The Select Board met Monday to discuss the logistics of the special election for Marbleheaders to make their voices heard once again regarding 3A zoning compliance.
This comes after John DiPiano, a community member who has been consistently vocal against MBTA 3A zoning, gathered over 1,200 signatures for a referendum vote: the first in Marblehead’s history. This Select Board meeting was triggered once the town clerk was able to validate at least 300 of those signatures, therefore moving onto the next step in this referendum process.
The Select Board motioned Monday that the special election will be held July 8, and while the referendum states that polling locations must be opened at 2 p.m. and “shall be closed no earlier than 8 o’clock in the evening,” it has not been confirmed when voting will close on July 8. DiPiano asked the Select Board to consider keeping the polls open until 10 p.m., but that was not addressed by the Board during the meeting.
The question asked on the ballot will be: “Shall the Town vote to approve the action of the Town Meeting wherein the Town Meeting voted to approve Article 23, the adoption of the three G.L. c40A sec. 3A zoning overlay districts?”
If someone were to vote yes on this ballot, they would be upholding the Town Meeting vote and voting in favor of 3A zoning. If someone were to vote no, they would be voting against 3A.
According to Select Board Chair Erin Noonan, the Board of Registrars will be meeting next week to determine “whether early voting will be happening in the June 10 election, and we’ve asked them to consider this issue of the special election as well,” and more details will follow.
