Deep dive
Marblehead is run by two parallel administrations, overseen by elected boards, all answerable to the town's registered voters.
Elect
Decide directly
~20 town departments, but only through the Town Administrator. Day-to-day operations are the TA's job, not the board's.
Sitting members
Can
Cannot
Sources
~430 school staff, but only through the Superintendent. The Superintendent is the sole employer for every teacher, principal, and aide in the district.
Sitting members
Can
Cannot
Sources
19 employees through the General Manager. A separate municipal enterprise governed by the commission, not by the town.
Sitting members
Can
Cannot
Sources
The appropriation step
Every registered voter is a member of Town Meeting. This is the only body in Marblehead that can appropriate town tax revenue. Boards can propose budgets and the Finance Committee can recommend, but the actual appropriation vote happens on the Town Meeting floor.
Asymmetric oversight
The Select Board oversees roughly 20 department heads through the Town Administrator. The School Committee oversees exactly one employee, the Superintendent. Override conversations often talk past each other because the two sides picture very different command structures.
Marblehead's unusual Finance Committee
The Association of Town Finance Committees' handbook surveyed Massachusetts towns and found that of 97 appointed Finance Committees, 70 are appointed by the Town Moderator, 13 by the Board of Selectmen, and 10 by some combination of officials. Marblehead is in the 13. That keeps its FinCom structurally closer to the Select Board than is typical statewide, even though the committee still votes its own recommendations and is advisory only.
State law makes the school committee an independent employer, so the town and schools each run their own administrative operation. The town side is grouped into five functional clusters; schools have a leaner two-cluster structure (Central Office + Buildings) because they serve a single mission. Click any card to reveal its positions, FY27 salary appropriations, and budget notes. Town counts are mostly FY26 headcount (includes part-time); school buildings show both town payroll headcount and the DESE educator FTE (SY2025-26 EPIMS). Hover any number for its basis.
Hired by the Select Board. Runs the day-to-day operations of every town function below.
Source
FY27 salaries $847K
Net dollar increase reflects a position shifted in from the eliminated Asst Department Head line. The two Division Head roles are Treasurer/Collector and Town Accountant.
Eliminated as a separate object code; functions consolidated into Division Head and Assistant Division Head. FY26 funded 3 positions (Asst Treasurer/Tax Collector + 2 Asst Acct). Reclassification, not a layoff.
FY27 reorganization places the two Asst Accountants here.
FY26 roster: 2 Senior Clerks. Override Presentation narrates a Senior Clerk cut here; the MUNIS dollar figure went up. Likely affects a Treasurer/Collector sub-pool that stays funded as a line.
Finance Director also serves as CFO. Town has no separate IT department, so IT reports through Finance.
Source
FY27 salaries $504K
MUNIS labels this as Dept Head in the Select Board cost center.
Position eliminated in FY27 balanced budget. The secondary Asst Dept Head (#2) line remains funded.
New budget line in FY27. Position itself existed in FY26 (per payroll roster) but moved from a different cost center per Article 20 of 2026 ATM warrant.
Reduced ~12.7%. Article 20 of 2026 ATM warrant reclassifies this position.
Separate Town Counsel cost center; contracted role, not salaried. Bulk of cost flows through Expense ($276K FY27 vs $113K FY26).
Administrative office supporting the five elected Select Board members. FY27 no-override budget eliminates one Assistant Town Administrator line.
Source
FY27 salaries $299K
Position existed in FY26 under a different object code; reclassified per Article 20 of 2026 ATM warrant.
Created January 2024. Marblehead's first dedicated HR department — previously handled informally out of the Select Board office.
Source
FY27 salaries $222K
Elected position; Article 18 of 2026 ATM warrant sets FY27 compensation at $97,460.
FY26 had 2 Special Clerks; ~48% dollar drop matches the Override Presentation cut from 3 to 2 employees.
Stipend line (Elections cost center).
Stipend line (Elections cost center).
Pool line (Elections cost center); paid only during election cycles.
Pool line (Elections cost center).
Pool line (Elections cost center); presidential cycle.
Pool line (Elections cost center); presidential cycle.
Town Clerk is elected (3-year term). FY27 no-override budget drops the office from 3 employees to 2.
Source
FY27 salaries $268K
Reports up through the Finance Director / CFO. The elected Board of Assessors (3 members) sets policy.
