Town Meeting 11/18 and MBTA Zoning Laws
Manchester-by-the-Sea will be holding a crucial vote on MBTA Zoning Laws at the upcoming Special Town Meeting on Monday, November 18 at 6:30pm at the High School. I believe Parks & Rec is working on providing child care for the meeting. This vote is pretty important for setting a course for Manchester’s future.
Personally, I will be voting YES on articles to approve MBTA Zoning Laws because I want to:
Create affordable housing opportunities for young families and seniors
Keep taxes low
Help our schools
Preserve land and open spaces
Honor the character of the town
Retain our Town’s right to determine our future
I will share my reasoning in the coming weeks leading up to the November 18 town meeting. Until then, it is important to get the facts about MBTA Zoning Laws right. There is a lot of misinformation floating around. This email includes the basic information you need to know.
What are Zoning Laws?
Zoning laws are laws that dictate how land can be used in a specific area. For example, you would not want a major industrial park built in the middle of a quiet residential neighborhood. Zoning laws can regulate housing, which affects how many people can live in an area, or population density. Multifamily housing would create more density and housing that is more affordable. Single family housing is less dense, but more expensive. Of Manchester’s seven current zones that include residences, five limit residential dwellings to only single family structures, although some multifamilies in town have been “grandfathered in.”
What are the MBTA Zoning Laws?
Because of a statewide housing shortage, the state passed a law (Section 3A of MGL 40A) in January 2021 that requires towns with an MBTA station to change their zoning laws to allow for more multifamily residences. It passed under Gov. Charlie Baker and is being implemented by Gov. Maura Healy. The purpose of the law is to create more housing in towns that have the benefit of a train station and would be accessible to households without a car.
Failure to comply with the law would make the Town ineligible for certain grants and risk the loss of other state grants (MBTS received $4 million from the state in 2024 - slide 19). The state has threatened and carried out a lawsuit against towns that fail to comply.
Here is some basic information to know about MGL 40A:
The law does not mandate any building at all. Rather, the law states that, in Towns served by the MBTA there must be at least one district where multifamily residences are allowed “by right.”
“By right” means that a special permit or variance is not required, but any site under the law would still be required to go through a Site Plan Review. It does not mean the homeowner can do anything they want.
The new zones that allow for multi-families would “overlay” on top of the zones in our existing by-laws.
Manchester needs to allow for multifamily residences on 37 acres to comply with the law, 14.8 acres of which need to be within a half-mile radius from the train station. (Manchester’s total acreage is 5,100.)
“Multi-family” does not necessarily mean a large apartment complex. Multi-family housing is also a building with three or more residential units or two duplexes on a single lot.
The minimum density required is 15 units per acre. The units on 10-12 Summer Street (near Laughing Gull) are denser than that at 17.73 units per acre.
These districts cannot be restricted by age (e.g. senior housing) in the zoning laws and must be suitable for families with children. However, as long as a project complies with the new by-laws’ rules, a senior housing project could be built. The town could encourage future developments to be senior housing but it may not require it.
The Manchester MBTA Task Force is recommending 4 districts where zoning laws that allow for multifamily residences will lay on top of existing zoning laws. Here is what they submitted to the state on June 28, which is summarized here. They are calling these districts “Community Housing Overlay Districts” or CHOD.
What does this mean for Manchester?
For individual homeowners in town:
Homeowners in the Districts are not required to build anything.
Existing rights under current zoning laws allowing for single-family homes retained.
If the lot is large enough, the overlay multi-family zoning laws will allow homeowners to add residential units to their property within the parameters of the new by law. Homeowners will have more options to what they may do with their property
The local laws will still regulate what is allowed to be built by stipulating lot size, parking, wetland protection, public health requirements, and conservation restrictions.
All projects are subject to a Site Plan Review through the Planning Board. This process includes an opportunity for abutters to weigh in on any project allowed under the Multifamily Zoning Laws.
For our town:
The Task Force intentionally selected lots that were least likely to be developed because they were either recently developed or are small. This will likely result in either no new building or only small scale projects.
The Task Force predicts that the zoning changes it proposed to the state will comply with the law and allow for the slow addition of multifamily units over a period of time.
Although technically the multifamily zoning laws call for 559 units, 227 of those units already exist in parts of town that are already densely populated. The Task Force did this on purpose to limit development downtown. A recent “Propensity to Change” study based on financial factors, like land value and interest rates, revealed that only 134 units would be likely to be built under the proposed changes. Only 34 of those units would be downtown and 100 of those would be in the Beaver Dam Road district, near the MAC and currently fully occupied by a successful storage business. (See MBTA Task Force Virtual Forum on 9/27/24).
