08.09.23 - Volume 1, Issue 35

Town says goodbye to another superintendent

BY LEIGH BLANDER

After weeks of speculation, private School Committee meetings and community conflict, Superintendent John Buckey reached an agreement to step away from the Marblehead schools last week. Assistant Superintendent for Finance Michelle Cresta has been named interim superintendent.

On Aug. 2, School Committee Chair Sarah Fox sent out what she labeled a “joint press release” on behalf of the committee and Buckey saying, “The Marblehead Public School Committee and Dr. John Buckey have come to an acceptable agreement resulting in his resignation as superintendent of schools.”

The statement continued,

“Dr. Buckey’s resignation comes after several days of contract negotiations. Dr. Buckey deeply appreciates the opportunity to have served his community, and the Marblehead Public School Committee thanks

Dr. Buckey for his three-plus years of service. The committee wishes him the best as he pursues other opportunities in the field of education.”

The agreement will pay Buckey his normal salary through December, approximately $80,500. The School Committee will also pay Buckey the $94,350 specified in his contract for terminating it without cause,

’Header uses ‘epic street art’ to strengthen communities

bringing the total to nearly $175,000.

Both Buckey and the School Committee have agreed to release one another from any legal claims they may have. However, that release will be voided if either side violates the mutual non-disparagement clause in the agreement.

HIstORY Town charts course for Old Burial Hill restoration

Funding, commitments secured for Lost at Sea Monument, Glover’s tomb, 10 grave markers

BY WILLIAM J. DOWD

Old Burial Hill is set for a restoration after a comprehensive survey revealed deteriorating and damaged monuments, grave markers and tombs.

The assessment by monument conservator Ivan Myjer from Building and Monument Conservation pinpointed 17 headstones, five footstones and 166 grave markers across the storied burial ground that require attention. Myjer’s survey suggests nearly $75,000 worth of restoration and conservation work.

The immediate focus will center on the Lost at Sea Monument, colloquially known as the Fishermen’s Monument, Gen. John Glover’s tomb and about 10 other grave markers, Town Planner Becky Cutting said.

“We received a grant to do the initial master plan, then a grant for the priorityone markers that were identified from the Massachusetts Historical Commission Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund grant program,” Cutting said. “We also plan to look for some others.”

BY LEIGH BLANDER

Sitting at the back of a cavernous former machine shop in downtown Lynn, Al Wilson talks about two of his favorite things — art and soccer — and how they both build community.

“For me, soccer is a great connector,” he says. “It’s the world sport. Art is another connector, by creating shared stories.”

Wilson, who lives and plays over-40 soccer in Marblehead, was playing

in Lynn in 2016 when he made new friends and started attending community meetings in the city.

“They were talking about helping the downtown area by adding more lighting,” he remembers.

That was the beginning of Beyond Walls, Wilson’s nonprofit that creates public art and experiences. It is based in that old machine shop on Mount Vernon Street.

“We hung 11 vintage pieces of neon artwork in spring 2017 to better light

JAZZ Lu NCH

Lynn’s downtown streetscape,” he said.

A few months later, Beyond Walls installed 16,000 square feet of colorful LED lighting at three Lynn underpasses.

The team’s mission is to “activate spaces to strengthen communities.”

It works in gateway cities, which Wilson defines as “former industrial cities with underutilized

With its 93-year-old leader, The Insight Band delights seniors

BY LEIGH BLANDER

On a recent Wednesday, the JCC was swinging with the sounds of the Insight Band, led by 93-year-old Bob Tyler on the piano and saxophone. Tyler and his band have been performing at the JCC for decades, drawing standing-room-only crowds at their monthly jazz lunch.

“I just love playing here,” Tyler said.

“They’re a great audience. You can tell they dig it.”

The Insight Band features Tyler’s wife, Fran, on vocals and another eight local musicians playing everything from the drums to accordion to violin. They perform jazz hits, pop songs and show tunes.

“This is the highlight of my life,” said Pearl Bass of Salem, who never misses a jazz lunch at the JCC. “They’re fabulous.”

Bass and Bea Paul, of Marblehead,

Budgets earmarked for restoration include approximately $11,000 to $13,000 for the Fishermen’s Monument, about $10,000 for 10 other headstones and an estimated $3,500 to $4,500 for Glover’s tomb. Cutting said the good news is that the initial funding for restorations is in place, thanks to the efforts of the Old Burial Hill Oversight Committee.

“The committee has requested that Myjer and the subcontractors who will work on the stones and monument complete eight or nine markers with the money available,” said Pam Peterson, a member of the oversight committee and chair of the Marblehead Historical Commission. “The Lost at Sea

CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER

Beyond Walls founder Al Wilson, who lives in Marblehead, stands in front of a mural in downtown Lynn.

John Buckey

NEWs FOR PEOPLE, NOt FOR PROFIt.

CO-CHAIRPERSONS

Jessica Barnett     Ed Bell

NONPROFIt

BY MELISSA STACEY

The following is an interview with SPUR’s Executive Director

Lynne Krasker Shultz, conducted by Discover Marblehead. To learn more about volunteer opportunities and the Student Success Drive with SPUR, go to spurnorthshore.org.

Tell us about SPUR. SPUR is a nonprofit organization that exists to make volunteering easy. Our goal is to connect people on the North Shore with volunteer opportunities that meet a tangible need in our community.

SPUR provides volunteer opportunities for any schedule, interest or skill set; all you need to do is sign up. We have opportunities for people of all ages to volunteer on their own, with their family or as a group. All our opportunities last less than two hours and none require a commitment. Try any of our volunteer opportunities, just once or sign up as often as you like. We know our volunteers are busy, so we provide plenty of flexible opportunities that can be fulfilled during the day, evening or weekends. No matter your interest, there are plenty of ways to give back, whether you clean a local beach with us, prepare meals at home for a local shelter or weed one of our gardens at any time that works for your schedule. Whether you’d like to volunteer from home, in our office or out in the community, you’ll find plenty of ways to

make a difference every day with SPUR.

How did SPUR get started?

SPUR was founded in 2014 (we’re about to turn 10) when founder Jocelyn Cook was having trouble finding meaningful volunteer opportunities for her family. All the organizations she contacted asked for longterm commitment, required extensive training or weren’t open to families with young children. Thus, the idea for an organization that removes those barriers and connects volunteers directly with ways to make the biggest impact was born.

What types of projects does SPUR have coming up?

SPUR has a variety of ongoing opportunities,including at our four community gardens. These gardens grow over 1,000 pounds of delicious organic fruit and veggies for local food pantries and group homes, thanks to volunteers who weed, water, harvest or deliver.

Not into gardening? Volunteer

with us to distribute food at a local food pantry, make a meal for a local shelter, serve dinner at the local shelter or pick up food from Crosby’s or Shubie’s that would otherwise be thrown away and deliver it to a local organization that fights food insecurity. We have opportunities to create pillowcases for our Holiday Cheer Drive, which provides holiday gifts for nearly 600 adults experiencing homelessness with their children. Whether you already know how or want to learn a new skill, we’ll provide you with the directions and support you need to participate in any of our activities, from gardening to sewing and so much more. Right now, we are hosting our annual Student Success Drive. This drive provides nearly 700 backpacks and school supplies to children in our community who wouldn’t otherwise have them on the first day of school. We’re looking for sponsors to help us purchase all those necessary supplies and volunteers to fill the

backpacks. We work with local social service providers, guidance counselors, case workers and other social service providers to identify backpack recipients. You can sponsor supplies or a backpack at spurnorthshore.org/ student-success-drive.

How can the community of Marblehead become involved? Everyone is welcome at SPUR! We like to say that whether you’re 4 or 94, there’s a place for you here. Learn more about all our volunteer opportunities and sign up online at spurnorthshore. org. Consider donating to our mission and helping to SPUR good deeds.

The business spotlight is a weekly feature published in partnership with Discover Marblehead. Discover Marblehead is dedicated to the promotion of Marblehead. Our mission is to highlight local businesses, tourism, community events and attractions through social media, email marketing and community outreach. To learn more, visit discovermhd.com.

BY LEIGH BLANDER

Success Drive. The drive supports 700 children in need with backpacks and school essentials.

Kids served live in Marblehead, Swampscott, Salem and Lynn. SPUR, a Marblehead-based

Student

nonprofit, works with local school counselors, social workers, food pantry directors and others to identify kids who need school supplies. To get involved, visit

SPURnorthshore.org before August 18 to sponsor a backpack and supplies.

Kris Olson

Will Dowd

Robert Peck

Joseph P. Kahn

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Kathryn Whorf

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS

Marion Warner Greely

FOUNDERS

Jessica Barnett Ed Bell

Leigh Blander

Will Dowd

David Moran

Kris Olson

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was helping with SPUR’s Student Success Drive. stu DEN t suCCEss DRIVE SPUR volunteers make back-to-school a little easier for local kids marbleheadcurrent.org A2 Wednesday, August 9, 2023 Marblehead Current CP_MBHC_20230809_1_A02 FINAL-19 Mon, Aug 7, 2023 3:03:53 PM

INDEX Arts 1, 3, 11, 16 Business 16 Community 2 Culture 1, 8 Education 1, 5, 13-14 Environment 4, 7 Government 1, 4-5, 10-11 History 13 News 1, 11 Obituaries 15 Opinion 6-7, 10, 12 Public safety 15 Sports 9 NEWSROOM Community Editor - Will Dowd  wdowd@marbleheadnews.org Consulting Editor - Kris Olson kolson@marbleheadnews.org Associate Editor/Senior Reporter - Leigh Blander lblander@marbleheadnews.org Sports ReporterJoe McConnell jmcconnell@marbleheadnews.org Intern - Claire Tips ctips@marbleheadnews.org Intern - Benji Boyd bboyd@marbleheadnews.org CONTRIBUTORS Stephen Bach Bob Baker Linda Bassett Nicole Goodhue-Boyd Scot Cooper Laurie Fullerton Mark Hurwitz John Lamontagne Christine McCarriston Eyal Oren Pam Peterson Chris Stevens Linda Werbner BOARD OF DIRECTORS Virginia Buckingham - President Gene Arnould Jessica Barnett Ed Bell Francie King Donna Rice Kate Haesche Thomson - Secretary Richard Weed - Treasurer EDITORIAL BOARD Ed Bell Virginia Buckingham

We’re standing by to listen to your ideas. Please drop us a line and let us know what you would like to see in your community newspaper. Send your thoughts to info@marbleheadnews.org.

Members of SPUR’s Student Success Drive team will help deliver 700 backpacks to kids later this month.

COURTESY PHOTOS Lorenzo Barden of Marblehead fills a backpack at SPUR.

Lorenzo Barden of Marblehead will start kindergarten this fall, but last Tuesday he was filling backpacks for the SPUR

infrastructure.” Gateway cities are often first destinations for new immigrants. Lynn, Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill are a few examples.

“Beyond Walls is a nonprofit placemaking agency that uses a creative lens to address community needs,” Wilson says. “We are a diverse group that believes cities best thrive when they are full of art and have engaged stakeholders and active spaces.”

The group has worked with more than 150 artists, both local and international, to create “large-scale, epic street art,” according to Wilson. Many pieces are in Lynn, but Beyond Walls projects can be found in 11 cities across Massachusetts.

The biggest is a mural covering the side of a nine-and-a-half story building at 23 Central St. The artist, SMUG, spray painted the artwork, called “The Resident,” which depicts a local man named Ferns. Ferns is a videographer who is active in the community.

Wilson emphasizes that each project reflects the community in which it appears.

“That’s the way we curate,” he says. “We bring in artists who match up to the cultural identity of the community. We want

people to feel represented. You are seen. You are heard. You are there in front.”

Beyond Walls works with Girls Inc., a nonprofit for inner-city girls, on several projects.

“The girls did some introspective writing and Al incorporated that into an installation at the Lynn Community Health Center,”said Linda Hall, the literary director at Girls Inc.

“We also brought girls to watch artists while they were painting. One artist was from the Dominican Republic where a lot of the girls are from, and they were speaking with him in Spanish.

Hall continued, “The murals

TOWN OF MARBLEHEAD BOARD OF APPEALS

The Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing on Tuesday August 22, 2023, at 7:45 P.M., on the request of Michael Klatwitter & Lori Arena to vary the application of the present Zoning Bylaw by allowing a Special Permit to construct an addition to an existing single-family dwelling on a preexisting nonconforming property with less than the required lot width, frontage and side yard setback located at 41 Stony Brook Road in the Single Residence District. The new construction will exceed the 10% expansion limits for nonconforming buildings. This hearing is held in accordance with the provisions of the Marblehead Zoning Bylaw and Chapter 40A of the General Laws as amended, and Pursuant to Governor Baker ’s Order allowing suspension of Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law G.L. c. 30A, §18. This public hearing of the Board is being conducted via remote participation. The public can attend this meeting via the remote participation platform through the following ways: Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom. us/j/87878347282?pwd=enlwRXd3V2xmdHE3cy92SklTU1BTUT09 Dial in +1 646 558 8656 Meeting ID: 878 7834 7282 Passcode: 404568 Those only dialing in will not have access to the visual presentation at the meeting, but can follow along with the project materials available for download at https://www.marblehead.org under the zoning board of appeals page and the date of meeting. Members of the public attending this meeting virtually will be allowed to make comments if they wish to do so during the portion of the hearing designated for public comment. Interested persons may also submit comment in writing electronically and send to lyonsl@marblehead. org and the comments will be included in the record.

Alan Lipkind, Secretary

have created a lot of pride in the city. For them to see themselves up in the murals is really very powerful for them.”

Most Beyond Walls projects involve murals on private buildings or state-owned infrastructure, but there are also sculptures and other interactive pieces.

