Should Wenham's Town Clerk Be Elected or Appointed?

One of the articles before Wenham Town Meeting on April 6 will ask voters to decide on how the Town Clerk is hired.

One of the questions that Wenham voters will decide this spring will be whether to keep the town clerk position in the hands of voters or make it an appointed position. Article 7 at the Annual Town Meeting will ask voters whether they want to make the town clerk an appointed position hired by the Board of Selectmen or keep it in the hands of voters on the ballot. The measure will go before both town meeting voters and be on the ballot at the town election on April 11. It requires a majority in both instances to pass. Town Counsel Paul Weaver said state law allows any position except the Board of Selectmen and School Committee to be appointed. The Board of Selectmen recommend making the position appointed. Chairman Molly Martins said that …

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Expressing Lost Confidence with the Budget Process, Wenham FinCom Chairman Resigns

The chairman of the Wenham Finance Advisory Committee resigned on Monday night - a month before Town Meeting - because of concern about the budget process this year.

The chairman of the Wenham Finance Advisory Committee resigned on Monday night after "losing confidence in the integrity of the (budget) process." Catherine Harrison said in her resignation letter that her resignation was effective Tuesday - about a month before the Annual Town Meeting. Her concerns have developed over the past 4-5 months, she said. "It has been a struggle to balance my desire to fulfill my obligation as a FinCom member (“to advise and make recommendations to town meeting on the budget and other areas of finance…”), with my dissatisfaction with the process," she said. Harrison said that one of two guiding principles, both as a professional and a volunteer, is to follow "a good process that is carefully crafted, and then …

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Wenham Should Hire Full-Time Firefighter, Study Recommends

A study of the Wenham Fire Department undertaken after last year's Town Meeting recommends that a new full-time firefighter should be hired, among other changes.

The Wenham Fire Department should hire a full-time firefighter and make the chief a full-time position, according to an eight-month long study of the department. The results of the study were presented in an hour-long presentation to the Wenham Board of Selectmen on Tuesday night at Wenham Town Hall. A complete copy of the study is posted to the town of Wenham website and attached to this story as a PDF. Currently, the fire department is made up of 25 “call” members, who work part-time are paid for their time when they respond, plus a full-time fire prevention officer and a 30-hour a week chief position. The study recommended hiring a full-time firefighter to help cover during the day and also come up with a schedule for the call …

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Michelle Bailey

10:52 am on Thursday, January 24, 2013

How about the cost is roughly equal 1 1/2 times the amount Wenham spent on new police cars leases last year? Or is just slightly less than the amount Wenham paid in interest and principle in 2013 for the debt on the Town Hall project? There are lots of comparisons one could draw. Some serve a purpose to put things in perspective, other are used to shine a spotlight on something inflammatory. …   more ›

School Roofs, Other Projects Go Before Wenham Voters Saturday Morning

Wenham's fall Special Town Meeting starts at 10 a.m.on Saturday in the gymnasium at Buker Elementary School.

Voters at Wenham Special Town Meeting on Saturday will take up two of the same questions Hamilton voters did two weeks ago - whether to put a Proposition 2-1/2 debt exclusion override on the November ballot. The meeting starts at 10 a.m. in the gymnasium at Buker Elementary School. A quorum of 54 registered voters are needed to conduct business. A full copy of the Town Meeting warrant, with all six articles, is attached to this story as a PDF. The most significant items are Article 4 and Article 5, which both ask voters to send two Proposition 2-1/2 debt exclusion overrides before voters on the Nov. 6 ballot. Two weeks ago Hamilton Town Meeting voters nearly unanimously approved putting both measures on the ballot that would fund capital …

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Anne Sweeney

1:48 pm on Saturday, October 27, 2012

The other reason why people do not attend Town Meeting is not due to a lack of interest. Speaking of Bullying as in the other thread. When people speak their mind or disagree, they are often booed, criticized or ostracized. Usually, town officials, town or local public employees attend these meetings, because it is in their interest to do so in two ways. Their job security, their promotion …   more ›

Patch Facts

Five Things to Know on Oct. 23: Half-Day Of School

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Tuesday, Oct. 23. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham:  1. Half Day: All three elementary schools – Buker, Cutler and Winthrop – have a half day on Tuesday for parent conferences. School gets out at 11:15 a.m. at all thee schools and lunch will not be served. 2. Night at the Museum: Wenham Museum will be celebrating Halloween on Friday night with a popular event – A Night at the (Wenham) Museum. It runs from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and includes the museum’s collection coming to life and a moonlit tour of the 17th century Claflin-Richards House. The price is $8 for member or $26 for a family of four; $12 for non-members and $40 for a family of four. 3. Unemployment Rate: We’ll hear on Tuesday the latest unemployment…

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Was Town Meeting Turnout Less Than Usual This Year?

