Town Meeting

Town Meeting approves free Transfer Station stickers for vets

Town Meeting approves free Transfer Station stickers for vets

Veterans in Marblehead will be able to get free Transfer Station and beach stickers, thanks to a citizens petition that passed at Town Meeting Tuesday night, 343 to 192. It was sponsored by local vet Charles Nordstrom. “There are 750 veterans in town, 360 of them from the Vietnam era,” Nordstrom said. “After doing our service, we’re asked to pay again. I don’t think anyone here wants us to pay twice. I think it’s just fair to the veterans to take that into consideration.” Veteran…
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Town Meeting approves $115 million budget, union workers rally

Town Meeting approves $115 million budget, union workers rally

Hundreds of Marblehead educators and other town employees rallied outside the Veterans School before Town Meeting Monday night, demanding "fully funded" budgets. The Marblehead Education Association handed out flyers urging voters to “restore $700,000 and save our educators.”  The town’s $115 million budget, including $46.7 million for the schools, passed easily and without much debate. Educators ultimately did not make a motion to ask for another $700,000. Connor Ryan, Robin Feins, and Finn Ryan, 10, wave to people arriving at Town Meeting Monday evening. They…
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Read the full remarks by union leader Terri Tauro

Read the full remarks by union leader Terri Tauro

Terri Tauro, head of the Marblehead Municipal Employees Union, spoke at Town Meeting Monday night during a motion to indefinitely postpone a collective bargaining vote. She was cut off by Moderator Jack Attridge, who said her remarks did not pertain to the motion at hand. Here is Tauro's complete message. "I would like to start with a shout out for our town employees. Marblehead’s town employees educate your children and keep them safe. We keep your power on, plow the snow and care for your…
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Meals, rooms taxes will take effect this summer

Meals, rooms taxes will take effect this summer

Beginning July 1, Marblehead will institute two new taxes — a .75% local meals tax and a 6% rooms occupancy tax — after Town Meeting voters approved them Monday night. Both new measures passed by healthy margins. Town Meeting also rejected a motion, by Harbor Light Inn owner Carolyn Pyburn, to lower the room tax from 6% to 4%. "Everyone around us has already adopted this," Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer told Town Meeting. "Would this put us at a competitive disadvantage? We decided it would…
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Fact check: Could the town lose millions in state grants if it rejects zoning changes?

Fact check: Could the town lose millions in state grants if it rejects zoning changes?

An anonymous postcard mailed to many homes in Marblehead last week made several claims about zoning changes up for a vote at Town Meeting tonight, including that the town will “lose nothing in grants” if it rejects the state mandate. A closer look, however, reveals that Marblehead is, in fact, at risk of losing millions of state dollars if it does not comply with the MBTA Communities Act. This anonymous postcard was mailed to many Marblehead homes last week. Initially, Gov. Maura Healey announced that…
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DEMOCRACY: Town Meeting opens Monday

DEMOCRACY: Town Meeting opens Monday

Marblehead's annual Town Meeting convenes Monday, May 6, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of Veterans Middle School, 217 Pleasant St. All registered voters are welcome to attend, debate and vote on warrant articles. A warrant is similar to an agenda, and lists all the items that need to be voted on. Additional evenings will follow at the same time and location as necessary. (Check out the Current's 2024 Town Meeting Guide HERE.) In a preview event at the Judy and Gene Jacobi Community Center…
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Union leaders plan rally before Town Meeting,  define ‘fully funded’ budgets

Union leaders plan rally before Town Meeting, define ‘fully funded’ budgets

The leaders of several Marblehead employee unions say they will “stand out and stand together ahead of Town Meeting on May 6 to support fully funded budgets and fair contracts for all our town departments.” The unions — representing educators, police, firefighters and others — plan to rally outside Veterans Middle School Monday starting at 6 p.m. Town Meeting begins there at 7 p.m. The unions are in collective bargaining, with contracts expiring this summer. In a joint letter to the editor sent on Friday…
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Students learn about democracy at mock Town Meeting

Students learn about democracy at mock Town Meeting

In a mock Town Meeting on Thursday, over 200 seventh graders at Veterans Middle School debated and ultimately voted to reject expanding Marblehead’s seasonal leaf blower ban. The question will come before Marblehead voters at Town Meeting, which begins Monday. (Check out the Current's 2024 Town Meeting Guide HERE.) The mock Town Meeting, held in the school's Performing Arts Center and moderated by Town Moderator Jack Attridge, aimed to give students a taste of the direct democracy the town's citizens engage in annually.  Teagan Shaw,…
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Town Meeting will have ample capacity, clerk says

Town Meeting will have ample capacity, clerk says

In response to concerns raised by residents about potential capacity limitations at the upcoming Town Meeting on May 6, Town Clerk Robin Michaud wants to reassure the community that there will be sufficient space for all attendees. "We will not be turning voters away," Michaud wrote in a Wednesday email to the Marblehead Current. "Every voter that wants to attend will be able to attend, and their vote will be counted." She noted the Performing Arts Center at Veterans Memorial Middle School, where the meeting…
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State Street bathroom article splits FinCom

State Street bathroom article splits FinCom

This article is part of a series looking at key warrant articles leading up to the Town Meeting on May 6. Check out the Current's 2024 Town Meeting Guide HERE. The Finance Committee was split in a 5-4 vote on whether to recommend keeping State Street public restrooms open throughout the year, reflecting the challenges of balancing community amenities with financial and logistical concerns. The vote serves as a recommendation to Town Meeting voters when they convene in the auditorium of Veterans Middle School on…
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