High court to decide if AG can enforce zoning mandate beyond grant penalties in Milton’s defiance
BY WILL DOWD
Massachusetts’ highest court heard arguments Monday in a case that could reshape housing policy across the state, with significant implications for communities that have resisted new zoning mandates, including Marblehead.
The Supreme Judicial Court is weighing whether the attorney general can force towns to comply with the MBTA Communities Act, a bipartisan law passed in 2021 requiring cities and towns near public transit to zone for denser, multifamily housing or face penalties.
The case stems from Milton’s refusal via referendum to adopt zoning changes required by the law. Attorney General Andrea Campbell sued the town earlier in the year, arguing she has broad authority to enforce the statute. Milton contends the law provides only for withholding certain state grants as a penalty for non-compliance.
The court’s eventual ruling could determine whether dozens of resistant communities face legal action or can maintain current zoning without any penalty beyond the loss of state funding. It’s being closely watched in places like Marblehead, where voters in
Rubber ducks migrate to Marblehead
BY GREY COLLINS
Mandy Labraico, her wife Courtney and their daughter Sophia enjoy traveling in Europe. They love the winding cobblestone streets, old architecture, museums and, of course, the rubber duck shops. The Labraicos soon became rubber duck connoisseurs, and they decided to bring their own flock to Marblehead.
“It really just brought our family together and started this whole new tradition for us,” said Mandy. “Now every time we go, we need to find the
From
BY WILL DOWD
As the Nov. 5 presidential election approaches, Marblehead voters are expressing a wide range of opinions on the state of the country and the choice between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. In interviews conducted primarily outside of Crosby’s Market, residents shared their thoughts on issues from the economy and women’s rights to foreign policy and political division.
The economy and inflation remain top concerns for many Marblehead voters. Edward Shaller, 82, expressed frustration
duck store.”
They started to realize that while the idea was popular in Europe, it hadn’t caught on in America yet. It was a great opportunity for them to share their passion for rubber ducks with their own community. So they decided to open up their own rubber duck shop in Marblehead.
“We started seeing all of these duck stores popping up in every major city in Europe,” said Mandy. “We always bought some for ourselves, but then we thought that we should get in on this in America.” The Wicked
with rising costs.
“The inflation is terrible. My rent alone went up by 28%.
Across the board, everything is more expensive,” Shaller said.
A Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam in 1962, Shaller also voiced concerns about immigration and government spending.
“They’ve spent billions of dollars to accommodate people who have entered our country illegally,” Shaller said. “If they had completed the wall, it wouldn’t have cost nearly as much.”
Gail MacRaren, a retired nurse, offered a different perspective on the economy.
Ducks grand opening was Oct. 2, and now they are open for business on 27 Atlantic Ave. At Wicked Ducks, Mandy and Courtney sell rubber ducks of all shapes and sizes.
But these are not your typical rubber ducks. There’s no discrimination here, the ducks represent a diverse group of animals and characters. From the shark in “Jaws” to rabbis and Taylor Swift, it seems that Wicked Ducks has every single rubber duck imaginable. They
May rejected zoning changes to comply with the law.
Justices pressed lawyers from both sides on the limits of state power over local zoning and the adequacy of the law’s enforcement mechanisms, extending the hearing beyond
Changes may be coming to town leash laws
BY LEIGH BLANDER
This spring, voters may get the chance to change Marblehead’s leash laws and approve what’s called a Pooch Pass, giving certain dog owners extra privileges.
Just two weeks ago, Animal Control Officer Betsy Cruger was allegedly violently attacked along Stramski Way by a 76-year-old resident who was angry that Cruger asked him to leash his dog.
Currently, Marblehead’s bylaws require all dogs to be on a leash everywhere in town, except private property and the dog park on Lime Street. Fines are $25 for the first offense and $50 for a second and subsequent offenses within a calendar year.
Additionally, dogs are banned from public cemeteries year-round. Between May 1 and Oct. 1, they are not allowed on any public beach, athletic area, playground or park except the following: Chandler Hovey Park, Crocker Park, Fort Sewall, Fountain Park, upper Seaside Park, Riverhead Beach and the dog park. Dogs must be on leash at these locations.
Pooch Pass
At an Oct. 1 Recreation & Parks meeting, Commissioner Shelly Curran Bedrossian said she has been meeting with Cruger, Board
“I think the economy is doing well,” MacRaren said. “The stock market’s up. The cost of food has nothing to do with Joe Biden. I think it all came from the COVID epidemic.”
Housing, reproductive rights on voters’ minds For younger voters like Hannah Koopman, 21, housing affordability is a pressing issue. “I’ve been having a hard
time trying to get my own apartment,” Koopman said.
“Saving is difficult. And of course, women’s rights are definitely important to me.” Women’s rights, particularly abortion access, emerged as a key issue for several voters. MacRaren, drawing on her nursing background, expressed strong support for abortion rights.
“Of course, abortion is a crucial issue,” MacRaren said. “As an old nurse, I hate the idea of women having to resort to back-alley abortionists and all the dangers that come with that.”
COURTESY PHOTOS / UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are the choices voters will face in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
CURRENT PHOTO / GREY COLLINS
Mandy (far left) and Courtney Labraico and their daughter, Sophia, in their new shop Wicked Ducks.
MBTA,
Teachers lower demands but step up protest
BY LEIGH BLANDER
Contract talks resumed this week as Marblehead teachers engaged in a work-to-rule action at all five schools. Meanwhile, the union says it has “significantly lowered” its wage proposal.
The Marblehead Education Association and the School Committee bargaining sub-group were expected to meet Tuesday afternoon in the latest round of contract negotiations. (Visit MarbleheadCurrent.org for the very latest. )
MEA Co-President and Village
School teacher Jonathan Heller told the Current that teachers have lowered their demands “while remaining committed to our stated goals of ensuring competitive, livable wages in Marblehead that stop our schools from hemorrhaging experienced staff.”
To read the union’s latest proposal, presented on Oct. 1, visit MarbleheadCurrent.org.
“We presented the School Committee with a proposal that
would make compensation in Marblehead slightly above average on the North Shore,” Heller said. “Importantly, our proposal would help to retain highquality, experienced educators in Marblehead and therein ensure our schools can be fully staffed for the safety of students and staff.”
Heller said the School Committee sub-group reviewed the new proposal for two hours on Oct. 1 and then rejected it.
On Thursday, Oct. 3, School Committee Chair Jenn Schaeffner wrote to the Current, “The committee spent time costing out the union’s new wage package on October 1, and the bargaining subcommittee informed the union that we would have a counter proposal on wages for the next scheduled bargaining session on October 8. The committee looks forward to continuing to bargain in good faith to reach agreement that is fair to our employees and students and affordable for our taxpayers.”
School Committee member Sarah Fox sent a statement
reading, “The current MEA proposal would result in either significant staff reductions or a tax override in excess of 9% over current property taxes. It is important to note the cost is to cover Unit A (professional staff) alone and does not account for increases for the other four units.”
Work-to-rule
Every day, teachers at rotating schools are engaging in “workto-rule,” meaning they will no longer perform duties outside of their contractual agreements, including offering extra help outside of school hours, serving on committees, chaperoning field trips and writing newsletters.
Educators are also staging informational pickets outside schools and inviting community members to join them.
“We have no choice but to escalate our protest to their intransigence and demand the committee bargain in good faith and start prioritizing the
educators and students in this town,” Heller said.
Explaining why work-to-rule is happening at a different school each day, Heller said, “We know this will be disruptive, and the last thing we want is to further burden students and families.”
Interim Superintendent John Robidoux sent an email to district families last week explaining that union members have the right to work-to-rule actions. He added, “If a principal observes any conduct that creates a risk of injury to our students or staff during the picketing, they should notify the superintendent, and the superintendent should notify the police so that the police take action to ensure that the picketing does not create a public safety issue.”
The teachers have been working without a new contract since Aug. 31 and custodians since June 30. In addition to a wage increase, they are asking for more parental leave and the creation of a school safety task force that empowers teachers in policy making.
Marblehead voters to weigh auditor’s power over Legislature
BY WILL DOWD
This is the first in a series of articles examining the five ballot questions facing voters on Nov. 5.
As early voting approaches for the Nov. 5 election, Marblehead residents face a decision on a contentious statewide ballot measure that has sparked debate among local political figures.
Question 1 would explicitly authorize the state auditor to audit the Massachusetts Legislature, a power current Auditor Diana DiZoglio says she already possesses but legislative
leaders dispute. The measure has ignited discussions about government transparency and the separation of powers between branches of state government. It’s pitted DiZoglio, a Democrat, against leaders in her own party who control the Legislature.
State Rep. Jenny Armini opposes Question 1.
“I believe Question 1 is unconstitutional,” Armini said. “The executive branch, which includes the auditor, cannot investigate the inner workings of the legislative branch. That violates the separation of powers.”
Armini said if voters
approve the measure, it will likely face a legal challenge and end up before the state’s Supreme Judicial Court.
Judith Black, a Marblehead resident and climate activist, supports Question 1, arguing it’s necessary to shed light on legislative operations.
“Our legislature has forced us into this kind of decision, because there is no transparency,” Black said. “We don’t know what goes on.”
She believes that powerful leaders in the Legislature reward their allies with lucrative committee chairmanships, which can boost lawmakers’ pay by tens of thousands of dollars annually.
“Once you’re given that, you have full allegiance to the speaker, because you do not want to put that at risk,” Black said.
Attorney General Andrea Campbell issued a 17-page opinion stating the auditor lacks authority to audit the Legislature without its consent.
Campbell said the term “departments” in the law authorizing the auditor’s powers refers only to executive branch agencies.
DiZoglio has made the push for legislative audits a centerpiece of her tenure since taking office. She argues the Legislature should be subject to the same scrutiny as other state entities.
The auditor’s campaign says the measure would allow examination of legislative spending, hiring practices and other operations. It would not permit review of individual lawmakers’ decision-making or votes.
Question 1 critics say the Legislature already faces scrutiny through existing ethics rules, public records laws and the electoral process. They argue an executive branch official shouldn’t have oversight of a co-equal branch of government.
The measure is expected to pass, according to recent polling. A survey by Emerson College in August found 80% of registered voters supported allowing
the auditor to examine legislative operations.
“I can’t imagine that it won’t pass,” Black said.
“I think people have had it with our lack of transparency.”
She framed the auditor question as part of a larger push for government accountability.
“We want to see what’s going on. Who’s voting for what, and are they doing it efficiently?”
Early voting begins Oct. 19 at Abbot Hall and runs through Nov. 1. Town Clerk Robin A. Michaud encourages residents to take advantage of these opportunities.
The last day to register to vote is Oct. 26. Residents can register online at sec.state.ma.us/ OVR/.
BY LEIGH BLANDER
At 6:30 a.m. every Monday, mental health advocate Lisa Sugarman hits the track with a group of people as part of her WalkTalk Collective, launched in September. Sugarman is now partnering with the Recreation and Parks Commission in the effort.
“We want to break the stigma around mental health and marry our physical well-being and emotional well-being,” Sugarman said at an Oct. 1 Rec & Parks meeting. Sugarman describes the WalkTalk Collective as a “mental health and wellness group dedicated to moving our bodies and talking about what’s weighing on our minds, as a way of normalizing that our mental health is just as important as our physical well-being.
“Because when we get out and move, we feel better. And when we unburden our minds through conversation, we’re one step closer to finding peace and balance,” she adds.
Christiana Plum is a single mom and business owner in Marblehead. She looks forward to the WalkTalk Collective every week.
“Lisa makes you feel like you’re in a safe space,” she says.
The Monday walks at the Marblehead High School track last 60 minutes. All ages, abilities and paces are welcome. People can talk, listen or both.
