Voters to choose amid budget crisis

BY LEIGH BLANDER

The race for School Committee is one of the hottest contests in the town’s June election, with four people vying for two seats.

A fifth candidate, Karen TalMakhluf, dropped out last week. She was the first person to announce a run back in March.

“Since then, I have been encouraged to see four other candidates enter the race. Since I have no wish to detract from these candidates’ efforts and because I will also need to be traveling during much of the campaign season, I am publicly withdrawing from this year’s School Committee race effective today, but I look forward to continuing to help move our community forward both as a volunteer and as a parent,” Tal-Makhluf wrote in a statement.

The remaining School Committee candidates are Paul Baker, incumbent Sarah Gold, Brian Ota and former School Committee member Jennifer Schaeffner.

The School Committee faces tough challenges as the district and the town grapple with a budget crisis. In fact, if town voters reject a $2.5 million override on the June ballot, Schools Supt. John Buckey says more than 30 staff positions will be cut. Also, several programs will be canceled, including freshmen sports.

Here’s a quick look at each candidate:

Discord aired over COVID relief funds

Officials emphasize need for investment in infrastructure, reversing learning loss

BY WILLIAM J. DOWD

Members of the Marblehead Select Board recently expressed conflicting views regarding its allocation of the town’s remaining $3.3 million in federal COVID relief funds from the American Reinvestment Plan Act (ARPA).

Rotary Club’s 100 years of service to our community, to the youth of Marblehead, to our international projects. We hope that these efforts continue into the next century as well.”

BY WILLIAM J. DOWD

In front of a crowd gathered across from the National Grand Bank, the Rotary Club of Marblehead unveiled a community clock in celebration of its centennial anniversary on May 11.

“In today’s world, clocks are integral to everything we do from work to school to sleep. Humans have been regulated by some form of the clock for ages,” said Nancy Gwin, the Rotary Club of Marblehead’s co-president, to the crowd surrounding the clock.

“This [clock] is the perfect symbol to commemorate our Marblehead

The community clock, standing at 10-and-a-half feet, is located next to Memorial Park along Pleasant Street.

It was manufactured by Electric Time Street Clocks, a Massachusetts company that Gwin noted for its reliable and durable timepieces. The clock, with its dual faces, can be seen from various directions and will light up at night.

Rotary Club District Governor Alexander Falk briefly addressed the crowd before reading a letter from Rotary International President

During a public meeting on May 10, these contrasting opinions arose as the Select Board considered, and ultimately approved, two ARPA funding requests worth $93,513 for the Marblehead Public Schools. These proposals were the most recent recommendations from an ARPA working group chaired by Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer. ‘Circumstances have changed’

The working group prioritizes projects based on approved criteria, including public health, safety and infrastructure. The Select Board approved the criteria during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Select Board members Erin Noonan and Alexa Singer commended the ARPA working group but voiced a mutual desire for the Select Board to reassess the established criteria.

“The whole landscape has changed since we established these priorities,” said Noonan, who suggested a meeting to discuss