Source
FY27 salaries $4991K
MUNIS labels this Asst Dept Head; Annual Report 2025 maps it to Acting Captain.
Override Presentation: SRO eliminated under no-override; cut appears as reduced Patrolman headcount (FY27 staffing falls to ~29 officers vs ~33 historical). Patrol Officer + Detective titles roll into this MUNIS pool.
FY26 filled count combines E-911 Dispatch / Dispatcher / Telecommunicator titles.
Pool line.
Pool line.
All part-time school traffic supervisors; Annual Report 2025 lists 16 PT supervisors.
Stipend-only line (separate MUNIS cost center); PT appointment under Police.
FY27 no-override budget eliminates the School Resource Officer; staffing falls to ~29 officers (vs ~33 historical).
Source
FY27 salaries $5714K
FY26 filled count combines Fire Fighter and Firefighter titles. 'Down 1 full shift' in the Override Presentation refers to staffing per shift, not a single position.
FY27 no-override budget keeps headcount flat but cuts one full shift, relying on overtime containment. Salary line up ~8% to fund the firefighter union contract.
Source
Reports jointly to the Town Administrator and the appointed Harbors & Waters Board.
Source
Source
Water and Sewer share an elected commission (5 members, 3-year staggered terms) and a combined office staff.
Source
FY27 salaries $1868K
Override Presentation: 'Reduce dept. head to part time.' ~72% dollar drop is consistent with a switch from FT to PT, day-to-day operations devolved to Assistant Directors.
FY26 had three Assistant Director roles (Highway/Tree/Snow, Storm Sewer/Mechanics/Utility, Asst Director-Utility Coord); FY27 retains a smaller pool.
Article 20 of 2026 ATM warrant introduces 'Special Clerk (DPW)' as a new position grading.
New separate object code in FY27. FY26 had a Town Engineer position funded under a different line.
Pool line ~39% reduction; one position eliminated, remainder shifted into the new Working Foreman lines.
Override Presentation: 'No Laborer.'
Pool line ~47% reduction. The eliminated HEO is one of the three positions in the '2.5 positions cut' narrative.
New object code; absorbs the FY26 Specialized HEO pool previously billed against Heavy Equipment Operator.
FY27 no-override budget: Director cut to part-time, 2.5 operating positions cut, asphalt program eliminated. New engineering and foreman lines replace the eliminated ones; net dollars roughly flat.
Source
Office and administrative staff are shared with the Water Department under the joint commission.
Source
FY27 salaries $375K
Reduced ~47%; consistent with the 'reduce to part time' narrative.
Pool line ~43% reduction is the 'Cut 1 laborer' narrative.
Superintendent is appointed by the elected Cemetery Commission. FY27 no-override budget reduces the Superintendent to part-time and cuts 1 laborer.
Source
FY27 salaries $646K
Article 20 of 2026 ATM warrant reclassifies this title on the Administrative Pay Scale.
FY26 filled count includes 1 Specialized HEO + 1 HEO equivalent under this MUNIS line.
Curbside billing cost center; brand-new General Fund line in FY27 funded via the new annual fee (Article 23). Hauler contract and truck operators flow through Expense, not Salary.
Town runs the transfer station with 7 staff; curbside pickup is a contracted hauler. Question 2 on the June 9, 2026 ballot approved an override carve-out for trash costs.
Source
FY27 salaries $18K
Both custodians eliminated; FY26 served Mary Alley and Abbot Hall.
FY26 filled count: 1 year-round, 2 seasonal.
Building Commissioner doubles as Superintendent (salary sits in Building Inspection). FY27 no-override budget cuts both custodians for Mary Alley and Abbot Hall.
Source
FY27 salaries $588K
Also serves as Superintendent of Public Buildings.
MUNIS reorg; functions distributed across the new Local / Electrical / Plumbing Inspector pool lines.
FY26 filled count: 2 Local Building Inspectors.
FY26 filled count: 1 Head + 1 Assistant Electrical Inspector.
FY26 filled count: 1 Plumbing Inspector + 1 Assistant. Plumbing & Gas Inspector also functions as Assistant Wire Inspector per Annual Report 2025.
FY27 budget reorganizes inspector lines (Local, Electrical, Plumbing); net count and dollars roughly preserved. Building Commissioner also serves as Superintendent of Public Buildings.