The walk is “designed to get us moving, help us create connection and community, and encourage us to start talking about the hard stuff we keep locked inside,” Sugarman said. When asked about the
“It’s a sense of connection,” she said. “As humans, we need that. We crave that feeling of being part of a community. I’m also a proponent of physically moving my body every day.” Plum calls the collective “heart-centric.”
kinds of topics that have come up so far, Sugarman said, “ We’ve really run the gamut of topics, ranging from maintaining the work-life balance to everyone’s unique selfcare practices to the challenge of maintaining healthy boundaries to the relationship with our kids as they navigate their teen years to how we manage conflict. We’ve also been talking about the nuances of family dynamics and how to overcome the feeling of needing to be all things to all people all the time. “ There’s an expectation
that everything shared during the walk stays within the group, Sugarman emphasized. “It’s been so empowering to watch people who started out more as listeners become more engaged with the conversation as they’ve grown more comfortable in the group,” she said. “And as new people continue to show up, our conversations become more and more diverse, which adds to the feeling of this being an inclusive and safe space to come and share what’s happening in our day-today lives.”
COURTESY PHOTO Lisa Sugarman, right, leads the Walk/Talk Collective every Monday morning.
eDItOrIAL
Opinion
Reimagining the Cemetery Commission
Recent changes in Marblehead’s Cemetery Commission have sparked discussions about our town’s cemetery management. The resignations of commissioners Janet Merrill and Pam Peterson, followed by the appointment of new commissioners Dave Rodgers and Jerry Tucker to restore the quorum, have brought attention to the commission’s structure and operations. This transition presents an opportunity to consider potential improvements to the current system.
In a recent interview with the Marblehead Current, Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer shared insights from his experiences in other communities, suggesting an alternative approach that merits careful consideration.
Kezer, drawing from his tenure as mayor of Amesbury, spoke to a structure where the Cemetery Commission continues its vital role in setting policy and providing advice, while day-today operations are integrated into the Department of Public Works. This model, successfully implemented in other Massachusetts communities, could offer several benefits for Marblehead.
One potential advantage of this approach is the opportunity to address funding and maintenance challenges. By pooling resources and personnel with the DPW, the town could allocate its resources more efficiently. The DPW’s infrastructure and equipment could be leveraged to enhance maintenance efforts, addressing issues like an inadequate water supply in certain areas of the cemetery. Administrative processes could also be streamlined under this model. Tasks like plot sales and recordkeeping could benefit from the DPW’s established systems and administrative capacity. This could support ongoing efforts to digitize records and improve public access to information.
The “unified crew” concept mentioned by Kezer could lead to more flexible maintenance strategies. During busy periods or for special projects, the DPW could more easily allocate additional personnel to cemetery work, reducing the need for separate hiring processes or budget negotiations.
It’s important, however, to consider concerns about such a restructuring. Some may wonder if no longer having a dedicated workforce would result in less attention being given to those hallowed and historic grounds. integrating cemetery operations with the DPW could affect the specialized focus or unique character of our historic burial grounds. That valid concern should be addressed before moving forward with any reorganization.
The Cemetery Commission’s role in setting policy and providing expert guidance would remain crucial in preserving the distinct identity and heritage of Marblehead’s cemeteries. By focusing on strategic planning and community engagement, the commission could provide more effective oversight. As we explore this idea, it’s worth noting that Marblehead has begun to look at possibly adopting a governing charter. This process offers a timely opportunity to review various aspects of our local government, including cemetery management. Kezer’s suggestion aligns with the broader goal of improving municipal operations and could be considered as part of the new charter discussions.
Marblehead’s cemeteries are not just final resting places; they are vital repositories of our town’s history and culture. Any changes to their management should be approached thoughtfully, with respect for this heritage and open dialogue within our community.
e V erY tHING WILL be OKAY
Ode to the imperfect challah
BY VIRGINIA BUCKINGHAM
I once belonged to a writing group whose motto was to “embrace the mediocre” as a way to encourage our creative processes even when we felt our own results, well, stunk.
I’m not applying that same standard to my attempts at challah baking, since who wants to eat a mediocre piece of bread? Instead, this high holiday season, I have embraced the making of the “imperfect challah.” I’m fairly new to this tradition, if 30 years counts as new. That’s the first time I made the braided loaf and presented it to my then-new mother-in-law. That her hand dropped to her waist trying to hold up the weight of the thing and that I nervously joked she could use it as a door stop instead tells you what you need to know about my success.
Another attempt documented on Facebook some years later illustrates I hadn’t improved much — the resulting loaf resembled a foot, toes and all. Challah and I broke up shortly after, but you’ll be happy to know my interfaith marriage has persevered. Before I describe my new and improved relationship with the tradition, here are some fun challah facts:
The term challah actually refers to the small portion of the dough you separate out before baking. In ancient times, this piece was shared with the temple priests.
» It’s traditional to bake two loaves for a holiday table, representing the generosity of sustenance provided to the Jews who wandered the desert
Tell
us why the teacher contract talks aren’t open to
the public
To the editor:
Open the teacher contract negotiations to the public or resign!
A week ago, I asked the School Committee to produce a detailed letter from our lawyers stating reasons why the stakeholders and media cannot attend an open meeting.
Our children are the future! Parents and stakeholders, our teachers need the tools to help our children reach for the stars!
We need schools that are safe for our children, teachers and staff.
Stakeholders, we have not had a general override since 2005. It is time, plain and simple!!
Within 37 days of last June’s election —and the swearing in of Schaeffner, Ota, Fox and Taylor — the chaos started.
Open your eyes people, we are facing a teachers STRIKE!
Mary McCarriston Pinecliffe Drive
We can fund our children’s future
To the editor:
The lowest starting wage for a paraprofessional working in Marblehead is $11.93 an hour in their expired contract. That’s more than $3 below minimum wage and many dollars less than surrounding districts. When I did research, I couldn’t find another district in Massachusetts that had this low of a starting wage.
The School Committee, while
for 40 years.
» Challah can be braided with 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 strands. And at the high holidays it is braided in a round shape and sometimes has raisins in it. I learned the hard way that braiding a rectangular loaf and then pushing the ends together does not a pretty round shape make — more on that in a minute.
So after my baking-challah-breakup, over the years I tried again here and there, but often just purchased one on Fridays and lit the candles with the kids and David. It was a sweet Shabbat tradition that we all enjoyed.
Fast forward to the pandemic, when bread baking became a thing to occupy hearts and minds. I didn’t have the nerve to try a sourdough starter like so many did, but my daughter Maddy encouraged me to re-embrace a Friday tradition of challah making. Through trial and error, and a recipe
negotiating new staff contracts, has proposed eliminating these lowest wages — they’re called steps — and using a new starting wage of $15.16 an hour. Pennies above minimum wage. I continue to be unable to find another district that starts their paraprofessionals as low as the new proposal. Crossing guards and high school students working at Rec & Parks make more than this.
Marblehead kindergarten parents pay $4,000 per child in tuition to help pay full-day kindergarten staff. Preschool tuition is $7,000. The money goes into a revolving fund. Fiscal year 2025 started with over $200,000 in this fund. Over the summer, the School Committee approved around $50,000 of this tuition fund to pay half of a single special education administrator’s salary while our staff wages languish. Paraprofessionals substitute teach in elementary classes when teachers or specialists are out sick or have meetings. Many can’t make more than $17.32 an hour. They work so hard for poverty wages. They help and teach in every single classroom.
We keep hearing, “We don’t have any money here in Marblehead.” Our employees are not charity workers. Marblehead’s ClearGov transparency center shows that the median home value in Marblehead is $858,900. Forbes stated that Massachusetts is the second most expensive state to live in, and we are paying some staff $18,000. For more than two years, multiple staff across schools have been asked to cover lunch and recess because we don’t have enough staff. Just because positions were cut or are unfilled doesn’t mean they aren’t needed. Tutors, paraprofessionals, permanent substitutes, teachers, secretaries and
from her friend Arly which used honey rather than sugar, our attempts were not bad — sometimes dry, sometimes overly browned — but, alas, never beautifully braided. My brain just doesn’t seem to comprehend the overunder-from-the-outside-first art form. What we lacked in technique we made up for in laughter. This holiday my daughter came home for a few days and we planned to make a round challah. Convinced we could improve on our pandemic efforts, we added more honey for moistness, and told ourselves that the yeast proofed even without bubbles. We kneaded and added flour and worried it was too sticky, but turned it out into an oiled bowl, covered it and set it on top of the warm oven to rise.
I googled how to form a round challah and the four-braid YouTube video I found made my stomach clench in anxiety. Maddy shooed me away as she followed the steps and made, yes, a beautiful round challah.
Sigh, the beauty was only crust deep. If my mother-in-law needs a new doorstop, she’s in luck. Like my acceptance of mediocre writing attempts, though, I choose to embrace the imperfect challah and the joy of the practice, if not the result.
Wishing all of you in our community who celebrate a happy new year and also, Shana yoter tova, a better year than the last.
Virginia Buckingham, a member of The Marblehead Current’s Board of Directors, is the former chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Port Authority, chief of staff to two Massachusetts governors, deputy editorial page editor for the Boston Herald and author of “On My Watch: A Memoir.”
even principals are still doing these jobs.
Our Marblehead Public School staff are here to teach your children and help them grow and learn. We want them to be safe in and outside of the school setting which is why all staff are mandated reporters, understand 504s and practice emergency safety protocols.
We’ve invested in the buildings where our children go to school. Now let’s invest in the staff who work inside them! Parents and students are overjoyed when it’s time to return to school in the fall, and our staff is ecstatic because we love your children, your grandchildren and our jobs.
I am proud of our town and I would be grateful to be proud of the wages that all of my coworkers are paid. Please advocate to pay staff what they are worth by emailing the School Committee, interim superintendent and Select Board. They need to hear from our citizens. Ask them to agree to pay our paraprofessionals a living wage — which is at least $32.41 an hour. They are worth it. If we can fund a field, we can fund our children’s future — together.
Samantha Rosato Martin Terrace
Know your ballot
To the editor: I like to think I’m well informed about voting. My years of experience as a poll worker have afforded me the opportunity to help the voters I interact with have a positive experience at the polls — including those with
The author’s daughter braids their homemade challah.
Off to college
BY COURT MERRIGAN
Marblehead High School does this really smart thing where they give seniors a visitation day, which means a day off school during the fall semester to take visits to colleges they’re interested in.
produced by 3,000 years of Western civilization. Color me impressed.
Last fall, my daughter Ada came home three days before this visitation day with an announcement. Her English teacher, Mr. Ryan, had told her about this place called St. John’s College.
“Where is that?” I asked her.
“Annapolis, Maryland,” she said.
“But the best colleges in the country are right here,” I said. My plan for visitation day had been to go down into the city and see some of them. I mean, Maryland? When we’d only been in the Boston area a year?
“It sounds like it might be just the place for me, Dad,” Ada said.
So we looked it up. The mission of St. John’s College: an interdisciplinary curriculum where students read 200+ books written by the finest minds
That’s when I noticed that my partner had vanished. Perhaps she was less impressed? Maybe she was busy? Maybe she just didn’t like Maryland?
Until she reappeared with boarding passes on her phone.
She’d been busy, all right, busy making sure Ada had a chance at the college of her dreams.
“I’m taking you to Annapolis, Ada,” she said.
You can see why I came to Marblehead to be with her, and why I brought my kids with me.
Off the two of them went.
Sure enough, Ada fell in love with the school and its maverick adherence to the tenets of a classical education. She applied, got in and that’s how I found myself this past August driving down the eastern seaboard with Ada’s whole life packed in the back of the car. My first time taking a kid to college.
In those far-off days before I had kids, I used to wonder about the point of parenting. Why even have kids, who are just going to go on to have more kids, who will have kids of their own,
and so forth forever? When, I wondered, does anyone ever get to do what they want?
Then, you see, I had a kid. Within the first 10 minutes, I realized that it didn’t matter and I didn’t care.