Beyond Walls also creates what Wilson calls “design response” projects, like the underpass lighting and portable outdoor handwashing stations. Students from Lynn Vocational and Technical High School helped build those.

Speaking of students, Beyond Walls educators lead students on public arts tours around Lynn in its Classroom to the Streets

program.

Beyond Walls, which has a staff of four, works with local city governments and community groups before launching a project.

“It’s really a three-legged stool,” Wilson explains. “Residents, businesses and elected officials need to be involved.”

With an annual budget of less than $1 million, Beyond Walls relies heavily on local, state and federal grants, as well as corporate donations. Looking ahead, Wilson hopes to “put Massachusetts on the map” for displaying the world’s

Provisions of the Open Meeting Law G.L. c. 30A, §18, this public hearing of the Board is being conducted via remote participation. The public can attend this meeting via the remote participation platform through the following ways: Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87878347282?pwd=enlwRXd3V2xmdHE3cy92SklTUlBTUT09 Dial in+ 1 646 558 8656 Meeting ID: 878 7834 7282 Passcode: 404568 Those only dialing in will not have access to the visual presentation at the meeting, but can follow along with the project materials available for download at https://www.marblehead.org under the zoning board of appeals page and the date of meeting. Members of the public attending this meeting virtually will be allowed to make comments if they wish to do so, during the portion of the hearing designated for public comment. Interested persons may also submit comment in writing electronically and send to lyonsl@marblehead.org and the comments, will be included in the record.

best street artists.

“If you want to see a Bordalo [a world-famous street artist from Portugal], you can go to Miami or you can come to Lynn,” he says. “We are making gateway cities open-air street art museums. And there are no barriers to entry, no cost.”

Beyond Walls is unveiling a new lineup of artists installing building-sized pieces in Lynn on Aug. 15. Learn more at xsbeyondwalls.org or on social media @BeyondWallsLynn. Street-art tours are set for Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. and Aug. 26 at 1 p.m. They start and end at the Beyond Walls studio.

A Beyond Walls artist creates a spray-paint mural.

monument will be funded by the Historical Commission, and the tabletop tomb of General John Glover will be funded by Glover’s Regiment.”

The monument is a poignant reminder of the 65 fishermen tragically lost in the Great Gale of 1846.

“The anniversary of the Great Gale is Sept. 19, and it is unlikely that the conservation and restoration of the Lost at Sea monument would be completed by then,” said Peterson. “But when the work is completed, the commission and the Old Burial Hill Oversight Committee would like to commemorate the work and make everyone aware of the importance of preserving these monuments and markers of our past.”

For the monument, the assessment plan calls for the following corrective measures:

» Clean the monument to remove biological growths.

» Remove failing sealants.

Re-point open joints with a soft lime mortar.

Grout gaps where slabs are let into horizontal units with a soft lime mortar.

» Repair losses at the top of the band with a hydraulic limebased repair mortar.

Grout all cracks and fissures with a soft lime mortar.

Years of exposure to the elements, potential vandalism and other factors have contributed to the site’s wear and tear. Various footstones, particularly the smaller slate and marble variants, are obscured by tall grass or have tilted, requiring a reset. Others are embedded so low in the ground they’re susceptible to inadvertent damage during routine maintenance. The uneven terrain, marked by slopes and mounds, presents challenges. Some markers have been observed to sink deeper when the frozen ground thaws.

Capt. Seamus Daly of the regiment gave a hearty

endorsement of the restoration project. “While we’re prepared to assist in the restoration of General Glover’s tomb, the modalities are still being decided,” he said. “Engaging with the town is a

priority.”

Daly added, “Glover’s recognizes that the state of Glover’s tomb isn’t markedly different from many other markers of historical significance in Burial Hill. Given how these

markers age in an especially tough marine environment, the regiment recognizes that their state, including that of Glover’s tomb, is part of that inevitable aging process.”

The Old Burial Hill conservation report was made available to the Marblehead Historical Commission.

“The conservation of the Lost at Sea Monument on Old Burial Hill was proposed,” said Peterson. “The commissioners enthusiastically voted unanimously in favor of funding the project in the amount of $10,500.”

Fundraising for additional conservation of gravestones and markers will begin in the fall, with the plan to raise funds to complete additional work in spring and summer 2024.

“We are going to kick it off in September and are planning now and identifying organizations,” said Cutting. “We just received a $5,000 donation.”

When asked about an endpoint for the entire restoration, Cutting remarked on its continuity.

“It is ongoing,” said Cutting. “The town is doing some tree trimming there, which is very important in an old burial [ground]; it is one of the most common ways that stones get damaged.”

Redd’s Pond, Marblehead Counseling Center tucked in FY2024 state budget

BY WILLIAM J. DOWD

The $56.2 billion

FY 2024 budget that Massachusetts lawmakers passed includes $8.2 million appropriated for Marblehead’s state aid and special projects.

Contingent on Gov. Maura Healey’s signature, the town is set to receive $25,000 for the Marblehead Counseling Center (MCC) and $25,000 for Redd’s Pond infrastructure.

“Redd’s Pond and the Counseling Center are two Marblehead treasures that serve the well-being of our community in different but important ways,” said state Rep. Jenny Armini, D-Marblehead. “The Marblehead Counseling Center is a frontline resource tirelessly addressing the breadth and depth of the mental health crisis. This funding is meant to support their work as they support us.”

Years of wear and tear

Redds Pond, a natural body of water located off Pond Street and nestled in the heart of town, covers 1.81 acres and offers skating in the winter and model boat races in the summer. The wall and walkway were built in 1934 as part of the Workers Progress Administration projects.

Years of wear and tear have led to noticeable infrastructure challenges. Residents have expressed dissatisfaction with the deteriorating state of Redds Pond, especially the surrounding sidewalks marked with temporary patches. They have also said the deteriorating sidewalks and eroding wall are not only dangerous and aesthetically unpleasing but also noncompliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Marblehead Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer emphasized the

importance of the $25,000 earmarked for Redd’s Pond.

“What we are looking to do with this money is for the engineering, architectural design work required,” Kezer said. “That will tell us what needs to be done and how to do it. And once that’s done, we’ll have plans to put this out to bid.”

Kezer described the Redd’s Pond project, saying he particularly likes working on lining ducks up for the Redds Pond project.

“We (town administrators) typically address the regular dayto-day problems — paving roads, fixing sidewalks,” said Kezer. “Redd’s Pond is one of those special projects for which funding is often lacking.”

He added: “So it’s great when you ask for extra funding and receive it.”

Reducing the MCC’s waitlist Kezer also praised the $25,000 earmarked for the Counseling Center.

“They are a key partner as they work closely with the Marblehead Public Health Department on mental health issues,” Kezer said, noting the town’s $145,000 support to the nonprofit through (American Rescue Plan Act) funds.

MCC President Ruth Ferguson said the nonprofit was surprised to learn of the allocation earmarked to support the work it does to serve the mental health needs in the community and surrounding areas.

Demand for services at the MCC has surged, with its current waitlist standing at 295 individuals. This number underscores the growing need for mental health resources in the community.

“Our waitlist is currently at 295 — 119 Marblehead residents and 48 from Swampscott — which is reflective of most other providers in our area,” said Ferguson.

The center has also

observed the profound, lasting impacts of trauma on their clientele. Recent trends point to a notable uptick in psychiatric crises, many stemming from trauma.

“Our experienced clinicians help clients experiencing suicidal ideation and work through behaviors such as cutting and other self-harm,” said Ferguson. “We are seeing children come in as young as 5 years old with severe social phobias, most resulting from the varying impacts of the COVID pandemic.”

Particularly alarming is the rise in severe social phobias among children, a phenomenon the MCC partly attributes to repercussions of the pandemic.

Ferguson said MCC has been buoyed by crucial external support.

“Infusions of financial support are a game changer for MCC. Marblehead’s designation of ARPA

funds illustrated the continued commitment of our town administrator, Select Board and Board of Health to the mental health needs of town residents,” said Ferguson. “Through that support, we have strategically positioned ourselves to enhance our technology and adapt our facilities to attract and accommodate additional clinicians to our community-based agency.” Other state aid Marblehead is slated to receive $8.2 million from the state to fund town projects and services.

The expected state aid is only $8,899 less than the amount approved at the Town Meeting in May. “It’s the difference from our estimate for this year’s budget,” said Kezer.

Of the total, $6.3 million is allocated for Marblehead public schools, an increase of $80,000 from last year. Additionally, the town is set to receive $1.3 million, a rise of $15,080 from last year, for town services. The final amount the town benefits from depends on the ‘net state aid,’ which is the aid remaining after Marblehead pays charges for state services or charter school assessments.

Furthermore, under the Chapter 90 program, Marblehead can seek reimbursement from the state up to $448,474.67 for road projects.

CURRENT PHOTOS / WILLIAM J. DOWD

The iconic Lost at Sea Monument pays homage to the fishermen lost in the tragic Great Gale of 1846, and awaits restoration amidst the worn and weathered markers of Marblehead’s historic burial site.

Historic grave markers stand weathered and worn at Old Burial Hill in Marblehead, highlighting the urgent need for restoration.

BEACON HILL

CURRENT PHOTO / WILLIAM J. DOWD

$56.2 billion budget allocates $25,000 each for Redd’s Pond infrastructure and the Marblehead Counseling Center, pending Gov. Maura Healey’s approval.

Process may have violated Open Meeting Law

BY KRIS OLSON AND LEIGH BLANDER

The Marblehead School Committee may have violated the state’s Open Meeting Law by not reconvening in open session to ratify the settlement agreement reached with Superintendent John Buckey.

That agreement was announced by a “joint press release” distributed by email by Chair Sarah Fox on Aug. 2, two days after the board had met in executive session to continue strategizing over its intent to exercise a buyout clause in Buckey’s contract.

The state’s open meeting law, G.L.c. 30A, § 21, sets out 10 permissible reasons for entering executive session, and the board entered its July 31 executive session — and another such session 10 days earlier — citing the second of those reasons, “to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with nonunion personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with nonunion personnel.”

However, guidance from the Attorney General’s Office makes clear, “While a public body may agree on terms with individual non-union personnel in executive session, the final vote to execute such agreements must be taken by the public body in open session.”

Buckey

Neither Buckey nor the community at large ever learned why the School Committee wanted him to leave. Fox adjourned a public meeting about Buckey’s future after one minute, which meant at least 235 people who tuned in on Zoom could not ask questions or share their thoughts.

“We have not been told the basis for this action,” Buckey’s attorney Mike Long said about the discussions over his client’s ouster before the agreement was signed.

Fox has repeatedly declined to comment on the board’s thinking.

Buckey’s goodbye

Buckey released his own statement the day of the announcement.

“I arrived in Marblehead during the COVID-19 pandemic’s darkest days; schools were closed. The district was relying on outdated tools, technology, processes and practices. During my tenure, we made significant progress academically, implementing new curricula in mathematics and ELA, aligning teaching and learning across our elementary schools, and ensuring that all students were receiving rich, robust, state-ofthe-art instruction. We updated technology to present-day standards, made significant improvements to safety and established a five-year plan for success. We implemented iReady, an assessment system, to monitor student progress, and we have seen growth in scores across the district. We maintained a healthy working relationship with the teachers’ union, as evidenced by a threeyear lack of grievances.”

Buckey’s statement concluded, “Finally, I would like to thank the good people of Marblehead. You have welcomed me and my husband into this community and been allies in the work to make Marblehead great. To my colleagues in town government past and present – Jason Silva and Thatcher Kezer, Jackie BelfBecker, Moses Grader, Jim Nye, Jason Gilliland, Bob Picariello, Dennis King — among countless

The Current asked two attorneys whether there was a meaningful distinction between an initial contract or contract extension and the “settlement agreement and release” reached with Buckey, and both replied that there was not — that all were “new contracts” that should have been voted on in open session.

Late Monday afternoon, in response to an inquiry from the Current, the School Committee’s attorney, Colby C. Brunt, said it was her understanding from speaking to Chair Sarah Fox that Fox would be scheduling a public meeting this week to ratify the separation agreement.

Previously, Fox had indicated that the guidance the board had gotten from Brunt was that a public vote was unnecessary, citing the fact that Buckey had “resigned”rather than being dismissed by the School Committee.

“We have a lawyer. She has advised us throughout the process, and we have followed all directions,” Fox told the Current. “I have complete faith in her legal advice. We did not terminate Dr. Buckey. He resigned. I can not divulge anything from executive session.”

Fox’s explanation appears to reference the first justification for an executive session under G.L.c. 30A, § 21, which allows executive sessions to be called “to discuss the reputation,

other dedicated and tireless Marblehead leaders, I appreciate your collaboration and support as we navigated tumultuous times and issues together.”

Revolving door

In June, the committee gave Buckey his third straight “proficient” rating on his annual review. In 2021, it extended his contract by two years and in 2022 it awarded him a 2.5% raise.

Two new members joined the School Committee in June, Jenn Schaeffner and Brian Ota. Ota filed a discrimination complaint against Buckey last year but failed to reveal that during his campaign.

Buckey was Marblehead’s eighth permanent or interim superintendent since 2006, leading former School Committee member Tom Mathers to comment, “I would say that the Marblehead public schools district seems to have been in disarray for years, and there is a history of School Committees churning and burning superintendents.”

Open Meeting Law violations?

Prior to the agreement being reached, Marblehead resident Cathyann Swindlehurst filed an Open Meeting Law violation complaint against the School Committee, which demanded a public discussion about Buckey’s future. Fox said she forwarded the complaint to the district’s attorney.