Source
FY27 salaries $177K
Title clarified per Article 20 of 2026 ATM warrant.
Created at the May 2024 Town Meeting. FY27 no-override budget eliminates the Director, Sustainability Coordinator, and Grant Coordinator (~61% cut).
Source
FY27 salaries $254K
Dollar amount unusually low for a director; likely a stipend or shared-position arrangement. Worth verifying with HR.
One MUNIS line funds both the Health Inspector and Public Health Nurse positions per the FY26 roster.
The Director of Public Health is paid a stipend, not a full salary — likely a shared position. The Board of Health also oversees Solid Waste.
Source
FY27 salaries $666K
New explicit object code in FY27; FY26 payroll did not list an Assistant Director as a separate title.
FY26 roster: 2 Library Technical Assistants. Reduced ~32%; likely PT hours cut.
FY26 roster: 2 Senior Library Assistants (SR LIBRARY ASST + SENIOR LIBRARY ASSISTANT).
FY26 roster: 2 Library Circulation Supervisors. Reduced ~37%; likely PT hours cut.
Article 20 of 2026 ATM warrant updates the job description.
New position grading per Article 20 of 2026 ATM warrant.
Reduced ~35%; likely PT hours cut.
Reduced ~45%; likely PT hours cut.
Pool line ~53% reduction.
Pool line ~81% reduction.
Governed by the elected Board of Trustees (6 members), separate from Select Board oversight. FY27 no-override budget cuts the library ~42%, opens it 3 days/week, and loses state certification.
Source
FY27 salaries $702K
Article 20 of 2026 ATM warrant reclassifies this title on the Administrative Pay Scale.
Pool reduced ~17%; consistent with the 'Cut Groundskeeper' narrative (one of several positions on the line) via PT-hour reductions rather than a clean elimination.
Superintendent is appointed annually by the elected Recreation & Parks Commission. FY27 no-override budget cuts 1 Groundskeeper and ends pickup for the town's 187 public trash barrels.
Source
FY27 salaries $351K
FY27 no-override budget cuts the Nutrition Coordinator and Temporary Clerk.
Source
FY27 salaries $80K
Single-position office. Also serves as Flag Officer and Veterans' Graves Officer per Annual Report 2025.
Single-position office. The Veterans' Agent also serves as Flag Officer and Veterans' Graves Officer.
Source
Oversees about 430 staff across the five school buildings.
Source
Source
Director of Facilities was listed as TBD on the Administration page as of June 2026.
Source
Source
Source
Source
Source
Roles (DESE EPIMS, SY26)
Administrators 6.0 FTE
Instructional Staff 78.5 FTE
Instructional Support Staff 16.6 FTE
Instructional Support and Special Education Shared Staff 6.0 FTE
Special Education Related Staff 1.4 FTE
Medical/Health Services 0.8 FTE
Office/Clerical/Administrative Support 4.6 FTE
Paraprofessional 4.4 FTE
Named administrators
Source
Roles (DESE EPIMS, SY26)
Administrators 3.0 FTE
Instructional Staff 49.1 FTE
Instructional Support Staff 20.9 FTE
Instructional Support and Special Education Shared Staff 2.5 FTE
Medical/Health Services 2.0 FTE
Office/Clerical/Administrative Support 3.0 FTE
Paraprofessional 0.7 FTE
Named administrators
Source
Roles (DESE EPIMS, SY26)
Administrators 3.0 FTE
Instructional Staff 38.2 FTE
Instructional Support Staff 23.1 FTE
Instructional Support and Special Education Shared Staff 0.6 FTE
Special Education Related Staff 5.6 FTE
Office/Clerical/Administrative Support 3.0 FTE
Paraprofessional 2.0 FTE
Named administrators
Marblehead operates three elementary buildings: Brown, Glover, and Village. Bell, Coffin, Eveleth, and Gerry are former elementaries no longer in use as schools.