Ada is my firstborn and the apple of my eye from the day she was born. In her infancy, it often appeared to me that I had led a stupendously selfish and shallow life before she came along. I loved the way a newborn telescopes time and space into diaper changes and feedings in those sleepless, hallucinogenic first months. There’s nothing extraneous to figure out. No priorities to balance. You just have this tiny human who is utterly dependent on you, and your job is to keep her alive. Gradually the fog lifts, of course. Ada learned to walk and talk and laugh and one day I was late for work because my belt had disappeared off its usual hook. That little girl had stolen it to wrap around her waist in imitation of me, and when I went to corral the little thief, she attempted to escape out the door in a flurry of wild giggles. That was when I knew she was
on her way to becoming her own person.
Fast forward to fall 2024, and she’s her own person, all right. Walking into the quad at St. John’s College with only one look back. Off to write her own story. I stood there with an aching heart and also so, so proud.
You think about it a lot as you raise your kids, that day when you’ll say good-bye and send them off into the world. Nothing prepares you for it, though. One
disabilities, those who need language assistance and those who simply want to cast their ballot in person. I also have experience registering Marblehead High School students to vote, most recently on National Voter Registration Day in September where I sat outside the cafeteria during lunchtime with a small group of volunteers trying to flag down students as they hurried past so we could talk with them about voting. Since most students are automatically registered when they apply for a driver’s license, the task this year mainly involved helping those already registered to know where and when they can vote, and to make a solid plan to vote. But at times, when it comes to making my own plan to vote, I have failed to look at a sample ballot ahead of time and find
myself in the voting booth not being at all familiar with down ballot races like clerk of courts and register of deeds or what the ballot questions are. When that happens, I either make a random choice or no choice at all which feels like a wasted opportunity.
In this year’s general election, I’m determined to do better.
Instead of just checking a box, I’ll be making thoughtful decisions. I’ll do that by studying the (red) “Information for Voters” booklet that every household in Massachusetts received by mail last week. It contains a voter checklist you can tear out and take with you to the polls. You can find links to see what a Marblehead ballot will look like, and read candidates’ answers to questions about where they stand on issues. The booklet also includes the text of each of five binding statewide ballot questions and statements that describe the effect of a yes or no vote. And
you can even take the booklet into the voting booth with you if you wish.
This year I’m pledging to fully participate by not only casting my ballot, but also by knowing the policies behind my choices and how they will shape the future direction of my town, my state and my country.
Nancy Powell Front Street
Where is the greater good in our society?
To the editor:
One good thing about AI is that it can capture well documented concepts from the past that have been lost to us in the present. I think one such concept is the greater good. ChatGPT defines the greater good as “a philosophical concept that suggests that certain actions or decisions are justified if they serve the betterment or well-being of
a larger group or community, even if they may cause harm or sacrifice for individuals within that group.”
But where is the sacrifice for the greater good today in our society? In the past year, I have read an article in this paper about homes being sold to people for use as Airbnbs, out of reach economically to those who would make a “home” in this town, but profitable to those who can afford the investment. I have repeatedly read of people’s unwillingness to approve higher taxes and desire to lower the assessments of their homes, even while the community struggles to find budgetary funds to pay teachers and improve schools.
Sadly, the idea of “greater good” seems to have fallen prey to self-interest. These days, most of the people of this town are wealthier than ever, but also more isolated from each other than they have ever been. Anxiety and depression
minute she’s in your house, eating spaghetti-o’s and begging for one more Dr. Seuss bedtime story. The next minute, she’s gone. Her room empty, the house that much quieter. But I don’t wonder what the point of it all was. You don’t have kids to do what you want. You have kids so they can go find what they want.
As always, if you’ve got an idea upon which I can embark for a Marblehead First Time, drop me a line at court.merrigan@gmail.com.
are on the rise and community engagement is at an all-time low. When will we realize that only by sacrificing self-interest can we truly come together and better this community?
Julie H Anderson, LICSW Marblehead business owner, resident of Flint Street, Salem A well-deserved honor
To the editor:
With such attention to detail and personal services at the beautiful Harbor Light Inn, it’s no surprise that it was awarded Business of the Year by the Marblehead Chamber of Commerce. Congratulations to the owners and staff who made this possible. They set a very high standard for hospitality! They also promote our local businesses every day to their guests. The town is fortunate to have such a special venue.
Marjorie Shea Phillips Street
When your child says ‘I’m stupid’
Navigating the homework struggle
BY LIZZIE ASSA
“I’m stupid! I can’t do this! My heart sank to the bottom of my belly when those words tumbled out of his mouth. We were all sitting around the kitchen counter: my third grader was working through some math problems, while my first grader and preschooler played “store” using playdough and small animals. I had already noticed him looking longingly at the playdough balls his sisters were kneading into shape for their pretend game — the one he usually leads with confidence. Instead, there was homework to do.
A newly minted third grader, his homework switched from weekly packets given on Monday
to be turned in on Friday, to daily assignments due the next morning. As a parent and an educator, I am staunchly opposed to homework, but we chose public school for our children, and it felt important at that time in my motherhood to “follow” the rules. At least when the homework was weekly, my little guy could build it into his weekly cadence of unstructured play, riding bikes and building an enormous Lego airport. He had some control over when it was optimal to complete homework. But in third grade, the rules changed.
He slammed down his pencil, put his head down in frustration, and said, “This is too hard!”
Then he kicked his chair out from under him and ran into the other room to cuddle our dog, who was nestled deep into the couch. I entered the living room
and put my hand on his warm, tousled hair, brushing away the tears streaming down his dirtstreaked face. God, parenting is hard. I also wanted to stomp and yell, “You’re not stupid! This work is stupid!” But I am an adult, so I refrained. I took some deep, soothing breaths, partly to co-regulate his breathing and partly to calm myself down. I grounded myself in my parenting values and my education background.
I put myself in his shoes. I thought about how I feel when something feels too hard and also necessary to complete. If I were putting together an IKEA shelf, for example, and I yelled out in frustration or stomped my feet, I would absolutely not want my husband to tell me, “Don’t scream and carry on. Get it done.”
It would not make me feel supported if I told my husband that even though I’m capable of completing a master’s degree,
I still can’t read the damn directions in a way that makes sense, and he responded with, “We don’t say the word stupid in our family.”
I thought about what would help him feel connected and understood, and be able to move through the hard feelings and do the next thing.
It’s intense to hear your young child say those things about themselves. It feels like you screwed up as a parent:
“Does my child have low selfesteem? Where did I go wrong?” “Does my child have a learning disability? “Why can’t he do his homework?” “He’s not allowed to say stupid; now his little sisters are going to copy him!” You want to immediately correct them! You want to whisk those thoughts and words far, far
LIZZIE, P. A5
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Columnist Court Merrigan drops his daughter, Ada, off at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland.
the usual 30-minute limit.
“This is significant legislation addressing a societal crisis, and without your ability as the AG to enforce this, there’s no real remedy here,” Justice Frank Gaziano said to Assistant Attorney General Eric Haskell, restating the AG’s position.
Haskell argued the law creates a clear mandate towns must follow regardless of local votes. Expanding on the state’s position, he explained, “Our view is that the Legislature included [the loss of state grant money] in [the law] so that municipalities would know there is going to be a concrete consequence of not complying, and it’s going to be automatic, and it’s going to be swift, and it’s going to be certain. But it does not in any way take the place of the power of the attorney general to enforce this mandatory state law.”
But Milton’s attorney, Kevin Martin, said the Legislature intended only limited financial penalties, not broad enforcement through lawsuits. The case has major
of Health member Tom McMahon and Health Director Andrew Petty to talk about rewriting Marbelhead’s dog bylaws.
“The current challenges are that there are 3,500 dogs in Marblehead with limited open space for them to run and one animal control officer,” Bedrossian wrote in notes from her meetings. “The dog park is very difficult to access based on recent construction. In efforts for owners to run their dogs, many are allowing dogs to run unleashed on playing fields and public parks. Most pick up animal waste, but many do not.”
Some off-leash dogs attack other animals and people, and some get hit by cars, Cruger said.
“I don’t know where the disconnect is,” Cruger told the Current. “I’ve had too many animals (who have been hit by cars) die in my arms or be deceased when
implications for Gov. Maura Healey’s efforts to tackle the state’s housing shortage.
Healey has made the MBTA Communities Act a centerpiece of her agenda, arguing it’s crucial for economic growth and housing affordability.
The oral arguments come just days after Healey announced the creation of a new $15 million fund to support housing development in communities complying with the MBTA Communities Act. Marblehead is not eligible for this funding, after rejecting zoning changes.
Currently, Marblehead stands among the 101 out of 177 communities that have yet to adopt the changes required by the Act, according to WBUR reporting.
In Marblehead, the debate has inflamed passions and dominated local politics for months. The Select Board on Sept. 11 decided not to call a special town meeting to reconsider May’s vote rejecting zoning changes.
But supporters argue noncompliance could prove costly. Marblehead risks losing access to 14 state grant programs and faces potential legal action from
I get there.”
The proposed Pooch Pass would allow dog owners to run their dogs off-leash at certain times of day in specified areas, including Riverhead Beach and Back Beach (at the Neck end of the causeway). Dogs with a Pooch Pass would also be permitted on the sidelines at playing fields while on leash and under control of the owner.
Bedrossian has looked at Pooch Passes offered in nearby communities, including Swampscott.
In Marblehead, owners who want a Pooch Pass would sign a document that their dog is wellbehaved and can be under control on command.
Owners could buy a Pooch Pass each year when they renew their dog license.
Bedrossian mentioned a possible cost of $25 for the Pooch Pass.
“At 50% participation at $25 per pooch, projected revenue would be $43,750,” she wrote.
Money raised would go
The potential for Harris to become the first woman and first Black woman to serve as president resonated with some voters. Koopman expressed excitement about this possibility.
“I’m hopeful for this election. I really hope this could be the time for the first woman president,” Koopman said.
British expat Paul Mason, who became a U.S. citizen in the 1960s and worked on George McGovern’s presidential campaign, offered a nuanced view of past presidents.
“Obama was a great president in many ways, but he left a lot of things unfinished,” Mason said. “Clinton, for all his personal characteristics, has to be probably the most effective president. I think Biden was great. I think he’ll go down as being one of the good ones.”
Deep political divide
The deep political divide in the country was a concern for many voters.
“I’m more worried about the divide between people,” Koopman said. “There’s really no middle ground or options. I feel like a lot of people are torn, and it’s hard to find common ground. Many people are making choices based on personal opinions and
the attorney general.
The town has $285,000 in pending FY25 grants through MassWorks and Livable Communities, but it is uncertain what happens when the compliance deadline of Dec. 31 passes. Legal fees for fighting a lawsuit from the attorney general could range from $25,000 to $75,000, according to the town.
Housing advocates say the law is needed to spur construction of apartments and condos near public transit. Critics contend it infringes on local control and could alter community character.
At the hearing, several justices questioned whether withholding grants provides enough incentive for towns to comply, given the law’s goal of addressing the housing crisis.
The court also grappled with the law’s impact on local democracy, a key issue in places like Marblehead where voters have rejected zoning changes.
“You’re not arguing that the board of selectmen did anything wrong, are you?” Justice Gabrielle Wolohojian asked Haskell. “It seems to me that what you’re actually arguing is that, it seems to me you’re
almost taking on the right to the franchise of the citizens of Milton.”
In this context, “franchise” refers to the fundamental right of citizens to vote and have their votes respected in matters of local governance. Wolohojian’s question suggests concern that enforcing the MBTA Communities Act might override the democratic will of Milton’s residents, who exercised their voting rights to reject zoning changes. This judicial scrutiny highlights the tension between state-level housing goals and the principle of local selfgovernance, a core issue for towns like Marblehead facing similar decisions.
These questions highlight the central tension many communities face: whether to bow to state pressure or stand firm on local autonomy.
John DiPiano, a Marblehead attorney and leading opponent of the MBTA Communities Act, described the justices as “white hot” in their questioning, particularly of the Attorney General’s office.