There are also concerns that the board may have violated the Open Meeting Law by not taking a vote about Buckey’s agreement in a public meeting. (See story, Page 5.) The School Committee has not scheduled a public meeting since the one adjourned after one minute last month.

A ‘hostile takeover’

Word of Buckey’s departure, while not a surprise after the last several weeks, still hit hard for many people in town.

School Committee member Meagan Taylor, the only member of the committee who has spoken publicly about efforts to move on from Buckey, expressed her frustration in a letter to the editor to the Current.

character, physical condition or mental health, rather than professional competence, of an individual, or to discuss the discipline or dismissal of, or complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual.”

However, the published agenda for the July 31 meeting specifically references the negotiation clause, G.L.c. 30A, §21(a)(2), and not G.L.c. 30A, §21(a)(1).

When the Attorney General’s Office has found that a local board has violated the Open Meeting Law requiring a public vote to execute a non-union personnel agreement, it typically has chosen not to nullify the actions taken by those boards.

For example, in 2011, the AG’s Office found the Foxborough School Committee violated the Open Meeting Law by agreeing to a contract addendum with its school superintendent in executive session and failing to ratify that agreement in open session.

That the negotiations had taken place in executive session was fine, the AG’s Office found.

“However, once the contract negotiations were complete, and the two parties had agreed to terms, the Committee should then have reconvened in open session and voted to approve the contract addendum, rather than taking such a vote in executive session.”

“Members of this committee have campaigned on — and pride themselves on — transparency, public participation and strong governance,” she wrote.

“However, this process has shown a complete lack of these principles. This has all transpired in the middle of the summer, when teachers and parents are away and (hopefully) enjoying a well-deserved break. Meetings have been hastily scheduled and held on Zoom. Information has been withheld from the full committee.”

She continued, “The reason for executive sessions has changed without any additional information provided to the committee, the public or Dr. Buckey. Members of this committee have also disregarded operating protocols, best practices and their word. These conversations are happening behind closed doors, without authority from the full committee or opportunity for public input.”

Jackie Belf-Becker, who served 18 years on the Select Board and additional years on the School Committee, was angry.

“Some people have been throwing the word ‘transparency’ around,” she said. “Jenn Schaeffner had that word on her campaign signs. I have never seen a lack of transparency more than with that particular School Committee member. It’s outrageous. How can they sleep at night?”

Belf-Becker was also concerned about the financial implications.

“Where is that $175,000 coming from, when we couldn’t even pass an override?” she asked. “How many teachers are they going to have to cut to do what they’re doing? And they don’t even have a librarian yet. The kids are at stake.”

Former School Committee member Sarah Gold added, “I am deeply saddened by the news that Dr. Buckey is leaving[a] the Marblehead Public Schools. What has transpired over the past few weeks has been nothing short of a hostile takeover of the Marblehead School District. This is a rogue committee that is refusing to listen to anyone other than their own narrow constituency. It is a dark day in Marblehead.”

Another option would have been to wait until the agreement was reduced to writing and then approve the written document at a subsequent open session before the addendum was signed by the chair. The AG’s Office declined to nullify the actions of the Committee at the executive session, instead ordering “immediate and future compliance by the Committee with the Open Meeting Law.”

The AG’s Office also cautioned “that a determination by our office of similar violations in the future may be considered evidence of intent to violate the Open Meeting Law.”

A similar decision was reached later that same year after a complaint was filed against the Carver Board of Selectmen over its approval in executive session of a new contract for the town administrator, which was announced as a done deal in open session at a subsequent meeting.

“While the Board had proper authority under Purpose 2 to strategize and negotiate with the Town Administrator in executive session, the scope of the purpose is limited to the discussions, negotiations, and deliberations that occur prior to the vote on a contract,” the Attorney General’s Office wrote. “The Open Meeting Law does not permit the Board to approve a contract behind closed doors where

the public cannot witness the agreement.”

Again, the AG’s Office stopped short of nullifying the approval of the town administrator’s contract.

But it added, “While we do not order nullification, in the interest of transparency, we strongly recommend that the Board reconsider its vote on the contract during an open session meeting.”

Also in 2011, the AG’s Office offered similar guidance to the Stoughton School Committee, which was found to have violated the Open Meeting Law by granting the town’s superintendent a contract extension in executive session.

The AG’s Office suggested the same remedy — reconsideration of the vote on the contract extension during an open meeting.

The AG’s Office noted that, to fix an Open Meeting Law violation in this way, “the public body must take independent, deliberative action, and not merely engage in a ceremonial acceptance or perfunctory ratification of a secret decision.”

It was not enough that the board had subsequently held an open session discussion of the merits of the contract extension, the AG’s Office stated.

“Allowing public comment on an action already taken without publicly reconsidering the vote cannot cure a violation of the Open Meeting Law,” it wrote.

BUCKEY’S FAREWELL MESSAGE

By John Buckey

I have reached an agreement with the Marblehead School Committee to end my employment as superintendent of schools. I would like to take a moment to reflect on my service to the town I now call home.

I arrived in Marblehead during the COVID-19 pandemic’s darkest days; schools were closed. The district was relying on outdated tools, technology, processes and practices. During my tenure we made significant progress academically, implementing new curricula in mathematics and ELA, aligning teaching and learning across our elementary schools and ensuring that all students were receiving rich, robust, state-of-the-art instruction.

We updated technology to present-day standards, made significant improvements to safety and established a five-year plan for success. We implemented iReady, an assessment system, to monitor student progress and we have seen growth in scores across the district. We maintained a healthy working relationship with the teacher’s union, as evidenced by a three-year lack of grievances.

I would be remiss not to recognize the outstanding work of our district and school-based administrative personnel. They are exceptionally dedicated to the betterment of our district. Lisa Dimier, my administrative assistant, has been indefatigable in her efforts to bring order, systems and structures to our work. She has done this with an effusive enthusiasm and a dedication to making Marblehead Public Schools exemplary.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to our faculty and staff. It has been a pleasure to be in your classrooms and to see your dedication and professionalism. Joan Miller, past MEA president, and Jonathan Heller and Sally Shevory, current MEA co-presidents have been invaluable collaborators in our sincere work to make MPS among the best districts on the North Shore and across the Commonwealth.

Our parent community and PTOs have been wonderful partners in supporting educational initiatives, bringing countless enrichment and extended learning opportunities to our students. I am grateful for all we did together.

Finally, I would like to thank the good people of Marblehead. You have welcomed me and my husband into this community and been allies in the work to make Marblehead great. To my colleagues in town government past and present — Jason Silva and Thatcher Kezer, Jackie Belf-Becker, Moses Grader, Jim Nye, Jason Gilliland, Bob Picariello, Dennis King — among countless other Marblehead leaders, I appreciate your collaboration and support as we navigated tumultuous times and issues together.

In a statement, the co-chairs of the Marblehead Education Association, teachers Jonathan Heller and Sally Shevory, urged all members of the district to look forward.

“Now, we need to come together as a community to benefit the children of Marblehead,” they wrote. “While there may be differences of opinion at times, I believe we all

share the same goal of providing an exemplary education to the children of Marblehead.”

The educators added, “We need to work together to build a budget that will attract and retain the best educators possible.”

For more coverage of the superintendent saga and to read more than 40 letters to the editor on the subject, visit MarbleheadCurrent.org.

Opinion

EDItORIAL

Time for a change

At its first meeting after this year’s town election, the Select Board and its new majority broke with long-standing tradition and voted to postpone its annual process of making appointments to the various town boards, committees and commissions. Until now, such appointments, which for the most part constitute reappointments of volunteer citizens, have been made immediately after the annual town election. Whether that is the optimum time to take such action, it nonetheless has been that way for decades, if not forever.

New member Bret Murray, a past Select Board member, proposed the postponement. To our knowledge, in past years while serving on the Select Board, Murray had not objected to the traditional approach, but he does make a valid argument in support of changing the date for appointments.

Returning members of the Select Board may well be familiar with the boards, committees and commissions and their respective appointees, but for a newly elected Select Board member, she or he is being called upon to make immediate decisions on such votes without having the opportunity to learn more about the appointees, who total well over 100 volunteer citizens. Given that many, if not most, of these appointments are for oneyear terms, having sufficient time to familiarize themselves with the prospective appointees and their boards makes sense.

This leads us to ask, “When is the best time to make such appointments?” Our fiscal year begins on July 1, and Town Meeting sets the budget for the upcoming fiscal year in early May. It would seem that having the appointment/reappointment process take place in late May or early June would be the optimal time to have such votes occur. By then, Town Meeting will have voted a balanced budget and — if deemed necessary — a budget that is dependent on approval by the voters for an override. Either way, the work of the current Finance Committee has concluded for the upcoming fiscal year.

The Finance Committee begins to prepare for the following year’s town budget shortly after the start of each fiscal year. It is critical that they have ample time to work together to formulate their budget recommendations for the next annual Town Meeting. And by the end of May each year, with the next fiscal year’s budget having been approved, the members of the Select Board will have been afforded almost one full year to familiarize themselves with the candidates coming before them. This can ensure a smooth continuation of those aspects of our town’s operation that are managed by citizens dedicated to volunteering their time and expertise for the public good.

Jim Nye, our longest-serving member of the current Select Board, expressed his concern that the recent action to delay the appointment process is motivated by a desire to rework the Finance Committee and the Harbors and Waters Board. We certainly hope that is not the real reason for the board’s vote to postpone all of its appointments.

In that regard, it is equally important that we encourage and not discourage volunteerism in Marblehead. We have so many talented ‘Headers who thanklessly devote countless hours each year in their various appointed positions. The underlying message to our volunteers must stress that a change in the timing of the appointment process is not to suggest they are not worthy of reappointment, should they so wish, but rather that it makes sense going forward to have a new start date for their valuable and much-appreciated work, so as to ensure that the very people voting on their new or continued service have ample time to be in a position to cast an informed vote.

LEttERs POLICY

Generally, letters should not exceed 500 words. The Marblehead Current reserves the right not to publish submissions over the word limit and may instead return the letter to the writer for editing.

Letters must include the author’s name; the name of the street the author lives on in Marblehead (only the street name will be published next to the author’s name — not their full address); author’s daytime/cell phone number (not for publication) for verification purposes.

If letters seek to introduce into a discussion purported facts that are not commonly known, writers may be asked to provide the source for those purported facts.

Letters must be received by 5 p.m. Wednesday to be published in the following Wednesday’s print edition of the Marblehead Current. Letters will be published to our website at the earliest opportunity, after verification.

Email submissions to info@marbleheadnews.org.

EVERY tHINg WILL BE OKAY

Whose truth is it anyway?

BY VIRGINIA BUCKINGHAM

Truth. It’s a loaded word these days. If aliens popped down to our planet — and according to recent congressional testimony they have — they might wonder what all the fuss is about. The truth is the truth, after all, so what’s the issue?

And then there’s the new-agey, Oprah-inspired encouragement to “speak your truth.” Some might find it personally empowering to do so. But if it’s only your truth, by definition it’s not the truth. Truth doesn’t actually belong to anyone. It just is.

There are a couple of dynamics causing the truth fuss in my view. One, people are confusing fact with opinion. Two, people are cherry-picking facts that support their opinions.

It was the late great U.S. Senator and statesman Daniel Patrick Moynihan who wrote in 1983, “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.” Have we lost the ability to accept shared common facts, to agree, in other words, on what is the truth? It seems so.

Some of that is purposeful, as it always has been, asserting opinions in the guise of facts to persuade others to your point of view. It’s also easier these days to exist in an echo chamber that reinforces what you already think is true without having to do much thinking. But mostly, many of us just don’t have the time to delve into an issue enough to separate actual truth from the worst word in the English language — truthiness — defined as having the quality of seeming to be true even if it is not necessarily true.

Take the hearing on aliens for example. It was widely spread on that digital conveyor belt of opinion disguised as facts — social media — that a credentialed whistleblower had proven alien life exists. A secret government program confiscated space vehicles and stored non-human life in some government vault. Pictures exist! Little green men aren’t actually green! Or men! A closer read of mainstream news coverage shows no verification was actually offered. A story in The Hill, a staid Washington D.C. publication, summed

BEg tO DIFFER

I

up the “no there there” reality nicely with this:

“Following Wednesday’s widely-watched Congressional hearing… people flocked to social media — many proclaiming the government confirmed aliens exist. But that’s not actually what happened at the hearing.” Here’s a handy checklist I found from an academic website to distinguish facts from opinion. I propose we start teaching this in kindergarten along with learning how to share:

The distinction is so simple. If you don’t think about it too hard. How is a fact a fact if it can be true or false? Or is it true until proven false? Oy vey.

Google “what is truth” and you quickly go down the rabbit hole of religious belief. If anything deserves to be labeled as opinion, it’s one’s view of the existence of God. Google itself, by the way, is kind of like crowdsourcing truth — maybe that should be called our truth — given that the results you receive are based on algorithms mixing fact and opinion.

I’ll just conclude by urging us all to do a better job, at least in the public square, of engaging in debate with clarity of what is being offered as verifiable fact and what is an opinion. Both are valuable when weighed thoughtfully. As to the question of are there UFOs? The answer is no. They are now called UAPs — Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. Oh, you say sometimes they are still called UFOs? The truth can be so hard to find. But it’s worth trying. And that, dear readers, is this writer’s firm opinion.

Virginia Buckingham is the president of the Marblehead Current’s board of directors. Her column appears weekly.

Parallel universes in modern media

BY JO ANN AUGERI SILVA

“The media is not your enemy. The media is not your friend. Reporters [who cover the issue you care about] are doing their job. This is true whether they work for a local weekly newspaper or a cable news station [and everything in between]. Whether or not they seem sympathetic to your point of view does not, and should not, matter. The best reporters will tell both sides of every story fairly, whether they agree with one side and oppose the other, or not.”