In order to preserve the architectural “character of the town,” the proposed zoning law includes a Design Review Board with professional design experience to assist the Board in reviewing proposed buildings. Design Guidelines can describe specific requirements for:
Location, massing, and orientation of buildings
Rules for the placement of:
Doors and windows
Trim details
Roof pitch and length
Use of dormers
Suggested building materials
Parking and vehicular access
Our town DPW has stated that the town has the water and sewer infrastructure to accommodate the increase in units. (See question 15.)
Because our school enrollment is recently down and Manchester built a new school in the past 5 years, we have the physical and programmatic space for more students. This would be to the advantage of our schools because:
In order to maintain a highly-ranked school district, we need to maintain a certain level of enrollment in order to offer a breadth of course offerings in more advanced courses.
Currently, MERSD has 83 school choice students, or students who attend from surrounding towns.
More enrollment will require more teachers which could lower class sizes.
Loss of state grants could be detrimental to our town finances.
MBTS received $4+ million in state grants in 2024. The loss of these state grants puts a heavy burden on the town to cover expenses for important budget items like schools, infrastructure repairs and police and fire services.
For every $300,000 added expense, taxes go up 1%. A loss of $1 million in state grants could lead to a tax increase of 3%, all other things being equal. A loss of $4 million in state grants could potentially raise taxes by 12%.
Failure to comply will likely result in a civil suite from the state. The town would need to allocate limited time and resources to this lawsuit, diverting money and attention from pressing town needs.
This could affect our town’s ability to pay for basic necessities, such as the school budget, as well as much needed infrastructure projects, including the library renovation/ rebuild.
You can learn more information in these FAQ’s from the MBTA Task Force. They provide many additional documents at their website on the town page.
Election Updates: Planning Board and MERSD Budget Update
Manchester Elections: May 16
It is very important to get out and vote on May 16! The two competitive elections are for Select Board and Planning Board.
Here's the voting info:
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
7 AM to 8 PM
Memorial School
Sample Ballot
Absentee Ballot Application
Vote by Mail Application
You can read the candidate statements in The Cricket here.
You can view the forum for the Select Board candidates here.
You can view the forum for the Planning Board candidates here.
Housing in Manchester is an important issue in this election. Accessible and affordable housing is necessary if we want seniors to be able to stay in town, robust enrollment and programs in schools, protection from 40B developers, an active downtown, and a vibrant population of young families.
The planning board has been working on changes in the zoning laws that are necessary to create affordable housing opportunities in Manchester. Zoning laws in general are meant to limit or prevent change. They have been used in the past to limit the options for people who cannot afford single-family homes and have been used in some parts of the US to create and maintain segregated housing. Manchester's zoning laws were written in the 1950s when Route 128 was built to rein in development. They have been very restrictive and difficult to understand. We need thoughtful changes to zoning laws if we want affordable housing in our town.
The planning board election is particularly important because two candidates (Olney and Hanson-Philbrick) have been working on changes to the zoning laws. The changes have been slow and cumbersome because it has been necessary to understand and communicate highly technical language. (See Olney's comments at around the 1:24:18 mark.) Two candidates (Furse and Flood) have been open about running together to vote in a block of 4 of 7 (see Flood's comments in the forum at around 1:20:30.). This change will impact the future direction of the board's work and decisions.
In the forum linked above, the candidates for the planning board present their positions on these changes to the zoning laws. As I viewed the videos, I thought about the following questions:
Who understands what is within the purview of the planning board?
Who is most qualified, experienced, and knowledgeable about how to guide our town through zoning changes?
Who has offered real solutions to challenges that are within the bounds of the law?
Who has the demeanor to have productive conversations with people who have different opinions?
When the candidates consider affordable housing, who do they include? Who is left out of the conversation? Why?
If you don't have 2 hours to view this recording, you can use the following timestamps as a shortcut.
2:00 - (Watch around 17 minutes) Candidate Introductions
27:23 - (Watch about 2 min.) Question about current challenges to senior and public housing in Manchester and what we should do about it. Donna Furse's response provides an overview of the existing affordable housing situation (5.05% of 10% state requirement), an update on the Powder House Lane units, and what will happen when new affordable housing become available.
32:19: (watch about 1 min.) Chris Olney explains that the Manchester Affordable Housing Trust has $1 million in its coffers and how it can be leveraged to create more affordable housing. He serves on the board of the Affordable Housing Trust.
37:40: (watch about 18 min. for all candidate responses) Erika Brown asks about the required MBTA Community overlay district mandated from the state. She explains that "as an MBTA community, Manchester must consider whether to create multi-family zoning near the train station at the end of the next year or face losing access to state grants..." All candidates respond.
1:06:01: (watch about 10 min.) All candidate closing statements
1:18:57: (Watch about 4 min.) Marty Flood answers a question about working together. He makes it clear he is running so that he and Donna can work in a block of four with two other current board members. (The board is made up of 7 people.)