“The panel appeared to indicate that ‘guidelines’ are normally ‘background’
toward setting up 20 waste stations around town and possibly adding a gate to the field at the former Coffin School so the area can be used for off-leash dogs. Cruger said the Eveleth School could also be a site for a dog park. How the new rules would be enforced still needs discussion. Rec & Parks members discussed having volunteer auxiliary
officers reporting scofflaws to Cruger. They also talked about increasing off-leash fines. Cruger proposed $100 for the first offense and $250 for subsequent offenses.
Other questions include how to handle service dogs and therapy dogs, and whether guests and short-term renters would be allowed to get Pooch Passes.
views, even hatred, rather than what’s best for the country.”
Mason expressed concern about the potential aftermath of the election.
“The country is in turmoil, isn’t it? I think it’s in turmoil over a very contentious election, which is going to be really close,” she said. “No matter what happens, a huge number of people are going to be upset.”
Mason noted the stark difference in political climate now compared to previous elections.
“McGovern’s loss was terrible, you know, but we moved on, and you didn’t think any worse of the people on the other side of the ticket,” Mason said. “But this election is entirely different.”
The candidates’ temperament was a subject of debate among voters. Fred and Elise Brink
expressed support for Harris, citing concerns about Trump’s leadership
“I feel we’ve had enough confusion when Trump was president,” Elise Brink said. “I want somebody who can help everyone calm down, although there are a lot of challenges right now. I don’t think Trump is the person to handle this. He brought chaos with him.”
Fred Brink added, “The political situation has gotten really complex and confusing. When you look at the current list of who’s in office, you realize we’ve got to do better than that.” Mason echoed this sentiment, framing the election as a choice between “sanity versus insanity.”
Not all voters shared this view.
Shea Hogan, a 22-year-old senior at Endicott College and Trump supporter, felt that the media
provisions,” DiPiano said. He noted that justices used phrases like “agency run amok” and “guidelines improperly implemented” when probing the import of the fact that the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities did not utilize the procedures outlined in state law Chapter 30A, which agencies are required to follow when implementing regulations. Justices questioned whether “guidelines” were the functional equivalent of regulations and whether EOHLC skipped an important step by not exploring their impact on small businesses, as Chapter 30A requires.
More generally, DiPiano interpreted the justices’ tone as skeptical towards the AG’s position.
“While I really try to stay away from predicting judicial outcomes based on oral arguments, my instinct is that this was not a good day for the MA AG or Healey-Driscoll,” he wrote in an email. “My instinct is that most of this panel suspects that there is a palpable element of government overreach by the executive branch at hand.”
The justices normally render their decisions within 130 days.
Bedrossian emphasized that proposals are in the early stages, and she hopes to get public feedback on any plan before it goes to Town Meeting this May.
“The community will be invited to an advertised public meeting to offer insights, suggestions and concerns before any decisions are made, and I would like to see that happen late fall, but nothing is set in stone yet,” she said. “This is complicated because it is a problem requiring feedback and collaboration from multiple departments: Rec & Parks, Board of Health, schools, animal control, town clerk and the town administrator.”
Stephen Cooper, who leads Friends of Marblehead Dog Park, says he would purchase a Pooch Pass to fund dogrelated initiatives in town (including the dog park), but he wouldn’t let his dog off leash.
“That’s not the way I exercise my dog,” Cooper
unfairly portrays the former president.
“I turn on the news every day, and it just seems like they’re constantly criticizing Trump,” Hogan said. “You never see anything positive about him.”
Hogan pointed to examples of Trump’s interactions with voters that he believes are underreported.
“You see these acts that Trump is doing, like when he went to a grocery store and handed a lady $100 bills to pay for her food,” Hogan said. “I feel like I see more instances of Trump trying to help people, but these aren’t reported as much.”
Foreign policy and ongoing conflicts abroad were also on voters’ minds. Hogan expressed concern about the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
“You see two wars going on, with the conflict in Ukraine approaching three years,” Hogan said. “It’s scary to think about. You don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
With passions running high on both sides, the outcome of this election is likely to have a significant impact on the community and the country as a whole. As Mason observed, “No matter what happens, people are going to be very, very upset.”
Does history offer a clue?
In the 2016 presidential
said about his German shepherd, Aflie. “He’s always on lead, and he behaves well on lead. I can keep him safe and keep other dogs safe.” Cooper said he only lets his dogs off leash in the dog park, in his own yard or in friends’ fenced-in yards.
Bedrossian outlined the following as some next steps as the town explores changes:
Determine how the program will be administered and tied into dog license renewal, beginning in July 2025. Reach out to other municipalities to determine Pooch Pass participation levels to forecast revenue. Address enforcement options with Rec & Parks auxiliary officers. » Determine the best locations for dog waste stations and create a bidding process for maintenance, restocking and waste removal.
election, Marblehead voters showed a clear preference for the Democratic ticket. Out of 15,808 registered voters, Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine received 8,111 votes — capturing 61.6% of the ballots cast. The Republican nominees, Donald Trump and Mike Pence, garnered 3,759 votes — or 28.6% of the total. The town saw an 83.2% voter turnout, with 13,158 total votes cast.
The 2020 presidential race saw Marblehead residents reaffirm their Democratic leanings — with increased voter turnout. From a pool of 16,539 registered voters, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won 10,128 votes — representing 70.6% of the total — a significant increase from the Democratic share in 2016. Trump and Pence, running for re-election, received 3,790 votes — or 26.4% of the ballots. This marked a slight increase in raw votes for the Republican ticket compared to 2016, but a decrease in overall percentage. The town’s voter turnout rose to 86.7%, with 14,343 total votes cast. Early voting for this Nov. 5 election begins on Oct. 19 at Abbot Hall. Town Clerk Robin A. Michaud encourages residents to take advantage of early voting opportunities, which run through Nov. 1. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 26; to register, visit sec.state.ma.us/ OVR/.
CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER Should dogs be allowed on Marblehead beaches without a leash?
A bar graph shows Marblehead’s presidential election results in 2016 and 2020.
BY WILL DOWD
The Current welcomes submissions (150-200 words) to the news in brief. Send yours to wdowd@marbleheadnews.org.
#PracticeSafeChecks
Marblehead Bank has joined the nationwide #PracticeSafeChecks campaign to combat rising check fraud.
The bank, partnering with the American Bankers Association, launched consumer education efforts Oct. 1. The campaign aims to raise awareness about check fraud, which has nearly doubled since 2021.
Key tips include using permanent gel pens, filling all blank spaces on checks and considering digital payment options when possible. For more information, visit practicesafechecks.com.
More sidewalk repairs underway
Crews are repairing concrete sidewalks on State Street between Front and Washington streets.
At Village School on Village Street, workers are installing ADA-compliant curb ramps and repairing sidewalks. Both projects may cause lane narrowing. Work starts at 7 a.m. daily.
The repairs stem from a 2021 Town Meeting article on roadway and sidewalk improvements. Officials advise caution and alternate parking during construction.
Leaf collection
The town has announced its 2024-2025 schedule for curbside leaf and grass collection. Residents can expect collections to occur on their regular trash and recycling days during specific weeks throughout the year. In 2024, collections are scheduled for the weeks of Oct. 15, Nov. 25 and Dec. 2. The schedule continues into 2025 with collections planned for the weeks of April 21, May 12 and June 2. It’s important to note that this service is exclusively for leaves and grass. The town emphasizes that only leaf bags should be used, and plastic bags will not be collected or emptied.
To maintain the quality of the compost generated from these collections, bags containing brush or other materials will not be accepted.
Town Hall on Veterans Day
The Marblehead Select Board has approved a request by U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton for the use
of Abbot Hall, 188 Washington St., for a Veteran Town Hall event on Nov. 11, at 1 p.m.
The event, aimed at providing veterans a platform to share their experiences, marks the continuation of a tradition that began in 2015. The Veteran Town Hall supports the transition of veterans from military to civilian life and fosters greater understanding within the community.
Halloween trick-ortreating downtown
The Marblehead Chamber of Commerce will host the annual trick-or-treat event in the business districts on Thursday, Oct. 24, from 4-6 p.m. The celebration invites children and families to enjoy trick-ortreating at businesses along Washington Street, Atlantic Avenue and Pleasant Street.
The following streets will be closed during the event for safety:
» Main closure: Washington Street will be closed from the bottom of Pleasant Street to Rockaway Street.
Detour routes:
» Traffic at the end of Pleasant Street will be detoured to turn left onto Washington Street.
Traffic on Washington Street will be directed to turn
left onto Rockaway Street.
» Additional road closure:
There will also be a closure at the top of Summer Street. These closures, effective from 4-5:30 p.m. on the day of the event, will ensure a safe environment for all attendees.
Residents and visitors are encouraged to look for a Halloween pumpkin image displayed in the windows of participating businesses, signaling where treats are available.
For more information about the event and specific street closures, visit marbleheadchamber. org or contact their office at 781-631-2868.
Early voting begins Oct. 19
Early voting for the upcoming election on Nov. 5, begins Oct. 19. Voters can cast their ballots early at Abbot Hall, 188 Washington St., from Oct. 19 through Nov. 1. The detailed schedule is as follows:
Saturday, Oct. 19: 9 a.m.-3
p.m.
Monday, Oct. 21: 9 a.m.-1
p.m.
» Tuesday, Oct. 22: 9 a.m.-1
p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 23: 1-5 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 24: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
are even collaborating with duck manufacturers to create ducks showcasing Marblehead spirit.
» Friday, Nov. 1: 8:30 a.m.-Noon Town Clerk Robin A. Michaud urges residents to take advantage of these times to vote early. For further details or inquiries, call 781-631-0528.
Dollars for Scholars to host 5K
Marblehead Dollars for Scholars will host its 11th annual Run for the Fund 5K and Family Walk on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 9 a.m. at Devereux Beach. The scenic course loops around Marblehead Neck and is open to runners and walkers of all levels. Proceeds benefit needbased scholarships for local college students. Pre-register by Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. for $35 (adults) or $25 (students ages 10-18). Race day registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Prizes will be awarded to top finishers. Register at tinyurl.com/bp57zy9t. Race day registration accepts cash, checks and Venmo.
Miles for Mary announces events to support brain cancer research
CLARIFICATION
A photo caption in the Oct. 2 edition of the Current should have included that Sustainable Marblehead organized the Sustainability Fair on Sept. 28.
Miles for Mary, a Marblehead nonprofit dedicated to brain cancer awareness, announces two upcoming events to support treatment research: » 5K Run/Walk: Oct. 19 at Devereux Beach. Preregistration $30; race day $35. Research Seminar: Nov. 4 at Eastern Yacht Club. Registration $60. The organization honors Mary Park of Marblehead, who died from glioblastoma in 2012. Since 2013, Miles for Mary has raised $700,000 for brain cancer research at Mass General Cancer Center. Funds support Dr. Elizabeth Gerstner’s work, which organizers said showed promising results in shrinking brain tumors. According to organizers, over 25,000 new brain cancer diagnoses are expected this year; glioblastoma has a 6.8% five-year survival rate. For more information, contact Bill Park at wpark05@gmail.com or Nate Walton at nywalton@ gmail.com.
Marblehead Select Board seeks volunteers
The Marblehead Select Board seeks volunteers for various town committees and commissions. Current openings include:
» Cable Television Advisory Committee: Three vacancies, one-year terms.
Conservation Commission: One vacancy, three-year term.
» Design Review Board: One vacancy, three-year term.
» Fair Housing Committee: One vacancy for an alternate member, three-year term. Marblehead Cultural Council: Four vacancies, three-year terms.
» Marblehead Community Access and Media, Inc.: One vacancy, three-year term. MBTA Advisory Board: One vacancy, one-year term.
» Task Force Against Discrimination: Two vacancies, one-year terms. The Board encourages applicants to attend a meeting of their chosen committee and contact the chair for more information. Interested residents should submit a letter of interest and resume to the Select Board at Abbot Hall, 188 Washington St., or email wileyk@marblehead.org.