I’m actually quoting myself here, from a book on self advocacy I wrote several years ago. If I edited the book today, I’d add this line: “When reporters don’t write what you want to read, that doesn’t make them wrong.”

I’m writing this looking out at the ocean surrounding the small island where I’m learning discouraging facts about democracy here in the US and throughout the world.

I just attended a lecture whose conclusion was deeply dispiriting: we live in parallel universes.

Of course, I’ve been keeping up with Marblehead news while away on this learning vacation. When explosions take place in your hometown, you want to know the facts. The cause of the explosion? You are about to enter the Marblehead version of parallel universes.

Now, call me prejudiced, but I think this newspaper does a damn

fine job of presenting the facts. But you wouldn’t think so if you read some of the comments on various Facebook pages, where slurs like “slanted,” “unfair,” and even “the local rag” have been hurled at reporters, editors and board members of this paper. It’s hard to know how representative the loudest anti-Current voices are, probably because they are so very loud they drown out other voices. But their slings and arrows have an all-too-familiar ring.

There will always be criticisms of the press, or “the media” to use the preferred term for bashing. But given that the conference I’m attending is focused on democracy, my ears are fine-tuned to hints that threaten freedom of the press.

Freedom of the press, in case anyone’s forgotten, is one of the cornerstones of democracy. One of the hallmarks of totalitarian governments is the determination to tamp down free media, to censor it, to control it, to prevent it from being free enough to tell the truth. How that tamping down starts is predictable: attack the press, attack the members of the press. If you don’t like the facts reported by the media, deny its veracity, deny its fairness, deny its right to exist. When all else fails, offer “alternative facts.”

The First Amendment, of course, gives us the absolute right to attack the media, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. There are parts of the media I don’t like very much and I enjoy attacking them,

primarily because they don’t deal in facts.

If you are angry about something you read, feel free to exercise your First Amendment rights and complain about it. First, though, do a reality check. Are you angry because the story you read doesn’t reflect your point of view? Because it shouldn’t. Unless it’s an editorial or a column like this, there shouldn’t be a slant, and on these pages there probably isn’t.

Continuing that reality check, is your criticism the truth, or is it a fiction you’ve constructed to support your point of view?

Do we, here, want to use tactics practiced on the national stage, where screaming falsehoods is “justified” in the name of free speech, essentially weaponizing the First Amendment? I hope we can all answer that with a solid “NO.”

In a democracy, there should be divergent opinions. Democracy doesn’t depend on my side winning all the time or your side losing all the time, it depends on people coming together to find a way to make our country, our town, work while acknowledging differences. Local media bashing that unfairly criticizes fact-based reporting drives a wedge between us and creates what I hope will never happen here: parallel universes.

Marblehead resident Jo Ann Augeri Silva, a retired journalist, author, public relations professional and educator, was an editor of the Marblehead Reporter.

Pond-ering Redd’s Pond’s health, secrets

BY ERIC NJENGA AND JACK CONLEY

We are Eric Njenga and Jack Conley, eighth-graders at the Marblehead Community Charter Public School. For our final project at Charter, our grade did a community service learning project. We chose our project to focus on the environmental health of Redd’s Pond.

We chose this topic because Jack has lived in this town his whole life, and we both consider the pond a part of our community. We know there is a long history to it, and we want to make sure that the pond and the organisms in it remain healthy for future generations. Model boating, fishing and other recreational activities are vital to the history and culture of Marblehead.

To keep the pond in good shape for the future, we decided to take some scientific readings and share them with the community. The first measurement was to determine the pond’s depth using a 14-foot PVC pole. Most sources claimed the pond was 10-11 feet at its deepest point. However, we measured the pond at 13 feet in two spots near the middle buoys.

Second, we skimmed the bottom of the pond to determine what plants might be growing, and if there were any interesting objects. Legend has it that a truck is down there somewhere. We did not find an old truck, but at its deepest point we did find an old model boat. Since it had lead for the keel and was plastic made in the USA, we determined that it was likely from the 60s or 70s. Mr. Standley Goodwin, a neighbor of Redd’s Pond, also guessed the boat was from that era. He also mentioned that the rumor of a truck might have originated from the auto repair shop nearby, which might have dumped some car frames into the pond. There was also a car crash into the wall at one point, so maybe over time, the car crash and the car parts turned into the story of a truck crashing into the pond.

Mr. Goodwin also told us about the pond’s history, how it was used as a fire reservoir in the late 1800s, and then as the town’s water supply until they built wells and pipes from Leggs

Hill Road. Boat races started in the 1890s, with the Marblehead Model Yacht Club forming some years later. In the 1950s, the Fish and Game club stocked the pond with bass, which has mostly replaced the carp and sunfish. Over the years, many modifications have been made to the pond, including a dam by the red houses, moving a barn on pontoons and many retaining walls, giving the pond its current shape.

After we took the measurements, we used a water testing kit in the pond and found out there was a slightly high amount of lead in the water, but nothing at an unsafe level. No harmful bacteria were detected, and the pH levels were normal. We did use an underwater camera on a pole to try and identify the marine life present near the bottom, but the pictures were inconclusive.

After a beautiful day at Redd’s Pond, we learned a lot about its contents and history. Hopefully, people will continue to learn more about the pond’s health and ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy the pond’s reflection just as we have.

Thank you for hearing our story about our community service learning project. We would also like to acknowledge and thank those in the

community that helped us:

» Biff Martin - Marblehead Model Yacht Club

» Doug Park - Redd’s Pond

Boathouse

Fred Ferris - Marblehead

Ace Hardware

Standley Goodwin - Redds Pond neighbor

» Luca Ferro - Marblehead High School Senior

» Chris Kennedy and Sean Conley - for supplies and encouragement

The the editor:

I write not as a taxpayer, nor a resident of Marblehead — I understand for some readers, my opinion won’t mean much, so feel free to stop reading. I write as a resident of neighboring Swampscott. I write as a teacher. I write as someone who has witnessed the events of the last few weeks surrounding Dr. John Buckey.

Dr. Buckey’s seemingly random ousting from his superintendent position and the manner in which it was conducted is extremely shocking and concerning to me. The lack of transparency from the School Committee throughout this process, alongside the discovery of Mr. Brian Ota’s failure to notify voters of his open complaint against the superintendent, makes it look much more personal than professional. It is also unacceptable and shocking to hear that a School Committee member found a threatening message outside their home. This is not the Marblehead that I am used to having next door.

The lack of transparency from this School Committee inspires the question: why has Dr. Buckey been forced out? Unfortunately, with the School Committee operating in the manner in which it has decided to, we will not know. This leads minds to wander and come to our own conclusions.

Was Dr. Buckey forced out because of whom he loves? It is not lost on me, as a queer man, that this comes during the same summer that a preschool was forced to close its doors because of its decision to display a pride flag and a public pride mural was desecrated and vandalized.

It also comes on the heels of one School Committee member being elected with a campaign that sought to give parents the ability to “review and if necessary opt out of educational content that does not align with their family values.” This rhetoric could have been taken directly from Governor DeSantis’ “anti-woke” playbook. It is jarring to see this type of language being used by an elected official on the School Committee. Exactly what type of content was this School Committee member referring to?

Putting all of this together, perhaps it is not shocking that Dr. Buckey — a man who is

the type of role model I would have deeply appreciated as a teenager coming to grips with my own identity — has been forced out in such an arbitrary and capricious manner. I hope this is not the reason, but the obfuscation of the School Committee leads the public to draw whatever conclusions they may.

I would like to thank the many writers of letters to the editor who shared their perspectives on this issue, including those who came to a different conclusion, for giving me the confidence to add my own. I also appreciate the coverage from Marblehead’s two news sources, the Marblehead Weekly News and the Marblehead Current. I would finally like to add that I am deeply moved that so many of these letters are from residents of the town who are not elected officials, while also expressing my disappointment in our elected officials at both the state and local level who failed to weigh in on this miscarriage of justice.

Again, I am not a resident, nor a taxpayer, but I am a neighbor. Your neighbors are watching. Your children are watching. History is watching.

Tristan Smith Humphrey Street, Swampscott

Time for accountability

To the editor:

Like many of us I’ve watched the saga of another school superintendent being run out of town by the Marblehead School Committee with sadness and anger. Seven superintendents in 15 years and counting!

The Marblehead School Committee continues to be a highly politicized and seemingly dysfunctional body. Nowhere is this more evident than from its recent conduct; from publicly sending contradictory signals on the job performance of the superintendent to a new member who did not respect the voters enough to tell them of his lawsuit against the superintendent (prior to the vote) and to the newly reconstituted committee hiding behind what appears to be its real intentions in “executive session” and “on the advice of counsel.” This behavior is an insult to the taxpayers, children and faculty of our schools. I suggest that next year when the School Committee comes before us to request yet another tax increase to fund the school budget voters take this conduct into account. Ask yourselves

how many of your tax dollars have been wasted buying off superintendents over the years along with the costs of hiring executive search firms to source new candidates for the position. This is money that could have been better spent educating our children.

Harlan Strader Risley Road

‘Marbleheaders have long memories’

To the editor:

What has happened to democracy and caring in Marblehead? We have always taught our family and friends about how wonderful our town is, especially because our citizens care about our town and each other. Our School Committee has just negated all our years of promoting Marblehead. Within days of their election,this new School Committee put aside everything a democracy stands for and what they campaigned on — transparency, fiscal responsibility and putting our children’s educational needs in the forefront. Where is the transparency they promoted and promised? The School Committee did

‘Looks much more personal than professional’

COURTESY PHOTOS / SEAN CONLEY

Marblehead Community Charter Public School students Eric Njenga, middle, and Jack Conley share a moment of reflection with Standley Goodwin, a neighbor of Redd’s Pond.

Jack Conley and his dad, Sean, use a row boat in Redd’s Pond to study the body of water this summer.

Marblehead Community Charter Public School students Eric Njenga and Jack Conley found this model boat during their summertime investigation of Redd’s Pond.

LEttERs

Getting ready for another Super season

Football Magicians hone skills in 7-on-7 games

BY JOE MCCONNELL

There has been one prevailing theme that stands out above everything else during recent fall sports seasons at Marblehead High School, and that’s the

football team competing for championships with long playoff runs.

But to achieve that type of success, the Magicians can’t just hone their skills during the regular season. It’s a yearlong

commitment that includes working over the summer months in 7-on-7 tournaments against their peers from area schools.

This year, coach Jim Rudloff’s team was divided into two

different squads in order to get more players involved in both the North Shore League and the Northeast Tournament, one of two tournaments that they entered to prepare for the fall season. It all begins with the first

day of practice on Aug. 18.

“Both teams did very well this summer,” said Rudloff, “and it all helped them develop into solid varsity football players, while also having fun along the way.”

NEW COACH

MHS names new varsity field hockey leader

BY LEIGH BLANDER

The Marblehead High School Athletics Department named Mia Maccario the new coach of the varsity field hockey team.

Maccario coached seventh- and eighth-grade field hockey for the last six years. She also served as the assistant girls hockey ice hockey for the 2018-2019 season with her sister, Marisa.

Mia Maccario owns a holistic healing business in Salem. She replaces Linda Rice Collins, who coached the MHS varsity field hockey team for more than 40 years, earning 300 wins. Rice Collins serves on the Marblehead Recreation and Parks Commission.

LIttLE

E sOF tBALL ALL-stARs

Another summer to remember

Marblehead conquers state for second time in three years

BY JOE MCCONNELL

The Marblehead Little League Softball senior division 15-16-year-old all-star team was at it again this summer. They ended up in the East Regionals in Worcester after winning the state championship, where they hooked up with nine other state-title teams from the Mid-Atlantic and New England states, plus the host team Worcester to compete for the right to go to the Little League Senior Division World Series in Sussex, Delaware.

Two years ago, as 13-year-olds, many of the same girls advanced to this same round in Bristol, Conn.

On July 22, the Marblehead girls defeated the host team, 11-0, to begin this year’s regional tournament, and they did it in style as a result of a no-hitter by Tessa Francis. Her teammates Tess Andriano and Ashley Mortensen led the offense with two hits, while Lillian Reddy was credited with a triple and scored twice.

After taking a break for a few hours, Marblehead maintained the winning momentum by defeating Connecticut, 8-2. Ruby Calienes pitched a complete-game three-hitter, while the offense was led again by Andriano with three hits. Lucy Rogers and Isabel Mortensen each accounted for one hit and two walks, while also scoring twice. Nora Mahan doubled once and scored a run.

The next day, Marblehead lost to top-seeded Rhode Island, 14-6, before being knocked out of the regional tournament on Monday, July 24 by Delaware, 5-4. But two days later, the top seed lost to New Jersey, 10-5, in the East finale.

“It was a great team effort throughout the East regional, and it went right down to the last out against Delaware,”

said manager Art Rogers. Tom McGovern and Anthony Andriano were his coaches.

The World Series started this past weekend in Delaware, where once again New Jersey represented the East. Lucy Rogers, Chloe Mahoney, Nora Mahan, Ashley Mortensen, Isabel Mortensen, Kate Andriano, Tess Andriano, Hailey Schmitt, Tessa Francis, Ruby Calienes, Lyla McGovern, Lillian Reddy and Sophia Hallesey made up the 2023 state championship senior division all-star squad.

LEAgu

PHOTOS BY EYAL OREN/WEDNESDAYSINMHD.COM

Marblehead defender Scott Campbell breaks up a pass.

Marblehead Football Magician Ryan Commoss goes over the middle to make a catch.

