And just like that, 2023 is in the books.
Each year, hundreds of stories come out of communities across the region. Many are breaking news. Many are features of people and organizations doing incredible things. Many are oddities unique to the town or city it comes from.
However, there is always one story that stands out above all the other happenings. Below are the top stories from each of the seven communities covered by The Item in 2023.
LYNN
Boston developer to make the largest investment in Lynn’s history
One of the biggest stories in the history of Lynn, never mind 2023, came out late last year when Mayor Jared Nicholson announced a $450 million investment into the city’s South Harbor Site, its largest ever.
The proposal involves the construction of an 850-unit mixed-use apartment complex by Boston-based realtor Samuels & Associates. The property, which serves as a gateway into the city, has remained vacant for decades. Plans for the property began under Mayor Tom McGee and Economic Development & Industrial Corporation of Lynn (EDIC/Lynn) Director James Cowdell, who had been working with Samuels & Associates on a plan for the property.
Nicholson’s announcement of the project was criticized days later as dozens rallied at City Hall, calling for more affordable housing in the city, specifically focusing on the development. Rather than calling for the development to be stopped, ralliers challenged the developers to make units more affordable.
At a Dec. 12 meeting, the City Council green-lighted the project in front of a large crowd of affordable housing advocates, many of whom held up signs saying “No tax breaks for a segregated neighborhood,” “This is not inclusive development,” and “Where was the public input?”
LYNNFIELD
Turmoil in Lynnfield Public Schools
At a November School Committee meeting, the saga involving Superintendent Kristen Vogel, the School Committee, parents, and teachers was sparked as community members packed the meeting to express their frustrations with a number of issues ranging from budgeting to hiring, many calling for the resignation of the entire committee and Vogel herself as the situation snowballed.
One parent had even demanded Vogel to ‘look up’ as she was voicing her concerns, with others calling out the officials’ lack of transparency with the budgeting process and other financial issues, including an announcement involving Vogel’s raise. Vogel and her administrative staff were awarded an 11% mid-cycle raise, voted on in June but not announced until September.
As her administration received large pay increases, multiple teachers and staff in the district, including Huckleberry Hill Elementary Principal Melissa Wyland, were leaving, sparking outrage from the community as to why the same retention process was not used during the recent exodus of teachers.
Dozens showed up again the following week to hear Vogel’s first public response to the backlash, which involved a raffle for teachers with the chance to have the superintendent take over their class “duties” for a day of their choosing and holding appointment-only office hours on Tuesday, Dec. 5, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in her office to “hear your concerns, answer your questions, and problem solve.”
A week later, it was announced that Vogel was going on family medical leave, canceling all of her office-hour appointments. The School Committee then named Assistant Superintendent of Finances Thomas Geary as the Interim Superintendent. It is not known at this time when or if Vogel will return from medical leave.
MARBLEHEAD
Buckey resigns after School Committee saga
Just days after the School Committee canceled a vote to terminate Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Buckey’s contract minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin, Buckey and the committee announced in a joint statement that he would be resigning from his position.
Before the school year began, outrage, confusion, and frustration erupted from community members after the committee called for an executive session to discuss the termination of Buckey’s contract without warning. The controversy continued after it was revealed that he had signed a non-disclosure agreement as part of his resignation.
The situation left community members and parents demanding more clarity from the School Committee and making accusations of multiple Open Meeting Law violations during the process. Though executive session minutes released after his resignation allude to a potential cause, it is still unclear why the committee was looking to terminate his contract. The saga has led to a large divide between the committee and community members, which has only deepened after more recent events unconnected to Buckey’s departure.
NAHANT
Good boy or bad dog? Nahant pet facing potential extradition
An unusual scene developed in Nahant in June when resident Emily Spinucci called for a dangerousness hearing after a 2-year-old golden retriever named Tucker violently bit her after grabbing him by the collar after he had run off.
The incident occurred in May when Spinucci went to visit neighbor David Horrigan. When opening the door, Horrigan’s dog darted down the street. The two then pursued Tucker, and Spinucci found him at the end of Spring Road, where he had stopped to use the bathroom.