The Magicians duck will be ready for sale by the holiday season.
Ducks range in price from $8.99 to $25.99.
“We designed a Marblehead Magicians duck as well,” said Mandy. “Everyone worked together, even our daughter Sophia was involved in this.”
While a store specifically for rubber ducks may sound crazy to Americans, it’s very popular in many European cities. The rubber duck trend started in Amsterdam, and quickly spread out across Europe to cities like Venice, Paris, and London. The Labraicos are focused on selling ducks that will be sustainably and naturally produced, with as few chemicals as possible.
“Right now we’re trying to move towards more sustainable ducks,” said Courtney. We carry an entire line of sustainable ducks, and a couple from other brands, but eventually we would like to have our own sustainable brand.”
They also plan to donating ducks for charity rubber duck races on the Charles River. Mandy and Courtney think that this duck store will bring the Marblehead community together, and give people joy. “I feel like Disney World is no longer the happiest place on earth,” said Mandy. “I think it’s the duck store.”
Wicked Ducks sells an array of rubber ducks, ranging from farm animals to imaginative creatures like pirate ducks. Each duck is crafted with themes and personalities.
CURRENT PHOTOS / GREY COLLINS
A special collection of “Jaws”-themed rubber ducks is featured at Wicked Ducks. Mandy and Courtney Labraico’s shop offers both novelty and pop culture-inspired rubber ducks, adding fun and variety to their Marblehead store.
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Maps show where the town is installing new sidewalks.
CURRENT PHOTO / WILL DOWD
In this scene from last year’s festivities, children and families don costumes and fill Washington Street for the town’s trick-or-treating event. The Chamber of Commerce is set to host this year’s celebration on Thursday, Oct. 24, from 4-6 p.m.
COURTESY PHOTO / POLINA TANKILEVITCH
The town announces leaf collection days.
Sports
BY LEIGH BLANDER
programs
BY LEIGH BLANDER
Drew Gally is a 26-yearold technical management consultant living in New York City, but he still remembers his third grade championship win with his Marblehead Youth Basketball Association team, the Magic. He’s pretty sure his trophy is still in his boyhood bedroom in Marblehead.
“I just loved competing against my friends. It was really my first intro to basketball, and I made friends with all the kids on my team,” Gally told the Current.
Gally went on to play hoops in high school and still plays today in a rec league in Manhattan.
MYBA is celebrating its 20th season this fall with new and
Nearly 200 people picked up their paddles for the Move4Heather Pickleball Tournament at the Veterans School, raising $20,000 for brain cancer research.
The tournament was organized by Marblehead Pickleball and Friends of Marblehead Basketball. The money raised will go to the Heather Walker Glioblastoma Fund. Walker died from the disease in April 2023, after raising $700,000 for research through the Move4Heather fund. Her family and friends are continuing the fundraising and awareness campaign.
“Heather’s strength, determination and motivation to do something to research for a cure (and start Move4Heather) while undergoing treatment inspired us to help meet her goal of raising $1 million for Move4Heather,” said Lauren Andriano with Friends of Marblehead Basketball.
To contribute to Move4Heather, visit danafarber.jimmyfund.
org/site/TR?team_id=9903&fr_ id=1600&pg=team.
BY JOE MCCONNELL
It was apparent from the opening minutes of the Sept. 27 game against Salem at Piper Field that the Marblehead High boys soccer team (6-2-3) would be bringing its best effort to the pitch on senior night.
Following the pregame ceremony honoring the 22 MHS seniors, the Magicians overwhelmed the visiting Witches (2-7-1) to the tune of 7-0 as a result of an opportunistic offensive attack and defense that was second to none.
Scarcely three minutes into the game, Miles Fontela-Tuttle, a junior striker who has emerged as a major threat this fall, fired a blistering shot through the middle, which bounced off a defender, and went high in the air and past the Salem goalie’s outstretched arms to account for the game’s first goal.
expanded events, including a special celebration for adults at The Beacon Restaurant on Oct. 29, 5-7:30 p.m.
Registration for the 2024-25 season is open through Oct. 15, and boys in grades 3-8 can sign up at marbleheadyba.leagueapps. com.
“At its core, it’s about basketball,” said MYBA President Bob Lemmond. “It’s about kids getting out into the gym, being on a team, having fun, competing and making friends.”
About 300 boys on 30 teams participate in MYBA each season, playing nearly 450 games. It takes about 70 volunteers,
With 12:37 remaining in the half, David Magen hit a low roller just outside the reach of the Salem goalie. It ended up nicking the left post, before going into the net for the team’s second goal of the game.
With just over five minutes left in the half, defender T.J. Kelly lofted a long kick from midfield after a foul. Yuri Volkoff then picked off the ball and ripped it high in the air again, before it eventually fell just below the crossbar that resulted in the third goal. In the second half, the Marblehead offense
In the early going, Marblehead moved the
and with precision. The
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Nearly 200 people participated in the Move4Heather Pickleball Tournament the last weekend in September.
ball skillfully
pace
HOOP Dre AMS
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Before the Sept. 27 game against Salem at Piper Field, the Marblehead High boys soccer seniors lined up for a photo on their night. They are, from left, first row, Graydon Waller, Rory Zampese, Marco Bonolume, Yuri Volkov, Quinn Fletcher, Luke Miller, Reece Moore, Stefan Shepard and Lucio Geraci. Top row, Dylan Gilmore, Kyle Hart, Oliver Murtagh, Sean O’Grady, John Bender, Aidan Vizy, Sean Heenan, Colin White, Pun Mahantasanapong, James Achterhof, Marc Grazado, Leo Burdge and Lorenzo Gaudioso. Missing from photo, Max Dressel.
Sammy and Stephen Walker at the pickleball tournament in Heather Walker’s memory.
From left, Ellen Ziff-Kessler, Jackie Pollimeni, Jill Gridley, Anne Tassel and Celeste Ignacio show off their hardware at the Move4Heather Pickleball Tournament.
COURTESY PHOTO / VICTORIA DOSCH
MYBA players compete during a recent season.
MYBA, P. A11
Captains Wales, Monaco assess the state of football Magicians during bye week
Beverly visits Thursday night to begin second half with the playoffs on the line
BY JOE MCCONNELL
The Marblehead High football team (2-2) has reached the halfway point of its regular season, and what better time to have a bye week to take a deep breath and recharge the batteries.
With four games down and four to go before the playoffs begin on Nov. 8, the Magicians are ranked 13th in Division 4, as of Oct. 4. The top 16 teams in each division make the postseason, and after an 0-2 start against Bishop Fenwick (256) and King Philip Regional (4013), the Marblehead boys have regrouped nicely to dominate Shepherd Hill Regional (55-8) and North Andover (37-6).
In the era of the power rankings, it’s not necessarily all about the record, because a team’s strength of schedule is also a critical factor in determining its playoff worthiness. With that said, King Philip (4-0,second seed) and North Andover (2-1, 19 th seed) are in Division 2, while Bishop Fenwick (3-0, third seed) is in Division 5, and Shepherd Hill (1-2, 19th seed) is in the same division as Marblehead.
Add it all up, and coach Jim Rudloff’s squad is in the playoffs right now, but there’s obviously work to be done. They still have to navigate their way through the Northeastern Conference (NEC) schedule, where they went undefeated last year in the Dunn Division with a 4-0 record to secure the NEC divisional title. They were 5-5 overall, 3-4 at
playoff time, but they still made the postseason as the 15th seed after beginning the season 0-4.
In the playoffs, they defeated Middleboro, 21-12, before losing to Grafton, 17-6 in an Elite 8 game. Both encounters were on the road.
The Magicians will start up again Thursday night (Oct. 10) at home against Beverly.
Peabody then comes to Piper on Oct. 18, followed by Masco on Oct. 25. All three games will begin at 7 p.m. They will then be at Danvers on Nov. 1 to face the Falcons at 6:30 p.m. At that point, the final rankings will be announced to determine who makes the playoffs. In four weeks, they could end up with a winning record, which could
also give them a home game in the Round of 16. But coaches like Marblehead’s Rudloff never look that far ahead, it’s all about taking it one game at a time for them.
In the meantime, two of Marblehead’s 2024 captains — Colt Wales and Crew Monaco — took time on their bye week to assess the season for this week’s
Marblehead Current. Beyond practicing for the second half of the season, Wales and Monaco and their teammates attended a couple of Friday night high school games on their bye week, not as fans, but as scouts. They took in the Masco at Peabody game for one
Check out the Magicians weekly sports notebook
BY JOE MCCONNELL
Volleyball team outlasts Reading in grueling match
The Marblehead High volleyball team (7-4) kept up its winning ways against nonleague host Reading in a highly competitive match that took all five games on Sept. 20, before coming out on top, 3-2.
The Magicians took the first game after serving aggressively from the service line. But the Rockets came back strong with consistent returning serves. The visitors, however, eventually prevailed in this back-and-forth encounter.
Sammy Walker had her first career double/double with 17 kills and 15 digs to help lead her teammates to victory. Greta Sachs was equally impressive with 11 kills, three blocks and seven aces.
The team was also superb on defense, led by Megan Parkman, who had six kills and 12 digs. But beginning a new month on Oct. 1, the Magicians were on the other end of a marathon match, when the Masconomet Chieftains came to Marblehead to secure the victory, 3-2.
Mari Modrynska was credited with 12 kills, while Sachs had nine to go along with four blocks to help push another match to its limit. Sydney Faris and Walker each chipped in with eight kills. As a team, the Magicians had four players in double digits with defensive digs. After a few days off, the Marblehead girls took on host Saugus on Oct. 7 after press deadline, before coming home to go up against Peabody Oct. 9, starting at 5:30 p.m.
first overall.
Potach.
They took the next four places, respectively.
Three days later, coach Brian Heenan took his team to Warwick, R.I. to participate in the annual Ocean State Invitational.
The varsity team ended up ninth overall in the championship division. They were led by Assa (16:03, seventh) and Cerrutti (16:17, 15th ). Will Cruikshank, Szalewicz and Potach also ran well against their regional counterparts.
In the JV race, Alpert came home with a medal after finishing 19th. In the freshmen race, Victor Pechhold, coming in 18th, also brought home a medal.
After 10 days off, these Magicians return to the Northeastern Conference Oct. 9 to go up against host Masco, starting at 4:30 p.m.
Boys cross-country runners remain perfect on the season
On Sept. 25, the boys crosscountry team defeated Winthrop
by a virtual shutout, 15-50 over the 3.05-mile course at Gatchell Park to remain undefeated after four meets. The Marblehead boys were led
by four-year senior runner David Alpert,
COURTESY PHOTOS
The Masco and Marblehead volleyball teams collected over $4,000 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation during their Oct. 1 match in Marblehead. The fundraiser was held to honor Marblehead’s Sammy Walker’s mom, Heather, who lost her battle from brain cancer 18 months ago.
Marblehead senior volleyball captain Megan Parkman celebrates a point with her teammates against nonleague host Reading on Sept. 20.
COURTESY PHOTO / EYAL OREN, WEDNESDAYS IN MARBLEHEAD
Marblehead High football captain Crew Monaco (18) stiff-arms a North Andover defender to gain some more yards during the Sept. 27 away game in North Andover. The Magicians dominated the home team, 37-6 to even their record at two, before the bye week.
