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Marblehead voters will fill 24 seats across 11 elected bodies on June 16, making this year’s annual town election one of the broadest local ballots in recent memory. The races span from the Select Board and School Committee to the town moderator, library trustees, utility commissioners and a newly expanded Board of Health. Nomination papers became available Monday, March 16 and must be returned to the town clerk’s office by 5 p.m. April 21.
The scope of this year’s ballot comes at a consequential moment for the town. Marblehead is working through an estimated $7 million structural deficit for fiscal 2027, driven by Proposition 2½ limits, rising health insurance costs, a new trash contract and the loss of one-time funds that had helped close earlier gaps. Town officials are weighing service reductions, new fees and a possible override while also navigating the continuing effects of the 2024 teachers strike, the town’s dispute with the state over MBTA Communities Act compliance and several citizen petitions that would reshape local government. Taken together, those issues give this year’s races unusual reach.
Here is a board-by-board look at what will be on the ballot.
Board of Health — 3 seats (varying terms)
The Board of Health will have three seats on the ballot: one regular expiring term held by Thomas R. McMahon, who has said he will seek re-election, and two newly created seats as the board expands from three members to five through a home rule petition. The expansion is structural, but also practical.
Under the Open Meeting Law, a three-member board has a quorum of two, limiting flexibility. A five-member board allows more room for discussion and day-to-day operation. The three winners would not all serve the same term length. Instead, the seats would be staggered by vote total: the top vote-getter would receive a three-year term, the second-highest finisher a two-year term and the third a one-year term.
The board oversees a wide range of public health responsibilities, from inspections and housing code issues to septic systems, disease prevention, the transfer station and Devereux Beach stickers. Recent work has included the Creating A Healthier Marblehead survey, completed with the University of Massachusetta Boston, as well as renovation work at the transfer station, including a new scale house and license plate reader. The board also may take on a more visible role in the year ahead if the town adopts a proposed household trash fee.
Select Board — 2 seats (three-year terms)
Two Select Board seats are up this year, both held by incumbents Erin M. Noonan and Alexa J. Singer. As Marblehead’s chief executive body, the Select Board sets policy, oversees the town administrator, issues the Town Meeting warrant, handles licensing and tax classification matters and proposes the annual operating budget. The board also recently shifted from annual to three-year staggered terms, a change a citizen petition now seeks to reverse.
This year, the board sits at the center of the town’s major decisions. Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer presented two budget scenarios in March: one based on no new revenue, with deep staffing and service reductions, and another that combines a household trash fee with additional cuts while preserving more operations. The board also is managing the town’s response to the attorney general’s lawsuit over MBTA Communities Act noncompliance.
School Committee — 2 seats (three-year terms)
Two School Committee seats are up for election: one held by Jennifer Schaeffner, who has said she will not seek re-election, and one open seat created after Brian Scott Ota resigned in August 2025. Melissa Clucas, who was appointed after Ota left, told the Marblehead Independent that she will run for the open seat. The committee oversees the school budget, the superintendent, labor contracts and broad district policy, placing it at the center of one of the town’s most closely watched areas of government.
The schools are coming off an especially difficult stretch. The 2024 teachers strike altered labor relations and public trust. In 2025, two incumbents who had served during that period lost their bids for re-election. At the same time, the district is facing deeper financial and demographic challenges, including declining enrollment, rising numbers of high-needs students and out-of-district special education costs that have exceeded projections. A level-funded fiscal 2027 budget already includes position cuts, even as the district moves ahead with a major roof and HVAC project at Marblehead High School funded through a voter-approved debt exclusion.
Cemetery Commission — 2 seats (three-year terms)
Two Cemetery Commission seats will be on the ballot: one regular term held by David J. Meyer and one unexpired term created by the resignation of Gerald P. Tucker Jr. in December 2025. Though the commission rarely draws the same public attention as other boards, it oversees a system that is both operationally important and historically significant, including active burial grounds and sites such as Old Burial Hill.
In recent years, the commission has been shaped by questions about maintenance, modernization and long-range planning. In 2024, two commissioners resigned at the same time, briefly leaving the board without a quorum. The cemetery system also faces more practical constraints, including limited burial space, the need for new veterans plots and the ongoing care of older sites. Those concerns have taken on added weight as some budget scenarios have proposed sharp reductions in cemetery staffing and operations.