Marblehead quarterback Colt Wales takes the snap from Jake Scogland.

` COURTESY PHOTO

Mia Maccario has been named the new MHSvarsity field hockey coach.

COURTESY PHOTO

Marblehead Little League Softball senior division all-star Kate Andriano makes a play at second base during an East Regional game in Worcester on July 22.

Marblehead quarterback Finn Gallup surveys the field.

New rules for recess, coaches and complaints may be coming

BY LEIGH BLANDER

The School Committee’s new policy sub-group — led by Jenn Schaeffner and Alison Taylor — discussed adding a second recess in the elementary schools at its first meeting on August 4.

“We would need to work with the administration to see how that could happen,” Schaeffner said in the Zoom meeting. “I strongly consider we amend the [wellness] policy to include two recesses.”

Elementary schools went from two to one recess to ensure that students were meeting state standards for “time on learning.”

Taylor said recess should be included in time on learning.

“There is no statute or rule that says time on learning is not inclusive of putting on your snow pants and waiting in line

patiently, learning how to walk as a class in line,” she said.

Schaeffner said she researched recess times in other districts.

“In Norwood, the physical activity policy, as recommended by Shape America, is 60-minutes a day of physical activity. That’s inclusive of PE.”

Lexington’s policy is that two recess breaks will be provided and that schools can’t withhold recess as a punishment. Newburyport has one recess, Schaeffner said.

Karla Stroble has three kids in Marblehead schools and spoke at the meeting. “I am an advocate of two recesses in the school,” she said.

Mom Naomi Casselli agreed and said having only one recess put a lot of stress on her kindergartener last year.

BEACON HILL ROLL CALL

“It’s really, really critical that he gets time to move. I really encourage you to reconsider that recess plan. Now that he’s going to be in first grade, I worry it will be worse.”

Acting Superintendent Michelle Cresta spoke up to say it may be too late for any recess changes this year.

“The schedules have already been set for this year. I would hesitate to move anything ahead really quickly. We are welcoming teachers back in two-and-a-half weeks right now. I reviewed the schedules with the union as well. It does involve union negotiations and principal schedules. We can visit this issue, but it’s not going to happen overnight. There are reasons that this change was made, so I don’t want to rush into anything. I just

want to caution you.”

New Assistant Superintendent for Learning Julia Ferreira agreed that schedules are already set. “We really just need to sit down with you at the table. We would love to collaborate, if we could slow down the process and all sit down and collaborate.”

New rule for coaches

Schaeffner proposed that all Marblehead school athletic coaches become Massachsuetts Interscholastic Athletics Association certified and Cresta said that was already in the works.

Only seven of Marblehead’s 25 or so coaches are MIAA certified. The cost for each certification is $95, according to Cresta.

“At the current time we are planning on using one-time funds, most likely coming from a donation fund, to cover the cost of

having all athletic coaches MIAA certified,” she told the Current.

Public complaints Schaeffner wants to update the district’s policy for handling public complaints. Right now, policy dictates that complaints go first to the teacher, then the school building administrator (principal), superintendent and, finally, the School Committee.

“I’d like to consider adding some verbiage memorializing and documenting complaints that come up the chain of command; that we have some kind of policy around how those will be documented and filed electronically, so there is some kind of electronic paper trail before it gets to the superintendent or school committee,” Schaeffner said.

A month late, Legislature passes budget

THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of July 31 to Aug. 4.

$56.2 BILLION FISCAL 2024 STATE BUDGET (H 4040)

House 156-2, Senate 39-0, approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a conference committee version of a $56.2 billion fiscal 2024 state budget for the fiscal year that began July 1. The price tag represents a $3.8 billion increase over last year’s fiscal 2023 budget. The House and Senate had approved different versions of the budget, and a conference committee hammered out a compromise version agreeable to both branches.

Provisions include $171.5 million to require public schools to provide universal free school meals to all students; $50 million to support free community colleges; $50 million to create Green School Works, a program to fund projects to install and maintain clean energy infrastructure at public schools; $6.59 billion in Chapter 70 education funding for cities and towns, an increase of $604

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million over last year; $504.5 million for the special education circuit breaker; $181 million for MBTA capital projects; $19.81 billion for MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program that provides healthcare for low-income and disabled persons; and a new law that prisons must provide free unlimited incoming and outgoing phone calls for prisoners.

Another provision would allow undocumented/illegal immigrants to qualify for the lower in-state college tuition rate if they attended high school here for at least three years and graduated or completed a GED.

“This budget represents a major step forward for our commonwealth, particularly in making higher education more affordable and more accessible to everyone,” said Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland. “Tuition equity, free community college for nursing students and students 25 and older and laying the groundwork for free universal community college starting next fall—all part of the Senate’s Student Opportunity Plan—are crucial to securing our long-term competitiveness, providing residents with concrete ways to create the futures they dream

of, and continuing our state’s commitment to education at every level.”

House Speaker Ron Mariano, D-Quincy, added, “From critical investments in healthcare and workforce development, to funding for new initiatives that are designed to increase educational opportunities, better support working families and provide for a safer and more reliable public transportation system, this fiscal year 2024 budget will help to make Massachusetts more affordable, while ensuring that the commonwealth’s most consequential institutions work better for Massachusetts residents.”

In a joint statement, Republican Reps. Nick Boldyga of Southwick and Marc Lombardo of Billerica said, “While there were many good provisions in the budget, the final version contained policies, unrelated to the budget itself, that we could not support.”

The statement continued, “Seniors, renters, small businesses and hard-working families can barely afford to make ends meet. As a result, Massachusetts continues to see one of the highest

out-migrations in the country. At the same time, this budget provides a massive expansion in financial benefits for illegal immigrants. It’s easier for Hollywood movie studios and multinational corporations to get massive tax cuts than for the working-class to catch a break. The people of Massachusetts deserve better.”

“Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka once again demonstrated that the Massachusetts legislature is not open to transparency or tax relief,” said Paul Craney, spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

“They released the budget from conference committee after 8 p.m. on a Sunday night in late July and are requiring their members to vote on the $56.2 billion dollar budget less than 24 hours later.”

(A “Yes” vote is for the budget.

A “No” vote is against it.)

Rep. Jennifer Armini Yes

Sen. Brendan Crighton Yes

SUSPEND RULES TO ALLOW AMENDMENTS TO THE BUDGET

(H 4040) House 25-132, voting strictly along party lines, rejected a

motion to suspend House rules in order to allow the House to consider amendments to the conference committee version of the budget. House rules prohibit any amendments from being offered to a conference committee version of a state budget and allows only an up or down vote on the entire package. Suspending the rules would allow representatives to offer an unlimited number of amendments to the spending plan. Republicans supported rule suspension while Democrats opposed it. The debate centered around a provision in the conference committee version of the budget that would allow undocumented/ illegal immigrants to qualify for the lower in-state college tuition rate if they attended high school here for at least three years and graduated or completed a GED. They would also be required to provide a college or university with a valid Social Security number or taxpayer identification number, an affidavit indicating they applied for citizenship or legal permanent residence, or plan to do so once eligible and proof

MAA announces seven upcoming exhibits

The Marblehead Arts Association is presenting seven exhibits from artist members in the galleries of its historic King Hooper Mansion. 8 Hooper St. These exhibits will run from Aug. 12 to Sept. 24 with an opening reception on Sunday, Aug. 13, from 2-4 p.m.

Here is a sneak peek:

‘Sculptures Inspired by Travel’ by Dan Zampino

Zampino has traveled to numerous countries, often to find inspiration. Zampino has found stories in all the places he has visited. Those stories, he says, can be ancient or modern, mythic or frought with realism.

Zampino says all the stories weave together a unifying vision.

‘Louis’ by Louis and Marjorie Rizzo

The entire process of painting with watercolor has always held the Rizzos spellbound. When colored pigments mingle into kaleidoscopic rivers as they run down the paper creating granulation, color magic happens.

The couple spent their first

30 years working as potters and sculptors. In those days, the slow kiln firing performed the miracle of merging colors with tantalizing visual effects. With watercolor, the same thrill occurs while watching paint and water create wondrous colors on white paper.

‘Coast to Costa’ by Janet Wolahan

In New England, there is a sense of the nearness of the sea. Even inland, when she was a child growing up in Malden, Wolahan always felt the sea’s vital presence, miles away from her, an attractive force as strong as a magnet.

While traveling recently to the western coast of Ireland, Wolahan saw evidence of the same coastal activities, with a tumult of varied greens and surprising, extreme rock formations offshore, giving Ireland’s coast its own dramatic flavor.

‘In the Spirit of Andrew Wyeth’ by Joe Votano Votano has created mostly painterly images reflecting his

styles: dry brush was used to create the image, “A Story to Tell,” tempera-like colors in “The Visitor” and watercolors in “Window to the Sea” as examples. Votano was noted for his realistic paintings.

The 20 images in this exhibit are a small segment of those Votano has captured over many years of tracking the Maine coast and places he feels reflect Andrew Wyeth’s emotional and spiritual being.

‘A Layered Life… Finding Meaning in Collage’ by Michele J. Kenna

Working in collage has given Michele a creative respite apart from the grief of losing her life partner, Robert Benedict, in 2022. Losing all sense of time, while in the process of creating a deeply personal collage, greatly helped Michele deal with her grief.

Kenna uses extensive kinds of paper, watercolor and acrylic paint, handwritten mementos from loved ones, old photos, maps, ripped remnants of old paintings. When the collage is

completed, a meaning slowly appears. The theme of loss is reflected throughout this exhibit. The recurring image of the circle in each collage adds to the continuity of the series. The circle symbolizes the circle of life, no beginning and no end.

‘The Handmade Photograph’ by Ptaricia Scialo

Scialo’s art focuses on altering photographs using a mixedmedia approach. Her unique prints are film-based and printed by hand in a traditional darkroom lab.

The observation of light is the starting point of Scialo’s photographic works. She is inspired by the way light cast on an object creates shadows and depth, how it highlights, softens or sometimes diffuses, creating an emotional response.

‘Look’ by Shawn Stolarz

The work featured in “Look” highlights Stolarz’s interest in drawing and painting the human figure. He developed this study by portraying well-known figures and icons, such as Kate Moss and Georgia Palmer. Some of the

well-known icons inspire him with their traditional beauty, as well as the emotion conveyed with each “look.”

To depict the beauty of the human figure, he has been exploring both realism and surrealism and the blending of the two styles. Stolzarz has also been experimenting with paint application as a way to achieve modern effects, in addition to the use of light, shadow and symbolism.

The MAA galleries are open and free to the public. The above exhibits will run from Aug. 12 to Sept. 24 and will be available for viewing in person from Wednesday to Sunday from noon-to-5 p.m. As with all Marblehead Arts exhibits, the artwork will be available for online viewing in a virtual exhibit located on marbleheadarts.org.

The Marblehead Arts Association is at 8 Hooper St. Hours of Operation: Wednesday through Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m. To arrange a private appointment to view the exhibit, please contact Xhazzie Kindle at xhazzie@marbleheadarts. org.

marbleheadCurrent.org Marblehead Current Wednesday, August 9, 2023 A11 CP_MBHC_20230809_1_A11 FINAL-18 Mon, Aug 7, 2023 3:04:02 PM

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Marblehead Select Board solicits feedback for policy

Draft seeks to codify practices on paper

BY WILLIAM J. DOWD

Marblehead Select Board has created a comprehensive draft policy aimed at making uniform procedures for their appointments and reappointments to the town’s local boards and committees.

The board members recently looked over the initial results of a survey filled out by roughly 50 volunteers and discussed the need for additional community engagement before settling on the new rules.

Board Chair Erin Noonan emphasized, “We want representation from every board, at least a couple of people from each.”

The board has put forth this draft policy as part of an effort to foster wider civic involvement in town governance. While largely affirming current procedures, the policy introduces some notable amendments, such as setting term limits for a number of appointees.

The draft suggests a typical term limit of two consecutive three-year terms. Exceptions can be made for roles necessitating specific expertise, like the Zoning Board of Appeals, where terms could be extended based

From P. A10

they registered for selective service if applicable.

Under current law, in-state students pay $17,357 in tuition to attend UMass Amherst, while their undocumented/illegal immigrant classmates who do not qualify pay $39,293.

The provision was included in the Senate version of the budget but was not included in the House version. The conference committee opted to include the provision in the compromise version.

Supporters of rule suspension said it is unfair and undemocratic for the provision to be included in the final budget

JCC

have been friends since their days as kindergarteners in Revere and they meet up every month at the J.

“This is the best day of the month,” Paul said. “The music is so good. You get a real lift from it.”

Her favorite song? “It Had to Be You.”

“Mine is ‘Kiss Today Goodbye,’” added Bass.

Ronda and Stuart Spitzer, of Lynnfield, look forward to the jazz lunch every month.

“The band is excellent and there’s a very friendly atmosphere,” Ronda said. “ They play older music and it’s nice to reminisce.”

Tyler has been playing music his whole life, and taught music in the Burlington Schools for years. He’s been in many different bands, and even put out a pop record in the 50s with a band called “The Storm Trio.”

“The record was called ‘My Wonderful Lover.’ We played on the radio,” he said.

on the Select Board’s discretion. Board member Jim Nye brought up uncertainties about how term limits would impact long-serving incumbents. Questions remain unanswered as to whether their service length would reset or if they would receive an additional three years prior to any reappointment procedures. The draft doesn’t provide clarity on this.

In addition to term limits, the draft policy indicates a drive toward greater appointee diversity. However, the board suggested revising language relating to factors like race, gender identity and sexual orientation.

As Nye pointed out, the town currently does not solicit such personal information from applicants. Therefore, the board agreed that the diversity language should be softened to circumvent any potential discrimination.