Wednesday, Oct. 9
4 p.m., golf, vs. Winthrop, at Tedesco Country Club
4 p.m., boys soccer, vs. Beverly, at Beverly High
4:30 p.m., girls and boys cross country, vs. multiple schools, at Bradley Palmer State Park, Topsfield
5:30 p.m., volleyball, vs. Peabody, at Marblehead High gym
7 p.m., girls soccer, vs. Beverly, at MHS Piper Field
7:30 p.m., field hockey, vs. St. Mary’s, Lynn, at Manning Field, Lynn
Thursday, Oct. 10
4 p.m., golf, vs. Swampscott, at Tedesco Country Club
7 p.m., football, vs. Beverly, at MHS
Piper Field
7 p.m., football cheerleading, vs. Beverly, at MHS Piper Field
Saturday, Oct. 12
8:40 p.m., girls and boys cross country, Twilight Meet, Cape Cod Fairgrounds, Falmouth
Monday, Oct. 14
11 a.m., girls soccer, vs. Manchester-Essex, at Manchester-Essex Regional High
6 p.m., field hockey, vs. Swampscott, at MHS Piper Field
Wednesday, Oct. 16
11:30 a.m., golf, NEC Open, at Tedesco Country Club
4:30 p.m., girls and boys cross country, vs. Peabody, at Peabody Veterans Memorial High
4:30 p.m., unified basketball, vs. Saugus, at Marblehead High gym
5:30 p.m., field hockey, vs. Malden Catholic, at Malden Catholic
5:30 p.m., volleyball, vs. Beverly, at Beverly High
6:30 p.m., boys soccer, vs. Danvers, at Danvers High
7 p.m., girls soccer, vs. Danvers, at MHS Piper Field
Thursday, Oct. 17
4 p.m., field hockey, vs. Masconomet, at MHS Piper Field
5:30 p.m., volleyball, vs. Ipswich, at Marblehead High gym
Friday, Oct. 18
4 p.m., girls soccer, vs. Winthrop, at Winthrop High
4 p.m., boys soccer, vs. Winthrop, at MHS Piper Field
family-friendly league. It’s not a try-out league; it’s a sign-up league. We had about 100 kids the first year.”
including coaches, to run the season.
It all started in 2004, when Paul Mitchell and three friends — Phil Coughlin, Bill Quigley and CJ Millett — decided Marblehead needed a youth basketball league.
“The four of us pulled the thing together,” Mitchell said with a chuckle. “We didn’t know how to rent gym time. We didn’t know how to get uniforms. We didn’t know anything. We called it the
From P. A10
Mitchell ran the league for 18 years before stepping down two years ago. Asked about his favorite memories, he couldn’t pick just one.
“The kids are so much fun to watch, that’s really it,” he said. “You watch a bunch of fifth graders play a game and then a kid hits a tie-breaker… One time my grandson hit a threepointer to win a game. Those championship games at the Veterans gym — we had a high school
O’Connell leads the way again to help best Winthrop Marblehead High junior cross-country running whiz Marri O’Connell (22:51) rolled to another first-place finish to lead her teammates past visiting Winthrop, 17-42 on Sept. 25. The Magicians are now 2-1-1.
Freshman Ruby Assa (22:53) and sophomore Evelina Beletsky (23:12) secured the next two spots, and Evie Becker (25:03) accounted for fourth. Mary Donnellan (26:25) came in seventh. Emma St. George (27:16) and Anna Cruikshank (27:19) rounded out Marblehead’s top seven runners, finishing ninth and 10th overall. Maren Potter (27:20) was right on their heels to cross the finish line in 11th place.
“It was another strong showing from our young core, with Assa and Beletsky, in particular, improving on their times from the previous meet against Swampscott on Sept. 18 by 44 and 45 seconds, respectively,” said coach Will Herlihy.
Three days later on Sept. 29, the Marblehead girls competed in three races at the annual Ocean State Invitational in Warwick, Rhode Island.
In the championship 5K race, featuring 92 runners, O’Connell (19:06) ended up 1st.
The varsity 2 5K race for small
student from an a cappella group sing the national anthem, and the kids were standing at mid-court like they were at the Celtics. Those things sound a little hokey, but they’re wonderful.”
This year, MYBA is growing its travel program to include grades 4-8 and expanding its James Galante Memorial Tournament. Meet Your Team Night is scheduled for Nov. 13.
“It’s a pretty crazy night with 300 boys in one gym,” Lemmond said.
For more information, visit marbleheadyba. leagueapps.com.
school teams had 252 runners in it. Beletsky (23:30.9, 84th), Abbie Goodwin (24:44.6, 141st), Potter (24:50, 143rd) and St. George (26:59.2, 198th) competed for the Magicians.
A total of 84 runners entered the freshmen 2 4K race, which was also for small school teams.
Assa (18:00.9, 13th ), Becker (18:47.4, 25th ), Donnellan (19:48.4, 47th ) and Cruikshank (22:18, 65th ) were the local runners in this race.
“The field of runners at this invitational meet includes some of the best teams throughout New England, plus teams from New York, New Jersey and even a team all the way from California,” said Herlihy.
“Overall, this is the most competitive field that we will compete against this season.
Goddard Park in Rhode Island is a challenging course that doesn’t lend itself to fast times in the best of circumstances, and that day’s conditions made it especially difficult,” he added. “With runners at all levels struggling in the heat and humidity, as well as on the soft and sandy course, the trials really zapped everyone’s legs, but, despite everything, we still had great performances in all the races.”
O’Connell had her first true test of the season, and she walked away very happy with her result, according to Herlihy. “Despite the slow course, Marri finished 11 th against some of the very best runners in the region, while
7 p.m., football, vs. Peabody, at MHS Piper Field
7 p.m., football cheerleading, vs. Peabody, at MHS Piper Field
Saturday, Oct. 19
10 a.m., boys soccer, vs. Everett, at MHS Piper Field
Monday, Oct. 21
6 p.m., volleyball, vs. Haverhill, at Marblehead High gym
Tuesday, Oct. 22
4 p.m., unified basketball, vs. Danvers, at Marblehead High gym
4:30 p.m., field hockey, vs. Saugus, at MHS Piper Field
5:30 p.m., volleyball, vs. Danvers, at Danvers High gym
Thursday, Oct. 24
6 p.m., volleyball, vs. Swampscott,
at Marblehead High gym
6:30 p.m., boys soccer, vs. North Andover, at North Andover High
Friday, Oct. 25
4 p.m., field hockey, vs. Beverly, at Beverly High
7 p.m., football, vs. Masconomet, at MHS Piper Field
7 p.m., football cheerleading, vs. Masconomet, at MHS Piper Field
Saturday, Oct. 26
TBD, football cheerleading, varsity invitational, at Billerica Memorial High
10 a.m., girls and boys cross country, NEC League, at Stage Fort Park, Gloucester
10 a.m., girls soccer, vs. Lynnfield, at MHS Piper Field
also beating all, but one runner from the impressive California team,” he said.
The veteran Marblehead coach also said that Beletsky really shined in her 5K debut. “Running 23:30 on a slow course is a great sign for the sophomore, who has been having an outstanding first season in cross country to date,” Herlihy continued.
Goodwin and Potter, Marblehead’s two senior veterans, also raced well on the challenging course. They showed that they are trending in the right direction for the postseason. St. George also had her best performance of the season, while also making her 5K debut.
In the freshmen race, Marblehead had two runners win medals. Assa came in 13th , and Becker 25th to earn those awards. Donnellan had a bold start to the race, and battled all the way to the finish to account for a very solid 47th place, while also keeping her average mile under eight minutes, which is a great sign for a young harrier. Cruikshank rounded out Marblehead’s freshmen, and she completed the race 65th overall.
“All of these young runners already have so much to be proud of, and this race was just another great showing for the future of this program,” said Herlihy.
Herlihy’s squad will get going again at Masco Oct. 9 to run against the rival Chieftains in the NEC, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Girls soccer picks up three more points
On Sept. 27, the girls soccer team (4-3-4) shutout Salem, 5-0, before tying Peabody, 1-1 to begin a new month last Tuesday. Both games were on the road.
Sydney Ball (2 goals), Courtney Hitscherich (2 goals) and Lucy McDonald (1 goal) were credited with the scores against the Witches. Lucy Church (2), Nora Mahan (first varsity career point), Callie Gilmore (1) and McDonald (1) had the assists. Goalie Lily Heller recorded the shutout after making just one save.
Coach Lisa Wales pointed out after the Salem game that Hitsherich was able to add to her season goal total with five. She also mentioned that Ashley Mortensen had a solid defensive game at midfield, and Ainsley McDonald and Ava Machado once again anchored the defense.
“This was our sixth game in the past two weeks, with five of those games being on the road,” added the second-year coach. “We have faced some adversity and key injuries, but to get a team win against Salem and a tie versus Peabody were terrific ways to close out this two-week stretch.”
In that Peabody game, the Magicians battled hard to earn the tie. Callie Gilmore evened the score for the visitors on a penalty kick, and her sister Hailey came up with four saves in net.
“This game was similar to the first time we played (Peabody),”
said Wales. “We had multiple opportunities, but could not find the back of the net. The Peabody keeper made some great saves, while her teammates were able to hold us off. We played hard during the entire 40 minutes, but just weren’t able to finish.”
These Magicians finally came home. They first took on Gloucester on Oct. 7 after press deadline. Beverly comes to Piper Oct. 9 for a 7 p.m. game.
Golfers fall to host Beverly
After beating host Peabody, 41-31 on Sept. 25, the Marblehead golfers (9-3) dropped a 45-27 decision to the Panthers at the Beverly Golf & Tennis Club last Tuesday to start a new month. Freshman Greyson Leventhal was the only Marblehead player to win a match, 5-4, while Jacob Hershfield ended up earning a tie. He was also the team’s medalist against Beverly after shooting a 36.
These Magicians are currently in the middle of four matches in as many days to close out the regular season. They opened up against Danvers at Ferncroft on Monday, before facing nonleague St. Mary’s of Lynn also on the road Oct. 8, both after press deadline.
Coach Bob Green’s club is now back at Tedesco, where they will be going up against Winthrop Oct. 9 and rival Swampscott tomorrow. Both matches are slated to begin at 4 p.m.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Back in the day: MYBA’s four founders, from left, are Bill Quigley, Phil Coughlin, Paul Mitchell and CJ Millett.
Above and below: Looking back at championship teams in the early days of MYBA
From P. A9
Trunk or treat fun for families Oct. 25
SUBMITTED BY THE LYNCH/VAN OTTERLOO YMCA
To register for any of the programs below, visit tinyurl. com/4v3xxrvb.
Trunk or Treat: Free community event
On Friday, Oct. 25, from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA back parking lot, join us for a free Trunk or Treat open to the community. This family-friendly trick-or-treating experience is for everyone. Wear
your costume, play games and win prizes.
Friday Night Fun
Every Friday night from
away... Pause. Breathe.
Your child is frustrated. Something is hard. In the moment, something feels impossible for them to solve.
You have two choices: You can open the conversation, or you can shut it down.
Connection and understanding help you to open the conversation, allowing for further inquiry and support. Correction and a big reaction close the conversation down, leaving your child alone in their struggle.
I will always aim to parent from a place of connection over
correction. I won’t always be able to do it, but I will try. We tend to parent our children the way we were parented, and if you, like me, came up in the 80s and 90s, you were probably told things like, “We don’t say I can’t” and “Try, try again!” It would make sense if you hear yourself repeating these phrases. But if you want to try things another way for your child, here are a few examples of how to reword your response for connection:
Child: “This is too hard!”
You: “No it’s not. You can do it.” >>> “Does it feel like you should already know how to do it?”
Child: “I’m too stupid.”
You: “No, you’re not. Don’t say that.” >>> “It must feel like you’ll never get it right.”
5:30-7:30 p.m. Kids ages 5-13 years are invited to spend a fun evening with their friends swimming, dancing, playing games, doing gymnastics
Child: “I don’t know how.”
You: “I saw you do it yesterday!” >>> “Sounds frustrating. Can I help you think it through?”
Meet your child where they are in the moment of frustration instead of correcting them. Think of how you want to be encouraged when you are down on yourself.
Pro parenting tip: If homework is too hard, give your child a Post-it note and have them write to their teacher: “I don’t understand this problem, can we work on this in class?” or “I tried to complete this but I got too frustrated.” It is not your job as a parent to teach your child concepts; that is your teacher’s job. Instead, teach your child to respectfully advocate for themselves by communicating
and creating crafts. Members $15, community $25.
