Marblehead override supporters outspend opponents by 7-1 margin

MARBLEHEAD – Records filed at the town clerk?s office indicate a major difference in override spending between 2010 and 2011.Last year, override question proponents were outspent 3-2 by their opponents, 1,400-$1,000.This year it was the supporters who did the spending, by a 7-1 margin, despite a mailing sent out by the opposition committee, “Not Now, We?re Still in a Recession.”The mailing resulted in an opposition bank balance of $525, raised from four donations according to reports filed before and after the June 14 election. The group spent $400 on robo-calls and $50 on flyers, and zeroed out its account with a $4.64 donation to the Ronald McDonald charity fund.Last year, the group supporting the new Glover-Eveleth School raised $1,000 and spent money on a postcard mailing.This year they raised $2,250 and spent $974 on signs, with $1,276 left to spend during the two weeks before the election.In a new turn of events a citizens group was formed to support Questions 2 and 3, which include capping the landfill, building a new solid waste building and monitoring landfill contamination in the neighborhood.This committee raised $1,350 and spent $912 before the election to publicize its arguments.The election itself cost an additional $2,191 to notify voters in Precincts 1, 2 and 3 that they would be casting their ballots at the Masonic Hall, a new location. The Finance Committee heard Town Clerk Robin Michaud?s request Tuesday night and voted to appropriate that amount from the Reserve Fund as an unforeseen expense.