The proposed policy also includes rules about advertising vacancies, interviewing potential appointees and voting on appointments to ensure transparency and consistency.

For those reaching six years of service and seeking reappointment, the draft policy

when the House never had the opportunity to vote on it.

Opponents of rule suspension said that suspending the rule would result in hundreds of amendments, not just the one dealing with undocumented/ illegal immigrants’ tuition rates, being proposed to the budget and starting budget debate all over again. They noted that both Republican members of the conference committee signed off on including the tuition provision.

The provision seems headed to become state law since Gov. Healey in the past has expressed support for allowing these immigrants to pay the lower rate. In May, she said that offering in-state tuition

requires them to reapply instead of receiving passive approval. The board would then open up the process to other candidates and conduct interviews before considering any second terms.

Board member Alexa Singer highlighted that the detailed responses from the survey have led to further questions that need to be addressed before casting her vote. A follow-up meeting has been scheduled for Aug. 16 to reassess the policy after gathering more feedback from the community.

This interim period provides members with the opportunity to properly process the feedback received so far. The ultimate goal is to secure input from all local committees and boards prior to policy implementation.

Board member Moses Grader voiced his satisfaction, saying, “I’m really impressed with the feedback we’ve received from some of the volunteers.” Noonan shared that they have already received thoughtful feedback on improving the appointment process. The board aims to incorporate such constructive ideas into the final rules.

Alongside term limits, the draft policy mentions the

for undocumented immigrants is “absolutely essential and a no-brainer.” (A “Yes” vote is for rule suspension. A “No” vote is against it.)

Rep. Jennifer Armini No ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

$375 MILLION FOR ROADS AND BRIDGES (S 2375) - Gov. Healey signed into law a bill that includes authorizing $200 million in one-time funding for the maintenance and repair of local roads and bridges in cities and towns across the state. The $375 million package, a bond bill under which the funding would be borrowed by the state through the sale of bonds, also

board’s duty to “ensure” that both new and experienced members are appointed to all bodies. The language was suggested to be softened to “seek” or “encourage” such diversity instead.

The draft policy also outlines procedures for handling resignations, vacancies, oaths of office and, if required, the removal of appointees. Any approvals would necessitate a majority vote from the board.

Noonan stressed the overarching objective is to ensure fairness in all aspects of appointments so as to leverage the full potential of Marblehead’s talent pool.

includes $175 million for several transportation-related grant programs.

The programs funded by the $175 million include the municipal small bridge program; the complete streets program; a bus transit infrastructure program; and grants for municipalities to purchase electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to support them.

HEARINGS – The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on several proposals including:

PRISON LABOR (H 1400)

– Would prohibit any prisoner from being transferred to other states and being required to work on labor projects in that

“We have really, actually very thoughtful responses from 48, 49, I guess almost 50 of our volunteers have responded to the survey,” said Noonan. “I think it makes sense to do a second push-out and improve on that.”

The surveys completed by the volunteers are anonymous. However, the board plans to cross-check with the names of boards that have not yet provided feedback and make efforts to reach out in the forthcoming weeks.

The officials have stated that they continue to welcome and encourage further input.

state. The measure was first filed in 2017 when former Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson was planning to transport Bristol County prisoners across state lines to the nation’s southern border to help build former President Trump’s proposed border wall.

NO/LIMITED SOLITARY CONFINEMENT (H 1740) –Would prohibit prisoners under 21 years old from being held in solitary confinement.

DEDICATE 1 PERCENT OF MARIJUANA EXCISE TAX TO YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION (H 103) – Would require that 1 percent of the excise tax on recreational marijuana be used for youth substance abuse prevention.

CURRENT PHOTOS / LEIGH BLANDER

The Insight Band performs at the JCC the first Wednesday of every month. More than 80 seniors come out each month to hear them.

The Insight Band has eight members who play everything from the drums to trombone.

Roll Call

not think of the full picture or the future implications, both financially and educationally, for our children. They just had to act on personal agendas without caring about the town as a whole.

And most important, why was public input denied? The School Committee’s action will prove to be political suicide for them. Marbleheaders have long memories.

David Becker Nonantum Road

Transparency matters

To the editor:

The Marblehead School Committee is overstepping its bounds in its closeddoor decision to remove our superintendent. This is problematic for many reasons, but I am particularly disappointed that the committee is not considering the advice and opinions of everyone in our community. It appears that the committee listens to the loudest critics, disregarding the opinions and advice of others. The volunteers who work to support our students, staff and school leadership are being ignored. Citizens who have their finger on the pulse of the school cultures are being ignored.

In my role as a volunteer, I have met regularly with Dr. Buckey for the past three years and I have always been impressed by his optimism for our district. He is a person who shows up for students and staff. This spring, he ran laps with kids at our Fun Run and cheered from the audience at Village School chorus concerts. He’s at almost every performance, big sporting event and cultural celebration. This kind of support matters to families.

The removal of a dedicated superintendent during the summer when most families are checked out of school happenings can be described as sneaky at best. The removal of the superintendent not only costs our town and taxpayers money we don’t have, but also sets our district back years. We deserve to know the reasons why the School Committee is removing the leader of our district.

Abby Lewis Park Lane

Focus on trail repair, not bridge beautification

To the editor:

As a Marblehead resident who spends a minimum of two hours a day on our wonderful rail trail, I was disappointed to learn that the town appropriated $1.4 M of federal pandemic relief funds on two bridges, rather than address the surface of the trail itself. The two bridges are perfectly fine while the rest of the trail suffers from erosion and the wear and tear of traffic. The exposed rocks, eroded gullies, large non-draining puddles and narrowing of the soft sand are hazardous to those of us that use the path regularly. This should have been the priority for the funds, not the bridges which function just fine and provide a stunning view of the harbor. I know that I am not the only regular trail geek that feels this way.

Respectfully,

Saw superintendent’s long hours firsthand

To the editor:

Do you see that empty parking spot on top of the hill between the trees at the school administration office? That’s Dr. Buckey’s spot. It is directly across the street from my house and viewed from my top step. Throughout COVID and ever since, his spot has been filled every weekday, early mornings, long into evening hours, long hours on Saturdays, many hours on Sunday nights and long summer hours.

Buckey was at every event I attended for the kids. He was always there.

coffee one morning this week when my cats and I heard an unfamiliar noise outside. It sounded like thin metal clinking. Followed by a gentle scritch, scritch, scritch. I glanced out the window to see the landscapers manicuring the yard next door — with rakes. It was music to my ears.

After years of shutting windows all summer to block the obnoxious noise of gaspowered leaf blowers, I can finally hear birds chatting, the leaves rustling before a storm, chipmunks battling for territory. It sounds like summer. And I can air out my house before another New England winter and still hear my husband calling from the next room. I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to the people who brought us this gas-powered leaf blower ban. I know it took dedicated work over years to accomplish. I know people got nasty about it. But by sticking with it you have transformed summer for me and countless others who have been forced to live with the ear-splitting noise for years.

Thank you, also, to the people of Marblehead who voted, multiple times!, for this ban.

Elizabeth Lutwak Robert Road

How did we get here?

Marcy Schwam Garden Road

The summer sound of silence is golden

To the editor”

I was sitting at my computer reading the news and drinking

To the editor, As I unpack everything that has transpired over the last few weeks concerning The School Committee and Dr. Buckey’s resignation, I keep coming back to the same question: How did we get here?

As Wednesday’s School Committee meeting approached, it felt like Dr. Buckey was walking to the gallows with hundreds of people in

I am struggling with the financial implications this will have on our town. The search three years ago cost the town around $250,000 — money that could be used for education, teachers, building-level needs.

I want to know what will be done differently this time around? With two sitting committee members who were on the previous search committee and hired Dr. Buckey and then turned around and three years later terminated, what will change in the process so we aren’t back here every few years?

Plain and simple, I don’t like how this was handled. I am wary of the collateral damage that will come from this, which leads me back to my initial question: How did we get here?

And this urges me to ask people to go out and vote. Learn about the candidates and what they are standing for; understand how your vote matters — because it does.

Bit Coppola Beverly Avenue

Two bridges to nowhere

I am not posting to tell you about rights, wrongs, wouldacouldas, dislike him, like him… etc.

Given the location of my home, I have the unique perspective of seeing how hard Buckey worked for our community. THE HOURS. You won’t find someone who worked harder than he did… for you and our kids. I told him one day in passing something to the effect of, “I’ll go to bat for you if it’s ever needed. I know without question you put everything you’ve got into that job.”

He thanked me and laughed… and today I am seeing that comment through.

Michael R. McCarthy Cornell Road

attendance. It felt icky. Is this how we want to treat people? Is this the precedent we want to set with the School Committee moving forward, that they can terminate a superintendent without cause without a full committee eligible to vote? That seems like an incredible breach of power.

Like or dislike Dr Buckey, agree or disagree with him, I think most people can see that this process was bad and a bad look for our town and public school community. I don’t understand how we can have a functional and effective School Committee when one of the members has to recuse themself because of the personal grievance they filed against Dr. Buckey (which was not disclosed until the bitter end — an unbelievable conflict of interest), which leads to the most obvious point: How and why is it okay to conduct such a hugely impactful vote with four people?

And on top of that, many (if not all?) sitting School Committee members were elected into their positions under the platform of transparency. I understand that there are certain things the public is not privy to, but it is very clear that in this instance, the lens of transparency fell to the wayside. I want to believe in our elected committee members, and I want to know that they have education in the forefront of their decisions, but this just doesn’t feel right.

I also am having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact this is all happening five weeks before the start of the school year, with so much turnover already happening in all of our schools and leadership. All this is doing is perpetuating chaos instead of holding onto stability.

community to develop a vision for Marblehead mobility 2035 and beyond.

The town administrator has not yet embraced the TSAC.

The Select Board has chosen to hold off on appointing new members to any town board until November. These delays will make it difficult. Until the TSAC begins operating, residents will have to take it upon themselves to ask probing, pointed questions. Otherwise, we’re apt to spend $1.43 million on a pair of bridges to nowhere.

Dan Albert Leicester Road

Sudden departures serve no one well

To the editor:

In light of recent events in the School Department, it does not escape attention that former Town Administrators Jason Silva and Jeff Chelgren also left their positions suddenly and without public explanation.

To the editor:

At its July 26 meeting, the Select Board voted to spend $1.43 of the town’s American Rescue Plan Act (APRA) funds to improve the Lead Mills section of the Rail Trail.

When Selectwoman Alexa Singer asked about the rationale for the project, Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer responded that it was scored under “infrastructure” and, “I think, economic.” (He did not know the score.) Chairwoman Erin Noonan then asked how the project met the ARPA criteria that monies be used for economic development, noting that covid had decimated small businesses in town.

It doesn’t. The project doesn’t add a link to Salem, and it doesn’t connect trail users to Marblehead’s business districts. To shop at Marblehead’s stores and patronize its restaurants, cyclists risk being hit by large utility vehicles (the Marblehead Municipal Light Department uses its substation as a storage yard). The path dead ends at Round House Road and Bessom Street, a hostile environment of illegally parked cars and heavy traffic, including semi-trailers serving Gilbert and Cole.

In contrast, Salem has provided a network of protected and designated bike lanes that access commuter rail, amusement parks, beaches and the Witch City’s vibrant downtown.

What about infrastructure, the other justification Mr. Kezer thought might apply? Here, things grew a bit fuzzy. Ms. Curran explained that the project is listed under three separate master plans: NetZero, Complete Streets and Rail Trail. But Sustainable Marblehead, the organization behind NetZero, disbanded its Transportation Actional Group years ago. (I briefly headed the SM TAG when Judith Black took a hiatus.)

Although the Select Board signed the Complete Streets policy in 2018, it has failed to implement it. Worse — and there is no other word for it — residents have been lied to when it comes to Complete Streets.

That’s why I sponsored the new bylaw creating a Traffic Safety Advisory Committee with the express purpose of overseeing the Complete Streets Policy and dealing with all facets of the town’s transportation infrastructure. It will include three members of the public appointed in open session by the Select Board, and those members will be empowered by virtue of the annually rotating chair provision. Regular, monthly, public meetings will provide a venue for the

The sudden departure of multiple school and town leaders in the past 10 or so years serves no one well. The engineer in me tells me it is time for elected leadership to sit down and understand the root cause. We are in a financial crisis. Perhaps a look in the rearview mirror will help understand how we got here and how we can recover.

Jim Zisson Mound Road

Time to come together for children’s sake

To the editor:

We believe that the change in leadership will not have an immediate impact on the upcoming school year. The 2023-2024 school year planning is already underway with the teachers and the Office of Teaching and Learning working together to plan professional development.

Towards the end of August, there will be a Leadership Institute for all lead teachers to help drive our professional learning communities for the year. The math and literacy coaches will continue to provide support to the staff in delivering instruction and analyzing student data. Our building administrators are strong, and we have amazing PTOs and families. When we return to school, our teachers will continue to do what they do best: teach.

Now, we need to come together as a community to benefit the children of Marblehead. While there may be differences of opinion at times, I believe we all share the same goal of providing an exemplary education to the children of Marblehead.

We need to work together to build a budget that will attract and retain the best educators possible. This can be done by establishing a payscale that competes with top school systems, reducing class sizes, increasing salaries for our ESPs to provide a livable wage, focusing on the social-emotional health of students by increasing guidance and therapeutic support in each school, and providing more opportunities for professional development and planning time for teachers to collaborate, review and discuss student work, review curriculum, and communicate with families.

There is still much work to be done, but we are hopeful that as teachers, administrators, the School Committee, families and a community, we can work together to make Marblehead Public Schools an exemplary district for our children.