The Clubhouse program
The Clubhouse runs 4-6 p.m. and invites kids ages 7-12 for enriching activities, group games, journaling and crafts … while their families use the Y.
Jr. Celtics Academy is back
The Y’s Jr. Celtics Academy registration is now open. We are proud to say it is the top recreational basketball league on the North Shore and is in
with their teacher using the Post-it note method.
Whew. Parenting, right? It’s a wild ride, especially when our kids are struggling.
So, next time your little one is in tears over homework (or anything that feels too big for them):
Breathe. I know, insert eye roll. But trust me, it helps.
Remember: connection before correction. Your child needs to feel heard more than they need a quick fix.
Try rephrasing. Instead of “You’ve got this!” maybe “It sounds like this feels really hard right now. Want to talk about it?”
That Post-it note trick? It’s a game-changer. It teaches kids to speak up for themselves respectfully.
partnership with the Boston Celtics. The program includes 12 weeks of comprehensive curriculum and gameplay starting Dec. 2.
Teen leadership program
This free teen leadership program is open to members and the community. The program will run on Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. for teens aged 13-17 years old. This program will allow for teens to build their social, emotional and professional skills.
Go easy on yourself. We’re all just winging it here. The fact that you’re even thinking about this stuff? Your kid is lucky to have you.
Your job isn’t to make everything easy for our kids. It’s about being there, in the trenches with them, when things get tough.
You’re doing great. They’re doing great. Even when it feels like you’re both falling apart. Now, go scoop up that frustrated little human of yours and give them a big squeeze. Chances are, you both could use it right about now.
Lizzie Assa is founder of The Workspace for Children, a parenting strategist, play expert and mother of three who lives in Marblehead.
half after watching Beverly at Danvers. They will be playing against all four teams over the next month.
“(The bye week) was not much different than any other week. It was basically the same stuff,” said Wales. “We studied Beverly, and then went out on the field and practiced hard for them.”
These captains are like their coaches. They don’t want to get too far ahead of themselves.
“At this point, it’s just whoever is next and the practices this week,” said Wales. “We’re keeping our heads down and going to work, because we want to get even better as a team. Right now, it’s just not one thing we have to get better at, it’s everything. We want to improve together as a team.”
Four games into the season, Wales has nothing but praise for the offensive line. “The whole offensive line deserves recognition, in my opinion,” he
said. “They have been working hard all season, and they’re going to keep it going.”
Monaco says he wanted to maintain the same schedule as always, even on the bye week.
“We wanted to continue our high energy practices, even though it’s hard when you don’t have a game on Friday night. I think we did a really good job staying focused,” Crew said. “We’re continuing to get better. I really think this week was huge for us,
because we were able to heal up, while continuing to work in practice. We had the same routines, which I think definitely helped us to stay on track and not mentally drift away during the bye week.”
The team has definitely grown since the start of the season, according to Monaco, but he continued, “a 2-2 record isn’t going to get you anywhere, but after a bye week it’s almost like getting a fresh start. Our goal
score.
looked effortless, but it was anything but that. It was a brilliant display of one-touch passing that switched the field and opened a seam for Fontela to bang another one home. The offense then picked up more steam, with numerous players contributing. Fullback Luke Miller received a pass
from Ilan Druker, and placed an opposite foot shot through the Salem defensive line, which clanged off the left post. Minutes later, with the game getting away from the Witches, Fontela-Tuttle netted his hat trick goal on a strike near the goal line. Stefan Shepard had brought the ball to the corner, before firing it low across the crease that the Salem goaltender couldn’t wrap up, giving Tuttle the opportunity to pop the bobbled ball in for another
Striker James Achterhof was a solid presence on the left side throughout the game. He had several solid runs in space, before ultimately notching a goal with 10 minutes left after catching the goalie off guard with a crafty move, before following it up in style with a celebratory backflip. His goal was started by goalie Rory Zampese, whose long ball carried nearly the length of the field.
right now is to go 1-0 for that specific week, before moving on to the next game.”
Monaco mentioned that coming back from an 0-2 start is something they can be proud of, and winning those last two games certainly gave them more momentum heading into October. “But for us, it’s all about who we play that upcoming Friday night and no one else,” he added. The senior slot receiver
Midfielder Marc Grazado closed out the offense with a goal in the waning minutes of the game after taking a feed from Kelly.
The Marblehead boys then faced an improved and determined Peabody Tanners team (5-4-1) on Oct. 1. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.
The Tanners took the early lead on a play that unfolded after a defensive lapse directly in front of the goal. Marblehead later tied it up after Fontela-Tuttle was
stresses the need to improve on eliminating mental mistakes. “We want less and less of those each week,” Crew said. “We’re definitely not satisfied, and again we want to clean up those small mistakes, so every Friday night can be perfect.”
Crew added that it’s been a team effort to get back to the .500 mark, but if there’s a group to single out, he wants to give a shou-tout to the defense. “They have really stepped up and are getting better all the time,” he said. “We’re very happy about that, because our offense can feed off their stops to turn turnovers into points.”
It’d be almost two weeks since the football Magicians last played a game, when the bye will finally come to an end Oct. 10 with NEC rival Beverly in town for the 7 p.m. kickoff at Piper. And you can be sure Wales, Monaco and their teammates will be ready to extend their winning ways to three in a row to keep on moving up in the power rankings.
dropped in the penalty box. He then converted on the ensuing penalty kick.
The Magicians were off for a few days, before taking on Gloucester on Oct. 7 after press deadline. They will follow up that contest with a rematch against host Beverly on Oct. 9, starting at 4 p.m. On Sept. 16, they lost a close decision to the Panthers at home, 1-0.
Troy Miller contributed to this article.
Marblehead High senior quarterback Colt Wales (2) has a clear track to the endzone during the Sept. 27 away game in North Andover. The Magicians dominated the Scarlet Knights, 37-6.
Moulton delivers domestic violence materials to local businesses
BY LEIGH BLANDER
The Marblehead Children’s Center had a special visitor on Oct. 1, when Congressman Seth Moulton hand delivered materials from HAWC to mark the first day of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
HAWC (Healing Abuse, Working for Change) supports survivors of domestic abuse in 23 cities and towns in Essex County.
Moulton participated in HAWC’s campaign Community C.A.R.E. — Creating Awareness, Resilience and Empowerment — to raise awareness of domestic abuse, promote resilience
among survivors and with the community, and empower individuals to take a stand against abuse.
The congressman, who grew up in Marblehead, distributed HAWC brochures and hotline cards at several locations in town, including the Children’s Center, Cutting Edge Hair Studio, Studio V Hair and the Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA.
“HAWC is always ready and willing to provide services” to domestic violence survivors, Moulton said as he handed the materials to Gail Arsenault, Marblehead Children’s Center director.
“I work with a lot of women, either as employees
or parents, and I’ve used HAWC as a resource several times,” Arsenault said. For the drop-offs, HAWC chose places in town that women frequent.
Arsenault and MCC Chief Operating Officer Maura Phelan also spoke to Moulton about the challenges of running a small family business.
“There are a lot of people who are not wealthy and need help,” Arsenault said. “Times are tough for so many working families.” Arssenault added that many families need scholarships to cover their childcare costs, and she encouraged Moulton and Congress to work on more early childhood funding.
BY MELISSA STACEY
The following is an interview with Christiana “Iana” Plum, owner of Beach Plum Interiors, conducted by Discover Marblehead. Beach Plum Interiors is an interior design firm offering a range of services from single-room decor to home renovations. To learn more about their design offerings, go to beachpluminteriors.com.
Tell us about Beach Plum Interiors. Beach Plum Interiors is a premier coastal interior design firm, based in Marblehead, specializing in creating functional, aesthetically pleasing spaces. With over 30 years of experience, we offer a range of services from single-room decor and furnishings to comprehensive home renovations. Our designs blend timeless aesthetics with the practicalities of coastal living, tailored to the unique tastes of our clients. Our clientcentered approach, attention to detail and emphasis on quality make us the go-to choice to bring coastal elegance to your homes.
Beach Plum Interiors isn’t just a business it’s my way of life; where I leave the world better than I found it. There is power in design, I love that responsibility. As a business owner, it never shuts off. I started Beach
Plum a decade ago to provide a better life for my son and I. Commuting was taking a toll on me and taking up precious time. My son had just started school and the guilt of not being present for all the things was enormous. It was a huge leap of faith as a single parent but one I knew could transform our lives. The community I’ve created, and continue to create, is beyond words. We live in a very special place where we look out and support one another. It takes a village. Thank you Marblehead.
What is the piece of business advice you’ve ever been given? Do what makes you happy. Happiness is the point of everything. Everything else will fall into place.
What is your favorite spot in Marblehead, and why? I spend most days in the built environment, so I crave being in nature. My favorite spot in Marblehead is the harbor, it’s so picturesque, regardless of the season, although my favorite is summer. I am a water lover and I’m happiest
when I am near it, in it or on it. Paddleboarding in the harbor is my favorite way to start each day. Exploring the various coves and navigating the trawl line, make it so much fun. We’re blessed to be surrounded by such natural beauty. I mean really, pinch us ... we live here.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? I have an adventurous spirit and enjoy challenges which allow me to see my boundaries and edges. Challenges give you the opportunity to expand yourself. Life can change in an instant. Back in 2018, my infant son and I were homeless after selling my marital home as part of my divorce agreement. My son wasn’t old enough for daycare at the time, and with no local family I wasn’t able to work as he needed care. Little did I
know that I would not be able to find another home until I had a job. It was a weird series of unfortunate events. Thankfully, we found a home six months later for all of us, even our dog.
This story isn’t about hardship, it’s my invitation to be brave. When you’re going through hell ... keep going. Those dark years taught me everything is possible. Since then, I’ve traveled continents alone, climbed mountains as a lead climber, jumped out of a plane, started a thriving business, learned to sail a townie and am raising a teen. I’m living big today and every day. It’s a choice. As my favorite author penned, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
The business spotlight is a
Congressman Seth Moulton delivers
Marblehead Children’s Center and speaks with
Phelan, left, and director Gail Arsenault.
Marblehead’s best bets
Current Events spotlights exciting happenings in the coming week. If you’d like to contribute a listing, please email Current editor Leigh Blander at lblander@marbleheadnews.org. Leigh Blander
Leonard Nimoy’s son speaks at JCC
Wednesday, Oct. 9, 7 p.m.
The JCC, 4 Community Road, kicks off its 30th Jewish Book Month speaker series tonight. While the tabloids and fan publications portrayed the Nimoys as a “close family,” to his son Adam, Leonard Nimoy was a total stranger. The actor was as inscrutable as the iconic half-Vulcan science officer he portrayed on “Star Trek,” even to those close to him. Now, his son’s poignant memoir explores their complicated relationship and how it informed his views on marriage, parenting and — later — sobriety. Tickets are $30. Visit jccns.org.
Wire tree art
Thursday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m.
Learn how to create a wire tree in any style on a rock you provide during this two-hour class at the Marblehead Arts Association, 8 Hooper St.
(The rock should be the size of an adult’s closed fist.) The MAA will provide all tools and materials. Participants are encouraged to bring their own refreshments. MAA members $65, non-members $75. More info at marbleheadarts.org.
Dance
party
Saturday, Oct. 12,8-11 p.m.
Come dance to the eclectic acoustic rock of the Guy Ford Band at The Beacon Restaurant, 123 Pleasant St.
Sew a blanket for a furry friend
Tuesdays, Oct. 15 and 22, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Children ages 7 and up are invited to Abbot Library, 235 Pleasant St., for stories about shelter pets and adoption. Kids will then make warm, fuzzy blankets to donate to dogs and cats at local shelters. The work involves sharp scissors and the ability to tie knots. Children may have a caregiver working with them if needed. Sign up at tinyurl.com/ sew-a-pet-blanket.
BY BENJI BOYD
There’s plenty to see down at the Marblehead Arts Association, 8 Hooper St., this month.
