters will choose among three candidates for two open seats on the Select Board in the June 9 town election, with each contender pointing to experience and differing priorities as Marblehead faces ongoing financial and governance challenges. Incumbent Erin Noonan is running for another term, with challenges from Rossana Ferrante and Jenn Schaeffner.  The Current caught up with three candidates to preview the race.…
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Slate set for Marblehead town election as filing deadline passes

Slate set for Marblehead town election as filing deadline passes

With today’s 5 p.m. deadline to submit nomination papers and signatures now past, Marblehead has a clear picture of who will appear on the June 9 election ballot. Here’s a rundown: Select Board (two seats): Incumbent Erin Noonan is seeking reelection. Rossana Ferrante, who currently chairs the Recreation and Parks Commission, is also running. Jennifer Schaeffner, who currently sits on the School Committee and Marblehead Housing Authority, is running. Incumbent Alexa Singer is not running for reelection. School Committee (two seats): Incumbent Melissa Clucas is…
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Locals film video urging support for tax override

Locals film video urging support for tax override

On a recent blustery Saturday morning, cameras rolled as residents gathered around town to film a short video encouraging voters to support a Proposition 2 1⁄2 override and preserve town services. The effort is organized by the citizen group For Marblehead, which is producing a 60-second video highlighting what supporters describe as the community’s shared commitment to its schools, infrastructure and civic institutions. Among those volunteering their time behind the camera are TV commercial director Tom Foley and his sons, Wyatt and Beckett. “A bunch…
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OVERRIDING CONSIDERATIONS: Costs are outpacing the cap: Marblehead’s challenge under Prop 2½

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

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…
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Marblehead election updates: Sarah Fox pulls papers for another School Committee run; sitting Select Board member will not run for re-election

Marblehead election updates: Sarah Fox pulls papers for another School Committee run; sitting Select Board member will not run for re-election

***NEW Tuesday: Sarah Fox has pulled papers to run again for School Committee. Fox served three terms on the committee, before losing last June. Incumbent Melissa Clucas and Ann Marie Jordan have also pulled papers for the two available seats. Sarah Fox has pulled papers for another School Committee run. COURTESY PHOTO Also: Select Board member Alexa Singer, whose term expires in June, announced that she will not seek re-election. "It is time for me to dedicate the coming years to my family and step…
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Who’s running, who’s not in June town election

Who’s running, who’s not in June town election

With the deadline two weeks away, more residents have taken out nomination papers for Marblehead’s June 9 town elections. More than 20 seats are up for grabs across town boards and commissions, including the Select Board, School Committee, Board of Health and Municipal Light Commission. According to the Town Clerk’s Office, candidates must collect at least 50 signatures and return nomination papers by 5 p.m. April 21. Papers are available at the Town Clerk’s Office in Abbot Hall. Here’s how races are shaping up as…
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