CP_MBHC_20230906_1_A01
FROM THE VAULT
HOLY MOLY
There is a new bagel man in town
The bravery of Capt. James Mugford
IN THIS ISSUE
CUZNER IN NATURE
Piping plover chicks
PAID
MARBLEHEAD, MA PERMIT NO. 25
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September 06, 2023
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VOLUME 1, ISSUE NO. 39
| MARBLEHEADCURRENT.ORG
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ON SOCIAL @MHDCURRENT
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Deletions leave gap in texts, emails 275-plus pages yield modest insights into superintendent’s departure BY LEIGH BLANDER AND KRIS OLSON More than 275 pages of just-released text messages and emails between School Committee members, attorneys and Acting Superintendent Michelle Cresta show that in the days leading up to former superintendent John Buckey’s departure, the School Committee discussed a bullying investigation of the now-former MHS girls soccer coach and one
other parent complaint about administrators. (The texts and emails can be read at https:// loom.ly/hDAXYW8.) However, there may be some missing information about what led to the committee to move to oust Buckey. “With respect to the text messages from Michelle Cresta, Alison Taylor and Jennifer Schaeffner; those messages were erased by the users prior to this request,” wrote records access officer Lisa Dimier in an email
to the Current. The response continued, “Text messages from Sarah Fox to Allison Taylor; those messages were lost due to a technical error.” The Current asked for the communications in a public records request and is appealing to the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth to see the deleted and lost texts. Fox told the Current that one of her children was playing on SCHOOLS, P. A11
CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER
More than 275 pages of text messages and emails released to the Current after a public records request.
MHS FOOTBALL
ABBOT HALL
Magicians begin season at home Friday night
Coach Rudloff has multiple options to fill out his lineup BY JOE McCONNELL The high school football season kicks off Friday night, Sept. 8, and on the local front the Marblehead Magicians will be at home to take on non-league Bishop Fenwick, starting at 6:30 p.m. The Crusaders, still reeling from the harshest of penalties levied on any athletic program in history by the MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) for alleged student eligibilities, will be looking to take their frustrations out on regular season opponents after the MIAA banned all of the school’s teams from postseason play throughout this coming school year. The Magicians will definitely have to be focused to combat Fenwick’s determination to persevere through adversity. But one of Marblehead’s attributes since head coach Jim Rudloff took over the program in 2009 is its preparedness. They take nothing for granted, and more times than not they also show no mercy. The Magicians have enjoyed winning seasons and long state tournament runs, because of that attitude. That winning culture attracts large turnouts of hopefuls to crack the varsity roster, and this year
Kezer: One override possible to cover several years Officials see education, credibility key to earning voters’ support BY WILLIAM J. DOWD
COURTESY PHOTO
Marblehead Magician defender Christian Pacheco stops a Lynn English running back in his tracks during a scrimmage at Lynn’s Manning Field on Aug. 26.
is no exception. “We had an excellent turnout when practice opened up two weeks ago. We have about 62 players in our JV/
varsity programs, and 31 more on the freshman team,” said Rudloff. “We are
As the Finance Committee begins planning for fiscal year 2025, Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer said he and Finance Director Aleesha Nunley Benjamin are working on a three-to-five-year budget forecast to calculate a possible general override for this May’s Town Meeting. The multi-year budget and a proposed override are slated for presentation during the State of the Town address in January. “We’re analyzing different scenarios to better understand the most logical way forward, taking into account various assumptions and financial forecasts,” Kezer told the Marblehead Current on Thursday. “A multi-year budget will offer the public a clearer view of what kind of override could sustain us for several years.” The proactive start, in part, is in response to Marblehead’s uncertain financial outlook, particularly after a $2.5 million override proposal failed in June. To prepare for FY
FOOTBALL, P. A9 OVERRIDE, P. A5
WORLDLY WOMEN
Group of women born around the globe form bond in Marblehead BY LEIGH BLANDER We often hear about people in Marblelead whose families date back generations, some even to the 1600s. But there’s a sizable group of foreign-born residents who call Marblehead home. And many of them — all women — meet every month to share their stories, advice and even practical recommendations for local landscapers or plumbers. “Being from somewhere else,
BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW
you don’t have family,” said B.J. Sert, who is from Turkey. “This group becomes somewhat of a family.” The group started in the late 1960s when Monika Tucker, from Trier, Germany, reached out to another woman she read about in the Marblehead Reporter who was also from Germany. Over the years, the group WOMEN, P. A5
The Marblehead’s International Women’s Group at a summer party.
COURTESY PHOTO / ULRIKE WELSCH