Citizen Group Revives Publication of Its Own Newspaper

After a year hiatus, the Hamilton-Wenham Free Press returned to mailboxes in the two towns last week.

The 12-page newspaper is a production of the citizen group Enough is Enough. This was the third year the group published its own newspaper, with articles coming from its membership. Articles range in topic from addressing local government and issues to a recipe.

“We skipped last year,” said Bob Gray, a member of Enough is Enough’s steering committee and one of the newspaper’s four editors.

The paper was first published in 2009 and again in 2010. It was started when Enough is Enough member Ed Howard, who owns an antique store in Essex, said something similar had been done in Essex.

Gray said the editor duties were shared among several Enough is Enough members - Gray and Howard plus Jay Burnham and Bruce Wadleigh.

The paper is the product of “ordinary citizens with concerns” and not professional writers, Gray said. It was printed in Portsmouth, N.H. and then sent out to 4,600 addresses in Hamilton and Wenham. It was shipped last Tuesday and arrived in mailboxes between Wednesday and Friday last week. A PDF version of the publication is attached to this story.

“We always try to time it before Town Meeting,” Gray said.

Wenham Annual Town Meeting is on Saturday and Annual Town Meeting in Hamilton is on May 12.

Gray said the group spent about $3,000 to print and mail the newspaper, which was most of the group’s budget.

“We pretty much burned up the entire budget,” Gray said.

The group typically raises money from donations and yard sales, with the next yard sale tentatively planned for Columbus Day weekend in October, Gray said.