MARBLEHEAD — The newest Select Board member, Bret Murray, previously served on the board from 2011 to 2017, and he did not have to wait long to return to the Selectmen’s Meeting Room. The board gathered Wednesday night — just one day after Murray’s election.
The five members were sworn in by Town Clerk Robin Michaud, officially beginning their new terms for the next calendar year.
The agenda for the meeting was relatively short, as the main goal was to have the members elect the next chair. Erin Noonan was the sole nominee. The chair’s role is to set the agenda for and verbally lead each meeting. Board veteran Moses Grader served as the chair last year, and suggested that changing chairs relatively often would be good for the board.
“The idea of rotating chairs is a really good one,” Grader said at the meeting. “It vests all of us with a sense of ownership over the governance of the board itself.”
Noonan said she was notified by a fellow member that the board was considering nominating her.
“I’m happy to serve the role. I was honored that they thought I would be good for that role and happy to do it this year,” Noonan said.
She emphasized the fact that the chair is primarily a functional role, and it does not come with any additional input or decision-making authority.
“The five of us each are leaders of the town,” Noonan stressed.
Noonan agreed with Grader that consistent change at the position could be beneficial. She said she is looking forward to receiving mentorship from him and fellow member Jim Nye, who also has experience in the role of chair. Noonan has a small amount of experience as a chair herself, having served as the chair of the Housing Production Implementation Committee for a short period of time.
She described how it feels to be part of a board meeting, now that she will be leading them for the next year.
“Every time I sit at the table I’m still humbled by being there and having so many residents have confidence in me,” Noonan explained. “It’s just an honor to represent this town. I love this town.”
Overall, Noonan is really looking forward to working with this year’s edition of the Select Board.
“I think it’s going to be a ‘buckle your seatbelt’ kind of ride, with really digging into our finances and trying to create a multi-year plan,” she said.
