Marblehead appoints new member to cemetery board

MARBLEHEAD – The man who brought the USS Constitution to Marblehead as a celebration of Navy history was an unsinkable choice for the Cemetery Commission.Navy Cmdr. David Cashman (Ret.), the sole applicant, was interviewed by two commissioners and three selectmen Wednesday evening and named to the seat left vacant by the recent death of Dexter Gillis.When Selectman Harry Christensen asked if he planned to run for election for the remaining two years of Gillis’s seat – his appointment expires in May – Cashman said, "Absolutely."Commissioners Rose Ann Wheeler McCarthy and Richard Coletti had no questions for Cashman, who is well-known in town as a Vietnam veteran, a Navy officer for nearly three decades and the former captain of the Constitution, an assignment the knowledgeable naval historian had always wanted.After all, the Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat, launched on Oct. 21, 1797, and Cashman was instrumental in bringing the ship to Marblehead Harbor during Race Week in 1998.Asked why he wanted to serve on the Cemetery Commission, Cashman said, "I love the town."He was unanimously supported by McCarthy, Coletti and the three selectmen present, Jackie Belf-Becker, Judy Jacobi and Christensen.Selectmen also appointed a new member to the Finance Committee.Matthew Herring, chief marketing officer and partner of Geovantage Inc., was named to the committee unanimously.The other applicant, Robert Lieberson, who works in a Boston investment counseling firm, will have a second chance. Board members declared a second vacancy Wednesday night and set Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. as the deadline for applications.The vacant seat belonged to William Corbett, described by the board as "a good member" who did not seek reappointment when his term expired in May.