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Marblehead residents gained their first official opening Wednesday to shape the agenda for next spring's annual Town Meeting, as the Select Board launched the warrant process for the May 4 gathering.
The board voted unanimously to convene the session at 7 p.m. that Monday and established twin deadlines that will govern the coming weeks. Citizen petitions must arrive by noon Jan. 23, while town boards and commissions have until noon Jan. 30 to file their articles. Select Board member Dan Fox said officials would announce a venue closer to the date, noting the town received pointed feedback about last year's location.
That choice of meeting site has become more than routine logistics. Marblehead's 2025 Town Meeting was hastily relocated from the Veterans Middle School Performing Arts Center to Marblehead High School's field house after more than 2,000 residents crowded into the building on opening night, exceeding safe capacity.
The overflow coincided with a malfunction in one of the electronic voting receivers serving the auxiliary gym. Moderator Jack Attridge postponed the session and reconvened it at the field house, which accommodates roughly 3,500 people. Officials have said planning for 2026 will reflect lessons learned from that chaotic start.
Under Marblehead's open Town Meeting system, any registered voter may speak and vote on articles. Citizen petitioners hoping to place an item on the warrant must collect 10 handwritten signatures from registered voters and submit the completed form, available through Town Clerk Robin Michaud, by the Jan. 23 deadline. The clerk's office will verify each signature.
Town officials are urging petitioners to draft clear, concise language, file early to allow time for review and attend the Finance Committee's public hearing before Town Meeting.
Additional guidance appears in the town's Citizen Petition Guide and in the late Town Moderator Gary Spiess' 2022 Guide to Town Meeting
The session will begin May 4 and continue on successive nights until all warrant articles are completed.
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