Stunning photographs from MAA members and Marblehead High students are joined by solo shows from Paul McMahan, Larry Dunn, Peggy Schrage and MHS senior Lucy Bland. These exhibits are available for viewing Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. until Nov.
3. The MAA holds several member shows each year, including a summer and winter exhibition displaying different mediums. Since Sept. 28, MAA photographers have had their time to shine in their own private exhibit.
From Marblehead seascapes to abstract compositions to tailored portraits, there’s a photo to capture every imagination.
The ground floor of the King Hooper Mansion contains not only the first section of photography, but two solo shows. Paul McMahan’s watercolor exhibit displays paintings of sunsets over water, blooming flowers and practicing musicians in a vibrant, almost
Indigenous Peoples Day celebration
Monday, Oct. 14, 11 a.m.
The Marblehead Museum and Marblehead Indigenous Peoples Day Committee will host their annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Abbot Hall auditorium, 188 Washington St. The event is free and open to the public.
Native American storyteller Anne Jennison will share the stories of the Abenaki/Wabanaki peoples. Indigenous artisans will also be on hand to share their artisanal traditions and sell their goods.
Poetry Salon
Thursday, Oct. 10, 2 p.m.
The Poetry Salon at Abbot Public Library will focus on contemporary American poet Ellen Bass. Widely published, Bass’ poems have appeared in journals and anthologies including the New Yorker, the American Poetry Review and Kenyon Review. In an interview, Bass states, “I always wanted to write poetry because poetry is really where my heart is. It’s my way of life, and my way of grappling with my
Jazz at the Arts
Thursday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m.
The Marblehead Arts Association and Gene Arnould present a special performance by Elaine Woo and Tim Ray as a part of the Jazz at the Arts concert series. Tickets are $35 and the evening will include a cash bar (doors open at 6:30 p.m.). Tickets are available online or in advance at the MAA or at Arnould Gallery in Marblehead. marbleheadarts.org
experience and my way of paying attention, my way of giving thanks, my way of being outraged — my way of living in the world.”
Join Claire Keyes, professor emerita at
Pumpkin Illumination
Thursday, Oct. 24, 4-6:30 p.m.
Sign up now for the annual Pumpkin Illumination at the Jeremiah Lee Mansion Garden, 161 Washington St. Entry is free. More info at tinyurl.com/ MFFPumpkins.
on her
dreamy colorful style. Down the hall, Bland’s exhibit “Growing Up Lucy” displays her skills with oil paint and pastels in a series of work reflecting
symbolic meaning. The Cushman Gallery for Young Artists carries on the theme with a showcase of work from middle and high school photographers. On the same floor, Larry Dunn’s “Automotive Portraits” shows a variety of vintage cars rendered in black and white.
“Cars have personalities,” Dunn wrote in his artist’s statement. “I explore the look and personalities of many iconic automobiles and bring them to life.” Across the hall, Pegge
Schrage’s “Through the Years” exhibition is what she describes in her statement as a “visual cacophony” of colors, mediums and subject material. Unique ceramic bowls and plates, watercolor still-lifes of flowers and scenic views, and clay statuettes of horses and human forms share the space as an ode to Schrage’s love for the breadth and variety of the Marblehead arts scene. All of the current exhibits are also available for viewing at marbleheadarts.org.
CURRENT PHOTOS / BENJI BOYD
Susan Irene Correia’s Judge’s Choice winner “Eyes on You” captures a running horse in black and white.
SIMON BROOKS PHOTO
Salem State University, for a reading and discussion of Bass’s poems in-person or via Zoom. Registration is required to attend in person or via Zoom at tinyurl.com/ Ellen-Bass-Salon.
Glover Broughton: Privateer, prisoner and hero
This is the final in a series of article about the history of Marblehead’s proud privateers
JO ANN AUGERI SILVA
Glover Broughton (1796-1869) was born in Marblehead, the fourth son of Nicholson and Susanna Glover Broughton. He was a direct descendant of the Capt. Nicholson Broughton who commanded the Hannah, the first armed ship of the American Navy. Glover Broughton was a teenager, just 15, when he joined the crew of the privateer America, and was serving on the ship when it was captured and its crew imprisoned at the infamous Dartmoor Prison in Britain.
His letters and papers leave little doubt that Glover Broughton was a hero. He was able to escape from Dartmoor, where the British government insisted on holding American prisoners of war well after peace had been declared and the War of 1812 was over. Broughton drew the world’s attention to the inhuman treatment prisoners were subjected to in a rhyming long form poem that detailed the April 6, 1815, massacre that took place at Dartmoor. He also drew a map of the prison from memory to accompany the poem.
Once Glover Broughton returned to Marblehead, he became a successful merchant and also served the town of Marblehead in a variety of offices including town clerk and postmaster. One of the driving forces throughout his life was his determination to pursue government pensions for his fellow privateers and their widows. To make sure he missed no one, Broughton made a handcalligraphed alphabetized list of every one of the 726 Marblehead men who served as privateers from 1812-1815, and added the names of nine additional privateering men from other towns who had been imprisoned at Dartmoor with him.
As Broughton viewed it, the United States government granted pensions to seamen in the Navy and soldiers in
the Army, so why not grant privateers, who served with the same valor and whose prizes helped fill the country’s coffers, the same benefits?
Broughton drew the map and wrote the poem mentioned above as part of his efforts to
obtain pensions and benefits for surviving privateers and their widows and children. His vivid portrayal of the “horrid massacre” made the name of “the blood thirsty Shortland,” the officer who ordered his men to fire on the prisoners,
anathema to generations of Marbleheaders.
The Broughton family papers, stored in acid-free boxes in the Marblehead Museum, contain letter after impassioned letter from Broughton and others to Congress, detailing the dedicated service and hardships endured by privateers and asking for fair treatment of privateers and their survivors.
Broughton was particularly incensed that the Bounty Land Act of 1855, which granted tracts of 160 acres in the West and Midwest to veterans, specifically excluded privateers. As the years passed, his letters became more impassioned. He also wrote pension applications for many privateers and their families.
Broughton’s efforts and determination, along with the persistence of Marbleheader James Gregory, were finally successful, after many years pleading their case, and in some years persuading the House of Representatives to grant the pensions but failing to convince the Senate.
Broughton’s direct descendant and namesake, Glover Broughton, 96, of Marblehead, has read numerous books about his famous ancestor and has a restored lithograph of Dartmoor hanging in his dining room. While the 19th-century Glover Broughton wasn’t a direct inspiration in his life, he relates that both he and his father chose to serve their country on the sea.
“My father was a Marine after
the First World War,” Broughton said. “He served on an aircraft carrier. So when I graduated from high school he said ‘You’re either joining the Marines or going to college.’ I chose the first one.” Broughton’s tour of duty was from 1946 until just before the Korean conflict. Asked if he enjoyed his career on the sea, Broughton laughed and, like a true Marbleheader, replied, “Of course!”
He didn’t give up on college, though — using the benefits of the GI Bill he graduated from Wentworth College and was hired by the former United Shoe Machinery right out of college. He retired at age 57 after 33 years. Not that he’s the least bit idle — he keeps a busy schedule that includes a weekly round of golf, a pastime he’s enjoyed most of his life.
As this series has shown, with the help of Marbleheaders on land and at sea, the often dangerous job of privateering was an effective help to the new democracy, filling its nearempty coffers and the pockets of the seamen who successfully returned home after dangerous voyages. There are many other parts to this story — perhaps members of your own family were among the valiant privateers.
Marblehead resident Jo Ann Augeri Silva, a retired journalist, author, public relations professional and educator, was an editor of the Marblehead Reporter.
Defining Marblehead, and the nation’s, identity in the Federal period
BY PAM PETERSON
The eagle is a stern board from an early 19th-century vessel. It is owned by the
but the
and the
are unknown.
The most famous oval room in the world is the oval office of the White House, original to the design of the building in 1800, and called the yellow oval room at the time. The current Oval Office, used as the president’s office, was built when the west wing of the White House was
During the Federal period, 1780 through 1830, the ideals and goals of the new United States were evolving. Both state and national laws were decided, and Elbridge Gerry and Azor Orne were active in Massachusetts lawmaking. Gerry was also influential at the national level. The new Federal style focused on democratic ideals in government, politics, and the arts and culture. The Federal style defined America’s national identity. New state and national buildings reflected the philosophical goals of the United States. Details inspired by the world’s great democracies, Greece and Rome, were incorporated, using swags, garlands, urns and columns. New shapes and grand silhouettes reflected changing ideals that formed a new kind of society. As the 18th century drew to a close, Georgian architecture began to change both in England and in the United States. The Adams brothers enhanced the angular Georgian style of architecture with more arched and circular windows, and when possible, oval shaped rooms.
added in 1909. It was during the Federal period that the American bald eagle became a symbol of the United States. The eagle immediately became a popular symbol in Marblehead. It was part of the official U.S. seal in 1782, but the eagle was not officially adopted as the national bird until seven years later. The
vote did not go through without a fair amount of dissension. Benjamin Franklin, by this time an elder statesman, highly disapproved of the eagle as our national bird.
“The bald eagle is a bird of bad moral character ... he is like those who live by sharping and robbing. The turkey is a much more respectable bird and a true
native of America.” Despite arguments and lobbying for other birds, in 1789 George Washington became our first president and the American bald eagle became our national bird. Pam Peterson chairs the Marblehead Historical Commission. She is the former Marblehead Museum executive director.
MA rbLeHe AD cHrONIcLeS
COURTESY PHOTOS / MARBLEHEAD MUSEUM
A drawing of Dartmoor Prison, dated 1815, by Glover Broughton.
The Arbella, captained by Marbleheader Robert C. Hooper, was typical of ships used for privateering.
A portrait of Glover Broughton (1796-1869), a Marblehead-born privateer, who escaped the notorious Dartmoor Prison after his capture during the War of 1812.
COURTESY PHOTO / RICK ASHLEY
Marblehead Marblehead Museum,
maker
ship
Local hummingbirds fly south
BY RICK CUZNER
This time of year usually marks the end of
hummingbird season. They have started, or are about to start, their migration south. I usually leave the
feeders out a bit longer, just to make sure. This is one of the last rubythroated hummingbirds I saw in my backyard.
Overall, it was a pretty good year. I had a handful that would visit daily, allowing for some decent backyard photography.
These tiny birds, weighing about three grams, arrive in the region in May and typically depart by early October. During their stay, they play a crucial role in pollinating wildflowers and garden plants. Many rubythroated hummingbirds from New England make an astounding nonstop flight across the Gulf of Mexico during migration, covering about 500 miles in 18-22 hours.
The Marblehead Current is proud to partner with photographer Rick Cuzner. Over the past 16 years, he has taken thousands of nature photographs.
The deadline to apply for funding for the 2025 calendar year through the Marblehead Cultural Council is Oct. 16. The Marblehead Cultural Council is one of 351 local organizations that are funded directly from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Each year, the Marblehead Cultural Council grants thousands of dollars to individuals and nonprofits that support community cultural, artistic, scientific and historical activities. In the past, the MCC has funded everything from live performances and art installations to murals and field trips. All projects must benefit Marblehead residents.
“Our 11-member council is excited about this upcoming application cycle,” MCC Chair Jennifer Uhl said. “We hope to see this process result in many meaningful and inspirational projects in and around our beautiful town.”
Uhl encouraged residents to attend upcoming events supported by council, including the Global Music Discovery Series at Me&Thee on Oct. 18 and the sixth annual Indigenous Peoples Day observation on Oct. 14. The MCC continues to place an emphasis on new, emerging and established artists and programs in local venues as well as racially and culturally diverse programming.
Interested parties may submit their online applications and learn more at masscultural council. org/communities/localcultural-council-program/ application-process. For additional questions, the Marblehead Cultural Council can also be reached MarbleheadCultural Council@gmail.com or at marblehead culturalcouncil.org.
