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IN THIS ISSUE
SPORTS
CULTURE
MHD-toHalifax returns July 9
Behind the MFoA curtain
OUR OPEN SPACES
Woodland trails are beckoning
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MARBLEHEAD, MA PERMIT NO. 25
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NEWS FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR PROFIT.
TM
July 05, 2023
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VOLUME 1, ISSUE NO. 32
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MARBLEHEADCURRENT.ORG
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ON SOCIAL @MHDCURRENT
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Ota to see discrimination complaint through LEIGH BLANDER Newly elected School Committee member Brian Ota will not drop a discrimination complaint he has filed against Superintendent John Buckey, he told the Marblehead Current. “I am continuing on” with the complaint, Ota wrote in an email. Upon being sworn in two days after the June 20 election, Ota filed a “disclosure of appearance of conflict of
interest” with the Town Clerk revealing that he had filed a discrimination complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, a copy of which was obtained by the Current. Ota had not mentioned his complaint, which under the MCAD process is confidential, during the School Committee campaign. The complaint Ota’s contract as Glover School principal was not renewed after the 2021-22 school
year. “I was a successful principal at the Glover School and was not rehired,” Ota lists as the reason for his discrimination complaint. Explaining the possible conflict of interest with his campaign, Ota wrote, “The School Committee has two jobs: approving the budget and evaluating, hiring or firing the superintendent.” Asked by the Current if he felt he should have let voters know about his complaint during the
election, Ota replied, “No.” Ota said he contacted the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission before he announced his candidacy. “They gave me recommendations as to how to deal with this issue if I win the election,” Ota explained. “I have and will continue to follow their recommendations.” Ota said one of the recommendations was to file the OTA, P. A2
ART LOVERS
Newly elected School Committee member Brian Ota did not mention his discrimination complaint against the superintendent during his campaign.
DITCH THE DRIVE
Commuters Festival of Arts expands offerings, attracts big crowds brace for Sumner shutdown
Project brings potential gridlock, forces locals to consider alternatives BY WILLIAM J. DOWD
The Jambalaya Horns rocked Crocker Park on Saturday night, as the first day of the Festival of Arts wrapped up.
BY LEIGH BLANDER Marblehead was electric over the long Fourth of July weekend, with thousands of people crowding into town for the 57th annual Festival of Arts. From 11 exhibits to 16 Crocker Park concerts to a new 5K walk-run, street performers and more, the town was alive with excitement and pride. “This year’s Festival of Arts kicked off with amazing arts submissions, gorgeous custom-painted cod (and whales), the phenomenal artisans marketplace, a record number of attendees at Concerts @ Crocker and a nonstop buzz throughout the community,” said Jodi-Tatiana Charles, who took over as the Festival’s president this year. Charles introduced several successful new events, including Hidden Orbs, with artists FESTIVAL, P. A12
COURTESY PHOTO / MARBLEHEAD FESTIVAL OF ARTS
Alice Crowe and her dad, Dylan, dance at a Crocker Park concert Saturday night. Alice is a third-generation ’Header.
Marblehead commuters are advised to prepare for major disruptions as the Sumner Tunnel, a vital transit link for North Shore residents working in Boston, is scheduled to close for two months, beginning Wednesday, July 5. Opened in 1934, the 1.5-mile passage plays a key role in reducing traffic congestion between East Boston and downtown Boston. This 90-year-old tunnel, only second to the Holland Tunnel in New York in terms of age, will be out of service from July 5 to Aug. 31. The reason: a comprehensive maintenance project that includes replacing the ceiling, installing a new ventilation system and repairing the overhead arch among other things. An equivalent closure is also planned for the following year. “It’s not going to be fun for anyone driving into Boston from the North Shore this summer,” said Marblehead Select Board Chair Erin Noonan. “The state is pushing all these mitigation strategies because they are doing whatever they can to get people not to drive in.” Noonan’s husband, Patrick, works in the Back Bay three days per week. He usually drives to the Wonderland MBTA station and hops on the Blue Line. “I try walking a bike on [the Blue Line] and then just bike across the downtown,” he said. “It’s like a 10-minute bike [ride to work].” Massachusetts Highway Administrator TUNNEL, P. A5
FROM THE FOUNDERS
Strong community requires hyper-focused newspaper BY JESSICA BARNETT When did you first feel that Marblehead’s longtime weekly newspaper had shifted away from its super-local focus? For me, it was when Tri-Town real estate ads seemed more prevalent than Marblehead real estate listings. And when there was a review of a Haverhill
BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW
restaurant but nothing about Marblehead’s dining offerings. But especially, it was when I realized I knew very little about what was happening right here in our own town. While — theoretically — we all know the value of local reporting, perhaps many of us didn’t truly appreciate how the lack of local journalism
would impact our sense of community and our spirit of local democracy. It’s absolutely genius that our nation’s Founding Fathers embedded freedom of the press into the First Amendment of the Constitution, that they so clearly understood that accurate information affects our voting decisions and, thereby, our
democracy. Local democracy also relies on our sense of community, on our knowing each other and understanding each other’s needs, wants and points of view. Knowing and understanding each other is the foundation for caring about each other and for building a strong community. Two of the founding principles
of The Marblehead Current are accurate, fair, hyper-focused Marblehead reporting to (1) contribute to an informed electorate and (2) to strengthen our sense of community. In its first year, it’s been rewarding to hear praise for The Current’s excellent BARNETT, P. A6