Marblehead says goodbye to selectman

MARBLEHEAD – Selectman Harry Christensen, who was first elected to the board in 1993, received a Marblehead chair Wednesday evening in honor of his decision to step down.Wednesday marked the board’s last meeting before Monday’s Town Meeting and the May 10 town election. Christensen served as selectman in 1993-1994 and for the past decade. He is stepping down due to business and family reasons, but will continue to serve on the Historical Commission.The ceremonial chairs with the town seal are a traditional gift to departing selectmen.Christensen told his colleagues and a small audience, "I’ve served my town, my state and my country. It’s been a great privilege and I hope I can do it again.""I’m not going to be too far from Marblehead Rock," he added.Selectman Judy Jacobi said her earliest memory of Christensen was his observance that "Freedom doesn’t come free" in his remarks at the town’s 350th anniversary. "That’s been true all along with you," she said."I could always walk out of Abbot Hall with you (in friendship) regardless of any differences of opinion we might have had," said Selectman William Woodfin. "This isn’t politics, it’s volunteer public service."Selectman James Nye recalled the night of his first election to the board, when Nye’s father greeted Christensen as the catcher on a baseball team he coached."(Your father) was the kind of guy who played everyone on the team," Christensen interjected.He and Woodfin took a moment to praise Town Administrator Tony Sasso for his work and the way he got town departments to work together, as the two selectmen who could remember town government and town budgets "B.S. – Before Sasso.""This is about you," Sasso reminded Christensen.