Here's a look at the turnout rates for voters at the Annual Town Meetings in Hamilton and Wenham versus previous years.

Voter turnout at Hamilton Town Meeting and Wenham Town Meeting this spring were in line with most town meetings in the past five years, according to data from the town clerk's in both towns. Turnout has been around 5 or 6 percent for most town meetings, both special town meetings and annual town meeting, in Hamilton, according to data from Town Clerk Jane Wetson. This year it was 5 percent of the registered voters. In Wenham, turnout this spring was in line with voter turnout for the past three years - somewhere between 7 and 9 percent, according to data from Town Clerk Trudy Reid. The exception is February's Special Town Meeting that was called to approve a legislative petition for a liquor license at Wenham Tea House. Hamilton Wenham

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Anne Sweeney

1:48 pm on Saturday, October 27, 2012

The other reason why people do not attend Town Meeting is not due to a lack of interest. Speaking of Bullying as in the other thread. When people speak their mind or disagree, they are often booed, criticized or ostracized. Usually, town officials, town or local public employees attend these meetings, because it is in their interest to do so in two ways. Their job security, their promotion …   more ›

Wenham Approves Budget, Mullen Zoning Changes and Election Date Change

Wenham Town Meeting voters approved the proposed fiscal 2013 budget on Saturday, while later approving moving the date of the annual town election and giving the OK to change the zoning on the Mullen property.

The 2013 Wenham town budget of $16.1 million was approved at Wenham’s Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, including the school budget as proposed by the School Committee. Voters overwhelming backed the rest of the town meeting warrant articles, including using $50,000 from the water surplus fund to pay for required improvements to the Pleasant Street pump station. The lease-purchase of four new police cruisers was approved as part of the town budget. A motion to drop funding from the four cruisers – to the outright purchase of two cruisers – was voted down. The approved budget also includes a new police patrolman, Department of Public Works laborer and librarian, which would be partially funded by Hamilton. If property values were to stay the…

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Anne Sweeney

2:49 pm on Saturday, May 12, 2012

@Trudy is Gordon College and Gordon Conwell Seminary and other private schools and institutions within our communities represent one third of the vote, then they should pay one third of their share of property taxes back to the community, Fair is fair and enough is enough of this juggling act with the budget. I spend in one week what takes you people a year to come up with. I would rather pay and…   more ›

Wenham Heads to Polls, Town Meeting on Saturday

Wenham holds its annual town election on Saturday morning and its Annual Town Meeting at 1 p.m.

Wenham voters will make a series of important decisions on Saturday – in the morning having a say about who will join the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee and in the afternoon taking a vote on the fiscal 2013 budget and a proposed zoning change for the Mullen property, among other decisions at the Annual Town Meeting. The polls are open at Buker Elementary School from 8 a.m. to noon. The only contested race on the ballot is for School Committee, where five candidate are seeking three, three-year terms. There had been a two candidate race for a three-year term of the Board of Selectmen, but incumbent John Clemenzi announced last month he would not seek reelection and endorsed first-time candidate Ken Whittaker. The five School …

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Letter to the Editor: Police Union Makes Case for Four New Cruisers

Wenham Police Benevolent Association President Sgt. Jon Gray makes the case for why Wenham voters should support four new police cruisers at Town Meeting on Saturday.

To the editor: This is an open letter to the citizens of Wenham from the Wenham Police Benevolent Association. We have a critical issue that requires the immediate attention of voters this Saturday at Town Meeting. Your Police Department is requesting the replacement of four police cruisers. Our newest marked police cruiser already has 67,000 miles. It is not our preference to be asking for four cruisers at once, however for the past several years our equipment needs have been denied due to financial constraints placed on the department, despite the best efforts of the Chief of Police to secure this funding. We have a cruiser replacement schedule that was not followed in order to save money. During this time other town departments have …

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Anne Sweeney

2:41 am on Sunday, July 22, 2012

A soldier speaks out at the new law making it a Felony to speak out, protest or express your freedom of speech ? http://youtu.be/4te0C4NT2H0   more ›