Table of Contents
By Town Moderator Jack Attridge
Marblehead’s Annual Town Meeting begins Monday, May 4, in the Marblehead High School fieldhouse promptly at 7 p.m. Town Meeting serves as the legislative body of our town government where Marblehead registered voters come together to debate and vote on the annual budget, local bylaws, major expenditures and other business which is included in the warrant.
It is a privilege to be Marblehead’s town moderator and an honor to oversee the important business of the town. In preparation for Town Meeting, I immerse myself in the particulars of each warrant article. From zoning and bylaws to budgets and citizen petitions, it is important for me to fully understand each article so that I may successfully meet the fast-paced real-time demands of Town Meeting. State law dictates, in part: “The moderator shall preside and regulate the proceedings, decide all questions of order, and make public declaration of all votes…” Our town bylaws dictate that “Every voter speaking upon a subject in any meeting shall confine their remarks to the question before the meeting, avoid personalities, and be seated when they have finished.” With both in mind, I expect to be working together with Town Meeting participants to shepherd a deliberative, respectful and orderly process to address each of the 40 articles before us this year.
Since I became town moderator in 2022, each year has brought new challenges. Last year’s change in venue from the MVMS PAC to the high school fieldhouse created logistical challenges and I want to give a hearty thanks to the administrators and staff who continue to do an amazing job preparing for Town Meeting. This year we will meet again at the high school fieldhouse, which has a capacity of 3,000 people. Overflow space for an additional 475 voters will be available in the adjacent auditorium, totaling a capacity of 3,475 voters. As a reference point, we had about 1,800 voters in the field house last May. The town has purchased new audio and visual equipment to improve the fieldhouse AV system. Parking for Town Meeting will be available at the high school and the Jacobi Community Center, as well as the parking lots at the town offices at Widger Road, the Lucretia and Joseph Brown School and the parking lot at St. Stephen’s Church. Street parking is also an option. The Recreation and Park Department will be offering free child care for children of Marblehead voters attending Town Meeting, kindergarten to grade six, from 5:45 to 10 p.m. at the Jacobi Community Center. Children and infants who do not require an additional seat will be allowed to sit with their respective adult voter but must remain seated during Town Meeting. There will be a separate seating area for all other nonvoting Town Meeting attendees.
The power and privilege of Town Meeting has been ingrained in our traditions since Marblehead’s founding more than 375 years ago. They continued through to the founding of our great nation 250 years ago when Town Meeting became the original instrument of our independence and governance. The primary tenet of Town Meeting is the deliberative process that enables Marblehead’s voters to gather for the common good of the town. Town Meeting may bring even the most modest to fervent debate, but I am reminded that many a vote has won the day by the factual exchange of views, not intimidation.
As moderator, I will call for order when necessary for the benefit of all. I will remind people that we come together for Town Meeting because we care about our town and our responsibility to participate in its governance. I am always available should you have questions about Town Meeting and can be reached at 781-883-3200. You can expect to hear from me at least one more time before the 2026 Annual Town Meeting.
