Opinion

To the Marblehead community, Tonight will be my first meeting as an officially sworn-in, Marblehead School Committee member.   Thank you to all of you who voted for me.  I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support by so many of you during my run for school committee.  Most importantly, my son, for his unwavering support and patience as we walked through this journey together - this is all for you, my sweet boy. I would also like to thank Reece Dahlberg and Sarah Fox for a professional and hard fought race.  I am proud to have run with such strong women.  With this nomination, I will begin the work I laid out during my campaign; asking tough questions when needed, ensuring transparency in decision making, and holding myself and the rest of the a...

As Election Day nears, yard signs and door hangers have appeared around town making unsubstantiated claims that investing in our public schools is not in the best interest of Marblehead citizens. Every Marblehead voter who goes to the polls on June 21 has a decision to make on Question 2, but let’s make sure those decisions are guided by facts: The Marblehead Public Schools have a strategic plan. It’s on the website for anyone to review. It was created by a committee of 26 and with input from a wide cross-section of the community. Debate the merits of that plan if you want, but the plan exists and guided the development of the FY23 budget.The School Department budget is not created in a vacuum nor is it administered in secret. School leadership worked closely with Fin Com in develo...

As you report, Marblehead's transportation network costs $3.1 million annually to repair, improve, and maintain. But town leaders and town voters have come up with only $600,000 a year. Now, they want a taxpayer bailout to the tune of $12.5 million. But the town lacks a strategic plan to address the public health crisis they have created by misappropriating existing funds -- including state Chapter 90 funds. For example, 12 years after a child was killed in the Pleasant Street school crossing at Mohawk Road and the rail trail, the Board of Selectmen had spent not a penny on making that intersection safe. Worse still, it rejected hundreds of thousands of dollars in state money to improve not only that crossing but the entire segment of Pleasant St. where it runs past our town's two l...

Please join us in casting your vote for Helaine Hazlett for the Board of Health. Throughout most of her adult life, Helaine has been a tireless and dedicated contributor to the physical and mental well-being of Marblehead citizens of all ages. Helaine served for many years on the Marblehead School Committee and more recently, she has served multiple terms on the Board of Health. Helaine is a natural leader who first takes the time to listen to concerns of the town’s citizenry and then assimilates what she has learned in deciding what action to take. In addition to her many years of elective public service on Marblehead boards and committees, Helaine has also committed herself to a wide range of community needs, having served as past president of the Marblehead Counseling Center, ...