Planning Board — 2 seats (five-year terms)
Planning Board incumbents Marc J. Liebman and Robert J. Schaeffner told the Marblehead Independent they plan to seek re-election. The board reviews subdivisions and site plans, recommends zoning changes and handles long-range land-use planning. In recent years, though, its work has been defined less by routine development review than by the town’s debate over MBTA Communities Act compliance.
A 2025 zoning plan approved by Town Meeting was later overturned by voters in a referendum, the first successful use of Marblehead’s 1954 Special Act allowing citizen petitions to reverse Town Meeting votes. Since then, the town has lost access to state grant funding and become the subject of a lawsuit brought by Attorney General Andrea Campbell. A revised zoning article will return to Town Meeting this spring, making the Planning Board races a direct extension of one of the town’s biggest unresolved questions.
Water and Sewer Commission — 2 seats (three-year terms)
Two seats are up on the Water and Sewer Commission, now held by Gregory W. Burt and Barton Hyte. Unlike most town bodies, the commission operates through enterprise funds rather than the property tax levy, but it still faces significant cost pressures as it manages rate-setting, infrastructure and long-term capital planning.
Regional wastewater treatment costs also are rising. At the same time, the department can point to stable system management and strong water quality, including lead testing that remains below federal action levels. For residents, though, the practical effect is clear: water and sewer bills are expected to keep rising.
Abbot Public Library trustees — 2 seats (three-year terms)
Two seats are up for election on the Abbot Public Library board of trustees, held by Gary James Amberik Jr. and Katherine H. Barker. The trustees oversee one of the clearest examples of a recent public investment now colliding with a tougher budget environment.
Voters approved a library renovation debt exclusion in 2021, and the renovated library reopened in 2024 with a makerspace, event center and redesigned children’s and teen spaces. Use increased sharply in 2025, with circulation, room reservations and program attendance all rising. Even so, the library now appears in some of the town’s budget-cutting scenarios as a site for possible closure or service reductions. Trustees have warned that substantial cuts also could affect state certification and Marblehead’s standing in the NOBLE library consortium.
Board of Assessors — 1 seat (three-year term)
One seat is up on the Board of Assessors, currently held by John P. Kelley, who said he is still thinking about running. The board determines taxable property values and hears requests for abatements and exemptions, placing it close to the town’s revenue system at a time when Proposition 2½ limits and slow new growth are central parts of the larger budget conversation.
The board also is still working to rebuild confidence after widespread valuation errors in fiscal 2024 led to significant overassessments in some areas and a wave of successful abatements. Since then, assessors have taken steps to improve accuracy and transparency, including releasing preliminary valuations earlier so homeowners have a chance to catch mistakes before bills are finalized.
Housing Authority — 1 seat (five-year term)
Jean R. Eldridge’s seat on the Housing Authority is up this year. The authority oversees 307 units of state public housing and administers vouchers in a town where housing costs have continued to climb beyond the reach of many working families, seniors and younger residents.
Its biggest current undertaking is the proposed redevelopment of the Broughton Road complex, a roughly $67 million project that would replace aging family housing with a larger mixed-income development. Supporters see the project as a chance to modernize outdated housing and expand affordability. It also raises questions about how current residents would be relocated during construction and how the project fits into the town’s broader planning and zoning discussions.
Municipal Light Commission — 1 seat (three-year term)
One seat is up on the Municipal Light Commission, held by Matthew B. Harrington. The commission governs the town-owned electric utility, an institution that often operates outside the day-to-day spotlight but plays a central role in basic services and long-term energy planning.
The department has recently expanded its clean energy portfolio, including a municipally owned solar project and a new wind power purchase agreement. At the same time, it is dealing with litigation brought by its former manager, who has alleged retaliation and wrongful termination. That combination — progress on energy planning alongside questions about internal management — gives this year’s race added interest.
Recreation and Parks Commission — 5 seats (one-year terms)
Five seats are up on the Recreation and Parks Commission, currently held by Shelly Curran Bedrossian, Christopher E. Kennedy, Karin L. Ernst, Rossana Ferrante and Larry J. Simpson. All five commission seats carry one-year terms, meaning the entire board appears on the ballot annually. The commission oversees parks, fields, playgrounds and recreation programming, making it one of the town’s most visible quality-of-life boards.
Recent years have brought progress on several fronts, including the reopening of Gatchell Green and continued work on field and facility planning. But the commission also faces the recurring challenge of balancing demand for athletic fields, open space and maintenance dollars. In a tight budget year, decisions about upkeep, programming and capital priorities are likely to become even more visible.