When Spinucci tried to grab him by the collar while he was defecating, Tucker allegedly bit her hand and forearm, in addition to suffering bruises and cuts on her torso, hip, face, and leg. In the hearing, Spinucci called for the town to put down the dog, calling him a “murderer.”
Tucker’s veterinarian, Dr. Steven Stasiak, said that because she grabbed him while he was doing his business, he was provoked “by human error” and that the dog should not be euthanized. Instead, Horrigan elected to send his dog back to his breeder in Atlanta, Georgia. However, that decision was unsatisfactory for Spinucci, as she wanted the dog brought back to Nahant to be put down.
In a written notice on June 14, the town did rule Tucker as a dangerous dog, though letting him live, disregarding Spinucci’s original request. If Tucker returns from Atlanta to Nahant, he is now to remain confined to Horrigan’s home and muzzled and confined to a leash no longer than three feet when outside.
PEABODY
City makes multi-million dollar open land purchases
The City of Peabody made two large purchases in 2023 with the goal of turning the properties into multi-space recreational land.
In April, the city acquired two parcels of land making up 80 acres on Sherwood Avenue and Spring Pond Road from the DiBiase family for $7.2 million. By purchasing the land, Mayor Ted Bettencourt blocked the potential construction of hundreds of housing units on the property. Bettencourt said he made the decision because he felt that the proposed units would create “traffic, congestion, a strain on our city services, and depletion of our open space.”
Roughly seven months later, Bettencourt announced a pending $9 million purchase of 135 acres of the pharmaceutical-grade gelatin manufacturer Rousselot property. In March, it was announced that the company’s Peabody plant would close its doors at the end of 2023.
Both lots purchased by the city are connected. The Meadow Golf Course owns the majority of the Rousselot property purchased. Bettencourt said that he intends for golf course proceeds to help pay for the majority of the purchase price and the debt service.
SAUGUS
Saugus fires superintendent of schools
Nearly 10 months after Superintendent of Schools Erin McMahon was placed on paid administrative leave, the School Committee unanimously voted to fire her at a Nov. 2 meeting.
McMahon was placed on administrative leave while an investigation into her conduct was processed. Michael Hashem was selected as the acting superintendent to fill in for McMahon.
The decision to fire McMahon was originally scheduled to take place in an executive session, but it was later changed to be held in a public session at the request of McMahon and her attorney, Michael Long. During the meeting, School Committee Chair Vincent Serino stated the allegations against McMahon, citing a report from law firm Arrowood LLP. The report accused McMahon of failing to report her relationship with Relay Graduate School of Education in a timely manner, permitting Excellent Reflex Consulting to charge the district excess fees and for alcohol. The report also accused her of spending 40.5 days out of the district during a six-month period.
The report claimed that 22 of the days were considered “professional time,” with the majority spent at Boston College, where she is pursuing a doctorate. The meeting drew a large crowd, with many supporting McMahon, including former Marblehead Superintendent of Schools John Buckey.
McMahon called the investigation process corrupt and incompetent and said that the committee’s practices were discriminatory. Just days before the vote, it was reported that the Committee allegedly reneged on an agreement that had been reached with McMahon after Town Manager Scott Crabtree had intervened. Serino denied that an agreement had been reached.
SWAMPSCOTT
Mission in the Bay: Seawall collapses under Swampscott restaurant
In May, a portion of the seawall underneath the popular restaurant Mission on the Bay collapsed, forcing it to shut down immediately.
Gravel and other debris could be seen crumbling down onto the beach as community members looked from above and below the restaurant.
When the seawall collapsed, some customers were eating lunch inside. However, Fire Chief Graham Archer reported that everyone was evacuated safely, and no one was hurt.
According to Public Works Director Gino Cresta, the likely cause for the collapse was erosion. Private and town workers immediately began repairing the wall. The restaurant did not suffer any damage and was assured that it would not collapse even with the damaged wall.
Roughly a month later, Mission on the Bay reopened after owner Marty Bloom hired engineers to stabilize the wall portion that had crumbled.
