RUN LIKE THE WIND
Assa races nation’s elite milers
IN THIS ISSUE
Page 9
BOOKS
MUSIC
Meet Marblehead’s youngest new authors
Gorka performs at Me&Thee’s final show of season
Page 3
Page 13
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MARBLEHEAD, MA PERMIT NO. 25
NEWS FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR PROFIT.
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MAY 14, 2025
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VOLUME 3, ISSUE NO. 25
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MARBLEHEADCURRENT.ORG
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ON SOCIAL @MHDCURRENT
TOWN MEETING REWIND?
Referendum bid aims to undo 3A vote BY WILL DOWD
Local attorney John DiPiano on Monday morning submitted 1,204 signatures to the Select Board office, surpassing the 300-signature threshold required to call a special election on Article 23, the MBTA Communities Act zoning article approved by Town Meeting on May 6. The signature drive, launched just minutes after the Town Meeting vote, unfolded over a single weekend. “We probably put in 20 hours total,” DiPiano said. Yael Magen, a resident running
for Select Board, and DiPiano, a Marblehead resident and Salembased family law attorney, are invoking Chapter 405 of the Acts of 1954, a Marblehead-specific law that permits binding citizen referendums on certain Town Meeting votes. The campaign follows two years of heated local debate over the town’s compliance with the state’s MBTA Communities Act, which culminated with a 951-759 vote in favor of Article 23 May 6. “A significant number of people pre-Town Meeting vote and post-Town Meeting vote indicated that, for a variety of reasons, they couldn’t get to
Town Meeting,” DiPiano told the Marblehead Current on May 7. “There were some people who were elderly who can’t get to Town Meeting because they can’t sit for that long, and so this is a response to that.” Under the special act, residents need to file a petition with at least 300 signatures within five business days of Town Meeting’s dissolution to call for reconsideration of a vote. If the signatures are validated, the Select Board must schedule a special town-wide election, according to the town’s bylaws and adopted statues. In 1954, the state Legislature
passed a special act that permitted towns to adopt a legal path to challenge certain Town Meeting votes by referendum. Marblehead voters adopted the measure by a wide margin on the March 1955 ballot. The law applies to decisions involving appropriations over $50,000, bylaw changes (which zoning falls under) or alterations to town boards and offices. “All I want to do is engage in a full democratic process, and after that I am willing to accept the will of the majority, but I’m not sure that we had that full majority last night,” DiPiano said May 7.
TRADITION
After rainy start, Devereux Beach Carnival a hit No one was surprised when rain welcomed the annual Devereux Beach Carnival (it does nearly every year),
but the sun came out late Saturday in time for plenty of people to enjoy the fundraiser for the Marblehead High
School junior class. Current intern Grey Collins snapped these photos of the rides, games and more.
DiPiano said he believes the referendum process directly engages more voters than Town Meeting alone. The petition targets Article 23, which designates three areas — Pleasant Street, Tioga Way and Broughton Road — as multifamily overlay zones, allowing up to 897 units. During Town Meeting, DiPiano had moved to indefinitely postpone the article, questioning the scope of grant risks cited by supporters and criticizing the lack of guaranteed affordability in the zoning plan. REFERENDUM, P. 7
2025 TOWN MEETING
Tax hikes for MHS roof, Mary Alley repairs head to ballot BY LEIGH BLANDER Voters will decide two debt exclusion overrides in the town’s June 10 election that together would add $117 a year, for 20 years, to the tax bill for the median-priced home in Marblehead.
High School roof project CURRENT PHOTOS / GREY COLLINS
Alexander Fu has a blast riding the mechanical bull at the Devereux Beach Carnival.
Families enjoy the Devereux Beach Carnival in the sun on Saturday afternoon.
Molly Haggard rides the train at the Devereux Beach Carnival.
Shanilee Pena and Kana Carpenter enjoy the Cliffhanger ride at the carnival on Saturday.
COMMUNITY
Our goal at the Current is to keep you informed Dear fellow members of this beautiful community, We, the board of directors of the Marblehead Current, first and foremost want to thank you for your generous past support. As we complete coverage of Town Meeting and then look toward town elections next month, we are so proud of what our small, professional, nonprofit newsroom has accomplished. Our mission is straightforward: to keep you informed about what is happening in town — from government to schools, sports, the arts and special events. We founded the Current in June, 2022, on the cusp of that year’s town election, when information was sparse, the beloved Reporter had been gutted and local news here and
BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW
around the country was withering. Ever since, we’ve brought you 24-hour professional coverage, online and in print, of town matters. We’ve published three comprehensive town meeting guides and three election guides, with the fourth upcoming. This year, we introduced a live blog to bring you minuteby-minute updates from a historic town meeting. When elected and appointed boards are gathered to discuss town business, our reporters and editors are there. When your child competes on the field, we are there. When critical issues are debated about our schools, we are there. When you disagree with our coverage, or simply want to weigh in
with your point of view, we welcome your comments and letters to the editor. We publish pieces on town history, the arts, cooking, technology, business, opinion. Why? Because we believe a vibrant professional news source is the heart of a healthy, thriving community. And we want to continue providing this service to you. But this is what it takes:
We have to raise $36,000 a month from donors and advertisers, every single month, to remain viable. Let us repeat that
— $36,000. Every single month. That’s why we are asking again for your help. Today we are kicking off our 2025 spring fundraising campaign. You’ll see our appeals on social media, in your inbox, in the paper. Please be generous. We want to keep bringing you the news. We think an informed community is a stronger community. We hope you agree. With deep gratitude, MARBLEHEAD CURRENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS Gene Arnould Virginia Buckingham, President Brian Birke, Secretary Cheryl Byrne Robert Peck, Chairman Donna Rice David Vigneron Rick Weed, Treasurer
On May 6, Town Meeting voters approved, 804-282, an $8.6 million debt exclusion override for a roof project at Marblehead High School. In 2022, Town Meeting approved $5.6 million to repair the leaky roof, but the project was never started. Since then, the scope of the project has expanded to include HVAC units that are at or near the end of their useful life, according to the project manager. The School Committee’s facilities subcommittee is still deciding the best approach to fixing the roof, either repairing, recovering or replacing it. If approved at the ballot box in June, the roof project is expected to begin in the summer of 2026. It would add $68 a year for the next 20 years to the tax bill for the median-priced home. At Town Meeting, several MHS students spoke passionately about the need to fix the roof. “If you’re voting against the new roof, you’re voting against the health and safety of Marblehead High School students,” said senior Clive Connolly. “We need a new roof. It’s not OK that there is damp and wetness in these rooms. That mold is terrible for you. It’s one of the worst things you can be exposed to.” Senior Dante Genovesi agreed, “We’re past the point of needing a new roof. I’ve had water drip on me. I’m a drama kid, and there’s been water dripping right past super expensive lighting equipment” in the auditorium. TAXES, P. 7
CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER
Marblehead High School senior Clive Connolly speaks passionately about the need for a new roof at MHS.