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To the editor:
I write to you today on behalf of the Marblehead Municipal Employees Union with urgency and concern as we approach the Proposition 2½ override vote at the upcoming Town Meeting.
The situation facing our town is no longer theoretical, it is immediate and severe.
As presented by the town, if the override does not pass, Marblehead will be forced into a budget that eliminates 56 municipal jobs and effectively shuts down multiple town departments. This includes the closure of the library, Council on Aging, recreation and parks, community development and planning and the near-total reduction of the health department.
Let that sink in. The consequences are real.
These are not numbers on a page. These are your neighbors, people you went to school with, who have dedicated their careers to serving this town, suddenly out of work. These are services that residents rely on every single day, simply gone.
And this is not years away. This is now.
In today’s economic climate, losing a job is not something most families can absorb. These are working people who depend on these jobs to support their families, pay their mortgages and remain part of this community. The ripple effect of 56 lost jobs will be felt across Marblehead in ways that will touch all of us.
Even with the alternative Scenario B, it still results in job losses and reduced services. There is no painless option. There is only the question of how much damage we are willing to accept.
Let me be clear: this crisis is not due to overstaffing or mismanagement. It is driven by rising health insurance costs, inflation and the basic reality of maintaining municipal services in today’s economy.
This is why I am asking for your support.
Put yourself in the shoes of the men and women who keep this town running. We are asking you to stand with us who dig those ditches, provide access to books and research help, provide transportation, wellness programs for our seniors and manage all essential services that define Marblehead.
A “no” vote will mean layoffs. It will mean shuttered departments. It will mean a fundamentally diminished town. Is this really what we want?
A “yes” vote will mean stability. It will mean preserving jobs, protecting services and maintaining the community we all value.
Please, for the sake of your friends and neighbors, your services and the future of Marblehead, vote “yes” on the Proposition 2½ override at Town Meeting.
Respectfully,
Lee DiFilippo
President, Marblehead Municipal Employees Union