Jonathan Heller and Sally Shevory, co-presidents Marblehead Education Association

The superintendent’s parking spot

Marblehead Dollars for Scholars recipient

Madison Bates excels at college

BY NANCY MARRS

Madison Bates had interests in writing, English and political science when she entered Johns Hopkins University four years ago and her parents had instilled in her a love for nature and the environment at an early age. In time, she discovered international studies was the perfect fit and declared it as her major and environmental studies as a minor. Influenced by amazing professors, she took courses in environmental regulation and economics and developed a passion for the law that she will pursue in the future, as the recent college graduate embarks on her career path.

Challenged academically, Bates worked hard and loved being part of a community comprised of passionate, driven students on the Baltimore, Maryland campus of the private research university.

She studied politics, leadership, writing and democracy and thoroughly enjoyed a constitutional law class where she learned how to read Supreme Court cases and garnered helpful background knowledge on different subjects.

Embracing the Hopkins culture of getting involved and making the most of one’s college experience, Bates spent four years as a member of an outdoors club that did backpacking and canoeing. She joined the Hopkins Political Consulting Club where she did research on bills going through congress and met with congressional staff to present the club’s research and discuss the bill.

“I always knew I wanted to

study abroad, and I loved the idea of traveling and seeing the world,” said Bates. She spent the second semester of her junior year on a program called DIS Copenhagen, where she had Danish roommates and learned about their culture. The program emphasized exploration and hands-on learning, which enabled Bates to travel to Norway for a food sustainability class she was taking and visit sustainable farms and restaurants in Oslo and surrounding areas. She also took a disaster management class for

which she traveled to Portugal for team-building activities.

Thrilled with her first study abroad experience and with the full support of university staff, Bates spent the first semester of her senior year at the University of Cambridge in England. This was a traditional, academic program which required more intensive study. “I got a wide range of experiences (abroad),” she reflects.

Back on campus for her final semester, Bates worked with a history professor on her senior thesis, titled “Social Media and

Its Effect on Democracy,” which enabled her to delve into several topics of interest. She was excited to take an environmental engineering class called Case Studies in Climate Change that focused specifically on California. During spring break, the class traveled to Death Valley to hike and explore the changing environments there. She described it as a once-in-alifetime opportunity.

Bates spent her summers during college getting valuable experience for her future career. She worked as a legal intern for Coinbase, a crypto currency exchange platform, where she learned about securities law. She also enrolled in a Duke University law program that offers an introduction to law school for first generation college students.

“Johns Hopkins was such an amazing experience, it changed my life,” states Bates. “They really emphasize the firstgeneration, low-income student experience.”

Entrepreneur, former New York City mayor and Johns Hopkins alumnus Michael Bloomberg, made a major donation in support of FLI (first generation, low income) students several years ago and Bates was a beneficiary. The school provides students like her with mentors called success coaches that help them determine their academic paths.

After graduating in May, Bates is working as an instructor for Outward Bound where she leads Boston-area school children on kayaking and camping expeditions to the Boston Harbor Islands during the summer and fall.

In November, she moves to

The mysterious pamphlet of Marblehead’s 1806 Town Meeting

BY MARK HURWITZ

Shortly before Marblehead’s 1806 Town Meeting, residents discovered a pamphlet in their mailboxes titled, “An Address to the Inhabitants of Marblehead, Relative to the Very Bad Policy of the Town.” This piece scrutinized the town officials’ expenditures and criticized how town affairs were managed. Most notably, selectmen were lambasted, described as “men without talents, information, or integrity; wholly engrossed in their self-importance and unrestrainedly passionate.” The

pamphlet also accused them of staunch partisanship.

Many readers suspected that Federalists were behind the pamphlet. For context, the Federalist Party, initially formed

in opposition to the DemocraticRepublican Party during President George Washington’s terms, remained influential until its members transitioned into the Democratic Whig parties in the 1820s.

The pamphlet asked, “What have politics to do with our town’s affairs? Some, however, constantly gossip foolishly in public and sing their own praises. They’d want you to believe that if someone disagrees with your politics, they can’t be trustworthy.” This led locals to believe the Federalists were using the pamphlet to diminish

trust in town officials. But the pamphlet backfired, causing uproar instead.

Residents passionately debated the pamphlet’s more contentious sections and sought retribution against its anonymous author.

The distribution method — late at night — and the lack of an author or printer’s name only added to the mystery.

The controversy came to a head during the Town Meeting on March 17, 1806. A citizen read excerpts from the pamphlet, condemning its anonymous writer, printer and even the Federalist Party. The assembly

New York City where she will start a job as a paralegal working for the Federal U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District.

It’s a two-year commitment and she will work in their commercial financial crimes division, which excites her. In a few months she’ll take the LSAT exam in preparation for law school.

Receiving a Marblehead Dollars for Scholars scholarship helped cover Bates’ cost of living in Baltimore and when she studied abroad. She said it was nice knowing that donors from her hometown helped make her college experience possible.

“Everything that contributed to my education and future goals motivated me,” states Bates. “I felt really connected to my community and it’s been fantastic having that support.”

President Jan Bentley said the local non-profit organization has always relied on the generosity of town residents to help fund scholarships.

“Education empowers individuals and communities to thrive and progress,” he states.

“By donating money toward education, Marblehead citizens are investing in the future and unlocking the potential of countless young minds.”

As Bates is ready to step into the next phase of her life, she is grateful for the financial assistance she received from Marblehead Dollars for Scholars.

“This was instrumental in getting me to where I am today and it’s given me an amazing four years at Hopkins, so thank you to everyone involved,” she concludes.

Nancy Marrs is a member of the Marblehead Dollars for Scholars Board of Directors.

voted for the pamphlet to be burned by town leaders. Before any official action, however, some residents collected copies and set them ablaze in a public bonfire.

Days later, the bonfire participants faced a grand jury for unauthorized destruction. Meanwhile, Marblehead’s citizens showed their trust in their leaders by reelecting them. They also intended to establish a nine-member committee to identify the pamphlet’s authors. However, no indictments were made, and the committee was never constituted.

Chamber celebrates bookstore, consignment shop

COURTESY PHOTO

Madison Bates, a 2023 Marblehead Dollars for Scholars recipient, is embracing her passion for international and environmental studies at Johns Hopkins University.

The Marblehead Chamber of Commerce welcomed new Chamber member Laura Cooper and her new business, Saltwater

Bookstore, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 2. Saltwater Bookstore is located at 134 Washington St. Earlier

this year, the Chamber had celebrated Chamber member Kathleen Doyle and her business, Sistas Consignment, with

a grand re-opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new location, 86 Washington St.

Why the MCC matters more than ever

BY JOANNE MILLER, member of the Board of Health and Mental Health Task Force

The challenges communities face surrounding mental health have been exacerbated recently. The demand for services continues to grow because the supply of clinicians and access to care remains inadequate. Our town is fortunate to have a local agency engaged to serve our residents while also serving to train new clinicians to meet the growing demand for services.

The Marblehead Counseling Center (MCC) is a nonprofit community resource that is uniquely positioned to support our residents and meet their mental health needs as they arise. MCC’s history is a complement to the rich and lauded history we celebrate in our town. In 1969, a small group of Marbleheaders, led by the Reverend Ward Gamble founded the MCC to provide services to families and individuals, regardless of income.

The original board members included Jack Welter, Ward Gamble, Joyce Maffei and Dr. William Haley. Ron Michaud, a social worker, was the first counselor. According to former Executive Director Paul Crosby, the agency was originally funded by the Select Board and then its budget was supported through the schools and the Board of Health to support substance use and mental health problems such as depression and family upheaval.

According to Marie Ouellette, LICSW, who serves as the chief clinical officer, “this funding enabled employees of the town to get services.”

The relationship between the town and the MCC is exemplary of a community of care wherein individuals whose work supports our town are supported through the center, and the town helps fund their care.

According to Crosby, “The uniqueness of the agency was that it was a town agency, a

community agency that did a lot of community work.”

While serving as executive director, Crosby sat on 15 different committees and task forces, including for schools, ministerial, housing and AIDS awareness. These connections enabled the center to support clients’ needs as they arose.

Crosby described “When people are struggling financially, it’s hard to have good mental health. It’s not just counseling, but the broader life of people in the community that are supported.”

He recalled a family that needed sponsorship to pay for an electric bill and another family with a disabled child that needed an elevator put into their house. The MCC helped raise money for the family.

“Marblehead is a community that has a sense of taking care of their own. It’s an isolated community, one with a couple of ways in and out, so the people in town tend to answer the call for one of their own,” Crosby said.

In 1989, the MCC had grown to a staff of eight when Paul

Crosby became the executive director. Interestingly, two initiatives were sponsored by the center that remain impactful to this day. The Marblehead Food Pantry and the Making Ends Meet Foundation continue to support residents in need. Food insecurity and financial insecurity adversely affect mental health in families and sponsoring these organizations demonstrates the holistic care provided at MCC. The Marblehead Female Humane Society is a vital community partner, providing financial support for families in crisis to assist a person or family in pursuing or maintaining stability in their lives.

According to Ouellette, “Twenty years ago, the MCC didn’t take insurance, they basically just served the town of Marblehead. A therapist said that one client came in for counseling and paid a lottery ticket for the fee.”

Once they began accepting insurances, they empaneled other therapists and began to serve more clients. “So we’ve

been treating a lot more people and accepting more insurance. We focus on the residents of the town of Marblehead, and we get referrals from schools and churches,” said Ouellette. They’ve served “generations of clients, and children of former clients.”

When demand for services grew during the pandemic, the MCC swiftly built capacity to serve patients remotely. They have adapted to meet patients where they are. Fortunately, the stigma associated with mental health has dissipated as people have become more comfortable talking about their mental health. The town’s support of the MCC shifted to be budgeted through the Board of Health, which reinforces that our town supports mental health services and emphasizes the value in aiming to provide care for all residents on a sliding scale, so as not to be a burden on people that cannot afford care.

There is an energized board that buttresses the work of the Marblehead Counseling Center through fundraising, strategic

planning, engaging internships for future clinicians and supporting the care offered by the clinicians.

Here are several ways we can all continue to maintain and grow this valuable mental health resource: participate in the annual golf tournament coming this fall; contribute annually to the “Friends” campaign when that solicitation arrives in the mail and buy tickets to the Gerry Five’s entertainment fundraiser that takes place in late November. It’s important, as well, to encourage our public officials to continue their support for keeping the MCC a centerpiece of the town’s mental health priorities.

Marblehead Cares is a monthly column written by members of the Marblehead Mental Health Task Force, which provides leadership and a communitywide focus by engaging providers, residents of all ages and the greater Marblehead community in mental health and wellness initiatives. To learn more, visit marbleheadcares. org/.

Teens’ film project gone wrong, camera controversy on Pond Street

Tuesday, July 25 12:13 p.m. — Officer Timothy Morley dispatched to Broughton Road to speak with a woman who reported alleged identity theft and false tax return filed in her name. She provided paperwork from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue requesting information for a tax return she claims not to have filed. She suspects unknown individuals allegedly committed fraud without her knowledge until now. Morley explained her personal identifying information was likely compromised. She indicated she informed the Revenue Department about the alleged fraud and implemented a credit freeze. Morley advised her to contact her bank for further security measures. She consented to provide the paperwork, which was added to the report.

1:22 p.m. - Officer Timothy Morley dispatched with Officer Charles Sweeney to Commercial Street on a report of an unwanted relative on the property. A woman called police to escort her adult son off the property. Upon arrival, the officers made contact with the man in the garage. He cooperated and agreed to leave the property. He claimed to have

no other place to go and insisted it was also his house. However, it was confirmed the man does not live at the home, and the woman does not want him there.

The man showed no impairment.

The officers advised the woman to take a more active role in stating her son was allegedly trespassing. She declined to have her son arrested or press charges. She said she would seek help for her son from known people.

3:18 p.m. - Officer Charles Sweeney dispatched to Chestnut Street for a report of an alleged past hit-and-run. He met with a man who showed his blue Honda Ridgeline had been struck on the left rear. According to the man, a coworker informed him a red vehicle allegedly backed into his vehicle around Chestnut Street. Further investigation to follow.

Wednesday, July 26

4:30 p.m. - Officer Michael Farewell was dispatched to the station lobby to take a report of alleged harassment. In the lobby, he spoke with a woman from Broughton Road, who reported continuous alleged harassment by her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend from Collins Street in Danvers.

The woman stated the ex-girlfriend found out she was

dating her ex, allegedly leading to constant harassment. She said she had allegedly received harassing text messages, phone calls, Facebook messages, along with posting pictures of unidentifiable women in lingerie on her child’s Facebook using fake accounts. Farewell reviewed the Facebook posts and advised the woman to further restrict access to her account and apply for a harassment protection order against the ex-girlfriend at Lynn District Court on Thursday, July 27. He also instructed her not to contact the ex-girlfriend and to document any further alleged harassment for court notification.

4:21 p.m. - Officer Jason McDonald responded to Pond Street due to a neighbor complaint. A woman showed video evidence that her upstairs neighbor had repositioned her security camera located near her front door, though the camera wasn’t damaged. McDonald suggested she seek a harassment protection order at Lynn District Court if she felt threatened. Speaking to the neighbor, she described the camera’s voice alerts as bothersome and believed it violated condo association rules. She considered having it removed, citing it as

a nuisance. McDonald advised her not to touch the camera, to possibly seek a harassment order and to check the camera’s legality with the condo association.