Source
Roles (DESE EPIMS, SY26)
Administrators 2.0 FTE
Instructional Staff 25.8 FTE
Instructional Support Staff 19.8 FTE
Instructional Support and Special Education Shared Staff 1.0 FTE
Special Education Related Staff 4.8 FTE
Medical/Health Services 3.0 FTE
Office/Clerical/Administrative Support 1.0 FTE
Paraprofessional 5.0 FTE
Named administrators
Source
Roles (DESE EPIMS, SY26)
Administrators 3.0 FTE
Instructional Staff 37.6 FTE
Instructional Support Staff 9.4 FTE
Instructional Support and Special Education Shared Staff 1.0 FTE
Special Education Related Staff 2.0 FTE
Medical/Health Services 1.0 FTE
Office/Clerical/Administrative Support 3.3 FTE
Paraprofessional 2.0 FTE
Named administrators
Source
Every administrator on the chart above answers to one or more elected or appointed boards. Three of them – Select Board, School Committee, and Finance Committee – drive the override debate and the overall budget. The rest set policy in their own domains.
Sets town policy, signs the warrant for Town Meeting, hires and evaluates the Town Administrator, makes most non-school appointments to boards and committees, and represents the town in intergovernmental matters.
Sitting members
Hires and evaluates the Superintendent, sets school district policy, votes the school operating budget request that goes to Town Meeting, and acts as the employer of record for collective bargaining with teacher and staff unions. Under MGL c.71 sec.34 the committee controls expenditures within the appropriated lump sum.
Sitting members
Reviews all town department budgets and warrant articles requiring town funds, holds public hearings, and publishes written recommendations (favor / opposed / table) to Town Meeting voters. Functions in an advisory capacity for all financial matters.
In most Massachusetts towns the Finance Committee is appointed by the Town Moderator. In Marblehead it is appointed by the Select Board.
Sitting members
Roster as of the 2025 Annual Report. The Select Board reappoints three-year FinCom seats each summer; reappointments for terms ending 2026 (Knight, Goolsby, Dube) would have been voted on after this page was built but the certified Select Board minutes from after February 2026 are not yet in the repo.
Presides over Annual and Special Town Meetings, decides questions of order, and declares votes. May appoint residents to special committees at the request of Town Meeting.
Sitting members
Custodian of town records, conducts town elections, certifies votes, records vital statistics, and prepares the ballot for town elections.
Sitting members
Approves land divisions, nonresidential buildings over 700 sq ft, residential construction over 500 sq ft in shoreline/harbor districts, smart growth special permits, wireless communication special permits, and incentive zoning special permits.
Sitting members
Enforces state and local health regulations, licenses food establishments, oversees septic and tobacco regulations, and responds to public health emergencies.
Sitting members
All three Board of Health seats were on the June 2026 ballot; the previous incumbents Amanda R. Ritvo (term 2028) and Thomas Andrew Massaro (term 2027) presumably resigned before the election, but the resignation minutes were not in the repo when this page was built.
Sets and certifies property valuations, classifies real and personal property, and rules on abatement applications.
Hears variance requests, special permit applications, and appeals of Building Commissioner decisions. May grant relief only when proposed changes will not adversely affect the neighborhood.
Manages and protects town conservation lands and administers wetlands protection laws and stormwater guidelines for construction projects affecting wetlands.
Identifies, evaluates, and protects historic resources; reviews demolition requests under the town's demolition delay bylaw; nominates properties to historic registers.
Oversees the Recreation & Parks Department, appoints the Superintendent annually, sets fees and policies for town recreation programs and park use.
Sitting members
All five seats are 1-year terms decided each annual election. Rossana Ferrante (2024-2025 on this commission) left mid-2026 to run for Select Board and won.
Oversees town cemeteries, sets policies for burials and lot sales, and appoints the Cemetery Superintendent.
Sitting members
Governs the Marblehead Municipal Light Department; sets electric rates, approves the MMLD operating budget directly (not subject to Select Board oversight or Town Meeting appropriation), and oversees long-range planning for the town's municipal electric utility.
Sitting members
Governs the Water and Sewer departments; sets water and sewer rates, approves capital projects, and protects the public water distribution system.
Sitting members
Sets library policy, hires the Library Director, approves the library budget and oversees library operations and the trust funds that support the library.
Sitting members
Recommends and implements programs for the efficient and equitable utilization of Marblehead's harbors and public waterfront areas. The Harbormaster reports to this board and to the Town Administrator.
Advises the Council on Aging department on programs and policies serving Marblehead residents age 55 and older.
The voters of Marblehead elect the boards, fund the budget, and have the last word on overrides and bylaws. Here are the levers, plainly.
This page is a point-in-time snapshot as of 2026-06-22 and will go stale after the next May election.