Saturday, May 18, 2013
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
Like pieces of a puzzle that don't quite fit together yet, the Big Three may have been separated at birth, but with each incremental step their destinies seem to grow more intertwined. No, we're not talking about those Big Three - Gov. Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and Speaker Robert DeLeo - though they play major character roles in this thickening plot. Instead, three bills have come to define the early months of the 2013 legislative agenda and resolutions on tax hikes, local road funding and the annual state budget continue to be elusive and dependent on one another. Patrick spent the early part of his week welcoming British Prime Minister David Cameron to Boston for a few quick meetings and a visit to the Copley …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Board of Selectmen remains the same. New faces on the Light Commission, Planning Board, Housing Authority and School Committee.
In an election that attracted only 2,470 voters, the people of Marblehead Monday made very few changes in the town's leadership. Only five positions were contested, which attracted only 14.2 percent of the electorate. Town Clerk Robin Michaud, who was re-elected without opposition, said the average turnout runs about 20 to 21 percent of the electorate. The five incumbents on the Board of Selectmen were easily reelected. Rose Ann Wheeler McCarthy, a member of the Cemetery Commission, tried unsuccessfully to unseat one of the Selectmen, but garnered only 573 votes. Judith Jacobi led the field with 1,786 votes. "At 73, I am glad the people still think I can serve," Jacobi said. James Nye had the second highest total with 1,775, followed by …
42.5039
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Philanthropic Lodge F. & A. M.
62 Pleasant St, Marblehead, MA
/articles/elections-brings-few-changes-to-town-government
183404
/locations/9385534
42.49335
-70.87128
Marblehead Community Center
10 Humphrey St, Marblehead, MA
/articles/elections-brings-few-changes-to-town-government
232461
/locations/9385535
Here is a list of the vote totals and winners for this year's town election.
Monday, May 13, 2013
It was a good night for incumbent Selectmen.
The Board of Selectmen will remain unchanged, as Marblehead voters overwhelmingly returned the five incumbents. Turnout was a low 14.2 percent, with 2,470 votes cast. According to Town Clerk Robin Michaud, who was herself re-elected in an uncontested race, a more usual voter turnout figure is 20 percent. Here are the unofficial results from the 2013 Marblehead Town Election: Top five (names in bold) are elected Two elected — This race wasn't contested, but does result in a new member of the School Committee, Meredith Tedford. Two elected One elected Two elected Gary Spiess was re-elected with 1,936 votes. Robin Michaud was re-elected with 1,926 votes. William Willis was re-elected with 1,786 votes. Richard Coletti was re-…
42.5039
-70.85395
Philanthropic Lodge F. & A. M.
62 Pleasant St, Marblehead, MA
/articles/marblead-town-election-results-2013
183404
/locations/9383956
42.49335
-70.87128
Marblehead Community Center
10 Humphrey St, Marblehead, MA
/articles/marblead-town-election-results-2013
232461
/locations/9383957
The air was brisk this morning but not the turnout at the Masonic Hall and Community Center.
As of 10:30 a.m., fewer than 250 voters had cast ballots at the Masonic Hall. That was 110 votes in Precinct 1, 77 in Precinct 2 and 59 in Precint 3 at the Pleasant Street polling place. Inside and outside the assessement was that the day's voting was starting out slow. "It's really slow," said Linda Nelson, a warden. Outside, among a huddle of campaign sign toters in the cool air, library trustee incumbent Phil Sweeney noted the slow pace, too. He had just voted. Town Clerk Robin Michaud said the pace was similar over at Precints 4,5 and 6 at the Community Center by the high school. The clerk did not want to venture a guess as to the final turnout but she estimated it would fall somewhere between 15 percent at the low end and 21 …
42.49335
-70.87128
Marblehead Community Center
10 Humphrey St, Marblehead, MA
/articles/turnout-might-be-on-the-low-side
232461
/locations/9381205
42.5039
-70.85395
The 9th Masonic District Lodge of Instruction
62 Pleasant St, Marblehead, MA
/articles/turnout-might-be-on-the-low-side
2054268
/locations/9381206
Here is a sample ballot, along with information on where to vote.
Today is the town election. Here is an example of the ballot you'll see when you vote. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Here's where you vote: If you're not sure which precinct you live in, the Secretary of State's Web site has a handy online look-up tool. Perhaps the most-watched race this year looked to be for two seats on the tumultuous School Committee. However, several candidates who had enough signatures bowed out, including incumbent Jonathan Lederman. That leaves only incumbent Kathleen Leonardson and challenger Meredith Tedford on the May 13 ballot. Residents will be asked back to the polls soon to vote on potential Proposition 2 1/2 overrides arising from last week's Town Meeting.
42.5039
-70.85395
Philanthropic Lodge F. & A. M.
62 Pleasant St, Marblehead, MA
/articles/town-election-is-today-1607c76d
183404
/locations/9380113
42.49335
-70.87128
Marblehead Community Center
10 Humphrey St, Marblehead, MA
/articles/town-election-is-today-1607c76d
232461
/locations/9380114
Here in one place are the letters Marblehead Patch received supporting various candidates for the 2013 Town Election.
Here are the letters Marblehead Patch received from residents in favor of candidates in the Town Election: Editor's note: Thank you, voters, for sending in your election letters this year in the form of blog posts, and good luck to all the candidates!
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
Massachusetts' problem is now Virginia's. After a macabre, around-the-clock stakeout of a Worcester funeral home this week by frenzied reporters and furious protestors, the remains of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev were secreted out of central Massachusetts and buried in a small Muslim cemetery in rural Virginia. No cemetery in Massachusetts, or public official for that matter, wanted Tsarnaev's body. And Gov. Deval Patrick just seemed relieved the tense standoff was over. "No. I have enough to do," Patrick said, when asked if he wished he had gotten involved to end the theatrics sooner. The April 15 attacks on the finish line of the Boston Marathon threw Beacon Hill policymakers off stride, quieting the raging debate …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Congressman leads Gabriel Gomez by 17 points.
A new Suffolk University/7NEWS (WHDH) poll shows a strong lead for Democratic U.S. Congressman Edward Markey over Republican businessman and former U.S. Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez in the race for the U.S. Senate special election. The poll of 500 likely voters has Markey at 52 percent and Gomez at 35 percent. Eleven percent of voters in the poll were undecided. A third-party candidate, Richard Heos of the Twelve Visions Party, got 1 percent and another 1 percent refused to respond. David Paleologos, of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston, said along with the announcement of the poll that Markey has "a large lead over his Republican opponent who voters are unsure about." Indeed, 32 percent of those polled said they'd …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Three non-money items that generated the most heat go down in defeat.
Voters at Town Meeting this week had little problem spending money on things like repairing the Abbot Hall clock tower, but they saw little reason to change the rules governing leaf blowers, flowers at the cemetery or how far playground equipment should be from backyard fences. Rita March sponsored the last article the Town Meeting members considered Monday night. It proposed that the town ban the use of gasoline-powered and electricity-powered leaf blowers during the year, except in April, May, October and November. March maintained that the leaf blowers cause serious public health risk with heightened air pollution and noise pollution. Several landscapers, including one man who carried a leaf blower as a prop, spoke against the proposed …
Matt
1:00 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013
Oh come on Rob C you don't to spend $14 to take a train ride to beautiful down town New Bedford? And John doe III give that money back to tax payers oh man your so funny. Its a good idea but you have a better chance of seeing the Pats, Red Sox ,Celtics and Bruins win the championship all in the same year. more ›