7:04 p.m. - Officer Michael Farewell was dispatched with Officer Jason McDonald to Birch Street for a male party with dogs on the lawn, allegedly refusing to leave when asked by the property owner. Upon arrival, they found a woman homeowner and a man with two dogs standing peacefully on the front lawn. The officers then separated the parties. Farewell spoke with the man, who explained there was no sidewalk due to the homeowner placing wood mulch and flowers on it, making it unsafe to walk. The man stated when asked to leave the lawn, he refused, expressing the homeowner could not cover the sidewalk and he wouldn’t walk in the street with his dogs. Farewell informed the man he was on private property and should have moved when asked. He asked the man to step off the property onto the road. The man agreed and did so. Farewell suggested if the man didn’t feel comfortable standing on the side of Birch Street with no traffic present, he should cross to the other side

of the road, where the walkway continued and not remain on private property. The man agreed but asked the officers to cite the homeowner for allegedly parking her car partly on the sidewalk next to the home. Farewell assured the man they would handle it and asked him to leave. The man agreed and departed. Farewell then spoke with the homeowner, informing her the man would not return to the property and was advised to walk on the other side of the street, not on the lawn. He also asked her to move the vehicle off the sidewalk onto the street, to which she agreed. The officers then cleared the scene.

9:30 p.m. - Officer Dean Peralta dispatched to Stramski Way for a report of “kids” allegedly making a lot of noise. Upon arrival, he observed a group of young teens and a Jeep Wrangler in a gully. The operator of the Jeep approached Peralta and explained he was making a movie for school and had used the Jeep’s headlight to illuminate the area. Unfortunately, he forgot to apply the emergency brake, causing the Jeep to roll into the gully. AAA was called and extracted the vehicle. There were no injuries and no apparent property damage.

The Marblehead Counseling Center is a nonprofit community resource.

Firefighters put out transfer station fire

BY WILLIAM J. DOWD

A fire burned in the transfer station’s yard waste pile, but the Marblehead Fire Department controlled it quickly on Aug. 2.

The fire broke out around 9 p.m., Chief Jason Gilliland told the Marblehead Current. No one was hurt. Gilliland attributed

OBItuARIEs

Mary Katherine ‘Midge’ Dobbins, 81

Mary “Midge” Dobbins, a longtime resident of Marblehead, passed away on July 24 in Salem. Midge was born April 2, 1942, in the Panama Canal Zone to the late Harry and Irene (Hammerstrom) Dobbins. Her father was a civil engineer with the Army Corps of Engineers, and his assignments took the family to many parts of the country. Midge and her family eventually moved to Mobridge, South Dakota, where she graduated from Mobridge High School. After high school she attended the St. Elizabeth’s School in Lincoln, Nebraska, graduating in 1963.

With her RN in hand,

Kim Kuei Lim Kwong

On May 30, Kim Kuei Lim Kwong of Marblehead passed away after a long illness, with her loving husband, Sun Hon “Sam” Kwong, by her side.

Born in Medan, Indonesia, on June 13, 1941, Kim was the daughter of Sim Long Lim and Lin Nio Oei. Prior to their deaths, Kim’s parents sacrificed and supported her desire to emigrate to the United States in 1963, escaping the turbulent political environment to

George Kenneth Osgood III, 54

George Kenneth Osgood III, age 54, formerly of Marblehead passed away peacefully on March 22, at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, surrounded by his loving family after a courageous second battle with cancer. Born in Williamsburg, Virginia, he was the son of George K. Osgood Jr. and Georgina T. Smith.

Ken was a graduate of Marblehead High School, class of 1987, and Northeastern University, class of 1992, where he majored in civil engineering and graduated cum laude. After graduation, he accepted a position with Peter Kiewit and Sons and had an

the spark to “spontaneous combustion” from dry grass and summer heat.

“It was rolling when we got here,” Gilliland said. “But we got it under control.”

Gilliland said crews with front-end loaders were breaking up and putting water on the smoking brush pile’s hotspots.

“We are soaking it all down,” he said. “It was nothing like the size of last year’s.”

The fire comes nearly a year after the town battled a blaze that erupted in transfer station brush piles. That fire was so intense it damaged windows of an abutting industrial complex. Gilliland believes that fire was set.

returned to Marblehead and nursing permanently, working in the Boston Medical Center operating room. She retired from nursing in 2019.

Midge moved to New Haven, Connecticut, to work in the emergency room at Grace New Haven Hospital. From there, she moved to Brookline, as an operating room nurse at the then Peter Brent Brigham Hospital, moving to Marblehead in 1972.

Midge worked for several years as a manufacturer’s representative for several medical device companies, moving to Westport, Connecticut, for two years. She

pursue education and freedom secured by the blessings of liberty in America. Through outreach services of the Methodist Church, Kim received sponsorship and support from Rev. Charles Thompson and family in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

She worked her way through college and earned a bachelor of science in biology from West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, West Virginia, where she established lifelong friendships.

Following graduation, her close friends Tina (Bias) Blood

Midge loved Marblehead and after many years of moving with her family and during her early nursing career, she considered Marblehead her home. However, the wanderlust instilled in her as a child while moving with her family never left her, and she continued to travel throughout Europe, the Caribbean and the United States. She was an enthusiastic sailor and would go from Brookline to Marblehead to sail on the orange Town Class “The OJ” and then the yellow 210 “The Top Banana,” both of which she co-owned with several of her friends. When she moved to Marblehead, she began sailing in the Wednesday night series and the Saturday Races on friends’ boats.

Midge will be remembered by

and Allen Blood introduced Kim to New England, and she fell in love with Massachusetts. Deciding to reside on the North Shore, Kim began her professional career as a medical technologist in the labs at Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester and New England Baptist Hospital in Boston.

Kim was an avid gardener, lover of Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream and Sam’s authentic Chinese cooking. Kim was an active member of St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church, where she sang in the choir. She also achieved her high aspiration

her many friends from work and Marblehead for the many years they worked with her, sailed with her, skied with her, the trips they took with her, dinners at Sophie’s Café, meeting her as she walked around town with her dogs and as she sat on the State Street Wharf with her dogs, greeting old friends and making new ones. She was a generous and caring person who will be missed by many.

In addition to her parents, Midge was predeceased by her brother, Michael, and her sisters, Betty Saltzman and Barbara Erpelding. She is survived by her nephews, Nicholas Erpelding and his wife, Dana, and children, Maya and Alex, of Colorado; and Matthew Erpelding and his daughter, Louise, of Idaho; her nieces, Katherine Erpelding, her husband, Eddie Svetich, and daughter, Shylah, of Colorado; and Daria Dobbins Saltzman of Washington; and her brothersin-law, Larry Saltzman and Alan

of becoming a United States citizen, witnessed by her dear friends Tina and Al.

In 1981, she met Sam at a restaurant and fell in love, beginning a marriage of more than four decades. Together, they shared happiness in retirement, traveling to many countries in the world. In all her endeavors, Kim was a purveyor of joy and smiles, and she genuinely loved others. She is survived by her husband of 40 years, Sam; her good friend Rebecca Tantama, and many surrogate family members that affectionately refer to her as

learn how to accommodate their disabilities. He trained and hiked with fellow amputees, including a summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Fire Chief Jason Gilliland said crews with front-end loaders were breaking up and putting water on the smoking brush pile’s hotspots.

GILLILAND

Erpelding of Colorado. She is also survived by her godchildren, Keene Allen of Massachusetts, Taylor Allen and her son, Maurice; Abigail Allen, Woody Allen and his son, Peter, of Connecticut; Morgan Allen, Talbot Allen and his son, James, of Florida.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, Aug. 25 at 11 a.m. in the Arland Dirlam Chapel at the Waterside Cemetery in Marblehead followed by a procession to her grave site. At the family’s request, there are no visiting hours; however, a reception will follow the services at the Masonic Hall, 62 Pleasant St. in Marblehead.

In lieu of flowers, due to the great joy Midge’s many dogs gave to her over the years, contributions may be made in Midge’s memory to the animal rescue organization of your choice.

For further information, visit MurphyFuneralHome.com or call 978-744-0497.

“Auntie Kim” — sons, daughters and grandkids of close friends that consider her and Sam family.

A graveside service will be held at Waterside Cemetery, 294 West Shore Drive, Marblehead, on Saturday, Aug. 12 at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Kim Kuei Lim Kwong’s name to West Virginia Wesleyan College, 59 College Ave., Buckhannon, WV 26201; and St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church, 67 Cornell Road, Marblehead, MA 01945. For online guestbook, visit ccbfuneral.com.

and friends, and many family vacation trips.

illustrious career for the next 30 years. Some of his notable projects included work on the Queensboro Bridge in New York, Third Harbor Tunnel in Boston, the New L in Chicago and finally for Kiewit Offshore Services, Ltd. in Ingleside, Texas. There he rose to the position of area manager responsible for on-shore modules and renewable energy markets, client relations and project execution. He

enjoyed his career immensely, relishing the challenges, responsibilities, world travel and management.

While his initial cancer in 1992 left him an amputee, he believed in living life to the fullest and was active in several clubs and associations. He was a motivational speaker and very active in the San Antonio Amputee Foundation. He loved to ski and helped other amputees

In his youth, Ken enjoyed motorcycles and continued riding throughout his life. He obtained his pilot’s license and belonged to Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) with dreams of owning his own plane and home with a hangar. He had a passion for speed and belonged to the San Antonio Ferrari Club where he drove his own car and participated on Ferrari Day for many years at the Circuit of Americas Track. He also loved volunteering on Ferrari Kid Days for children with disabilities.

He leaves his wife of 26 years, Barbara Schnitger Osgood, a fellow engineer and mother of their two children Marlena and Colleen, all of whom he loved and adored. Ken especially enjoyed family weekends, visiting their San Antonio apartment, his Texas family

In addition to his parents, he also leaves his sister Vanessa Kersker (husband Michael, son Michael), two brothers, Nicholas (wife Caralee, children Ava, Anna and David), Patrick (wife Jodi, sons Patrick Jr. and Harrison), stepsisters Michelle Franciose (husband Paul Schimmel, sons John and Alex), Stephanie Hadden (husband Bruce, daughters Jacqueline and Caroline), stepbrother Mark Smith (wife Tammy, children Kaitlyn and Marcus) stepmother Marie Osgood, stepfather James Smith, sister-in-law Monica Schnitger (husband Shawn Burke) and many friends and associates.

Ken inspired us all with his positivity, optimism, perseverance and determination. He will be dearly missed. Celebrations of life were held in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Marblehead. The Marblehead Current publishes obituaries online for free and in its print edition for a flat fee of $200.

or inquiries should be sent to notices@marbleheadnews.org. Submissions should include the name of the funeral

home serving the deceased’s family, along with a daytime phone number for a person to contact, in case we have any questions about the obituary. Photos, preferably in JPEG format, are welcome. Photos should be of high enough quality to reproduce well in print. Generally, an image file created by a digital camera or smartphone will be fine; images copied from websites will not.

COURTESY PHOTO/ FIRE CHIEF JASON

Marblehead’s best bets, Aug. 9-16

Current Events spotlights exciting happenings in the coming week. If you’d like to contribute a listing, please email Current associate editor/senior reporter Leigh Blander at lblander@marbleheadnews.org.

Leigh Blander

Rock out at Abbot Library

Saturday, Aug. 12, 11 a.m.

As part of this year’s Summer

Reading

2023: Find Your Voice, Abbot Library, 3 Brooks Rd., is hosting author and pop culture historian Marty Gitlin to speak about one of the greatest eras in American music history. Enjoy video presentations of artists including Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis and Bo Diddley. Gitlin will discuss the impact these rock and roll pioneers made on society and pop culture. He will also challenge people with trivia questions. More info at abbotlibrary.org.

Fix It Clinic

Wednesday, Aug. 16, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

Has a small repair stopped you from riding your bike or wearing a favorite outfit this summer? If so, stop by the Fix It Clinic at Abbot Library, 3 Brooks Rd. Marblehead Cycle will offer bike and helmet safety

DIXEY COLLECtION

When the circus came to town

Boys check out the elephants at Riverhead Beach as the Hunt Brother’s Three Ring Circus set up for a show on August 7, 1959. The slide was taken by Harry Wilkinson. Wilkinson wrote the “Memory Lane” column in the Marblehead Messenger.

The

MAA opening reception

Sunday, Aug. 13, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

The Marblehead Arts Association hosts an opening reception to debut seven new exhibits at the King Hooper Mansion, 8 Hooper St. The exhibits feature work from MAA artist members and include watercolor paintings, sculptures, collages, photography, mixed media and drawings. More info at marbleheadarts.org.

checks, chain lubrication, seat and handlebar adjustments and check tire pressure. Members of the Seacoast Quilt Guild will help with minor sewing repairs and can also answer questions about quilting. For more information, visit abbotlibrary.org, email mar@noblenet.org or call 781-631-1481.

Andrew Fish exhibit

Opening Saturday, Aug. 12, 4 p.m.

The Arti Gallery, 70 Washington St., opens its Andrew Fish exhibit. Fish is a Boston-based painter and printmaker. His work explores the intersection of abstraction and representation, using the figure to investigate contemporary society and personal experience.

The Bordellos

Saturday, Aug. 12, 8:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m.

This Salem-based band is back at The Beacon Restaurant, 123 Pleasant St. “We play a rainbow of great Americana, featuring some of time’s greatest artists,” according to the band’s Facebook page.

We inviteyou to learn about TowerSchool’sengaging academic and social-emotional curricula, thebenefits of small classsizes, and whyarts education constitutes avital component of the curriculum at TowerSchool. Inquireonline or schedule time

Marblehead Current is proud to partner with photographer and historian Dan Dixey, who regularly shares photos of Marblehead from his extensive collection, along with information about each shot.