1:24: 18 (Watch about 1 minute) Chris Olney talks about the work done in the past couple of years with the technical language of zoning laws that is hard to understand and communicate.
1:29:47: (Watch about 5 minutes). Marty Flood answers a question requesting clarity about his position on the issues discussed in the forum.
1:36:09 (Watch about 2 minutes). Chris Olney shares what he understands is the "character of Manchester" - a phrase used throughout Manchester's Master Plan.
You can view the forum for the Planning Board candidates here.
MERSD Budget Update
The override did not pass in Essex.
This is the explanation that School Committee Chair Theresa Whitman posted on Facebook about what happens next. Theresa did win back her seat. I've highlighted the most important information and immediate steps in yellow.
As we all know, Essex leaders proposed two overrides this spring for voters’ approval: one for $289,165 toward the MERSD budget, and one for $56,186 toward the Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District (Essex Tech) budget. Both were approved last Monday, May 1, at Annual Town Meeting. That put the overrides on the ballot for yesterday’s town election. The MERSD override proposed in question 1 did fail (388 yes, 507 no, 5 blank). The Essex Tech override proposed in question 2 did pass (529 yes, 363 no, 8 blank).
So what’s next for MERSD?
The results of yesterday’s election here in Essex effectively mean that Manchester has approved the MERSD budget and Essex has rejected it. As explained at Essex’s ATM by Greg Corbo, town counsel for Essex, this sets in motion the following process:
[IMMEDIATE NEXT STEPS:]
The school committee must reconvene to reconsider the budget. We can choose to alter it or keep it the same, but we must reconsider and officially take a new vote on the budget.
Once that happens, each town will hold a special town meeting to vote on the reconsidered budget.
If the reconsidered budget passes in each town, we move forward.
If it fails in either town, the school committee must again reconvene, reconsider, and revote. (Please note that this second reconsideration was not mentioned by Attorney Corbo, but I have added it here as that’s been my understanding - that school committee would need to reconsider the budget again before sending it to the joint town meeting.)
This reconsidered budget now goes to a joint town meeting, or “super town meeting,” meaning that both towns meet together and we vote as a regional school community; the votes are not separated by where we live.
The remaining question is whether or not a super town meeting vote that approves the budget but that still requires an override in Essex will be binding as is, or if it would constitute a failure to approve a budget that would trigger state intervention. Either way, if the process is not complete by the beginning of FY 24 (July 1), state intervention will be triggered and we will move forward with what is called the 1/12 budget, meaning that we go month-to-month with the budget from the previous fiscal year.This is my understanding of the process. I will edit this if I receive new and/or corrected info confirmed by counsel for the district. Lots of people “know” what happens, but I won’t be posting anything that isn’t confirmed by MERSD counsel in order to avoid complications.
What is not in question is that the next step is for school committee to reconvene and reconsider the budget. I am meeting with the superintendent this morning and will be posting updates about meeting dates as they come up. While I know this is a hot topic, I am turning off comments for this post in particular because it’s intended simply to provide information. If you have questions, please reach out to me directly.
Thank you all for your support. We’ll get through this!
I will stay in touch about future School Committee meetings that reveal what the revised budget may be and what may be cut. I will also communicate about actions that can be taken to advocate for what you care about.
As always, feel free to reach out with any questions by replying to this email and I'll do my best to answer them. There are no dumb questions!!
Thank you!!
Lindsay
Upcoming Elections, Support new Beverly Non-profit, Local Library event, Help a family from Afghanistan
Manchester Election: Vote May 16
It is very important to get out and vote! For this election, it is vital for the future of Manchester to create opportunities to make housing more accessible. Accessible and affordable housing is necessary if we want:
Seniors to be able to stay in town
Robust enrollment in schools (and therefore programming)
Protection from 40B developers who do not have local interests in mind
A vibrant downtown
Here's the voting info:
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
7 AM to 8 PM, Memorial School
Sample Ballot // Absentee Ballot Application // Vote by Mail Application
Access candidate statements from last week’s Cricket here.
I will send out the video of the candidate forum from Thursday 5/4/23 when it becomes available.
Please reach out to me by emailing mesocialaction@gmail.com if you are curious about my thoughts on the election and how it could impact efforts to create more affordable housing in Manchester.
The school budget and school programs are going to be affected by who is elected to the open Essex School Committee seat and the two questions on the budget.
Please reach out to Annie Cameron at anniecameron@comcast.net if you have specific questions about voting in Essex.
From Manchester Mother's Club: Support local non-profit Bambino Basket
There is a new non-profit in Beverly Farms called Bambino Basket. Their mission is to provide essential items to young children (birth-five). They are looking for donations, in particular, clothing (can be used), unused bottles, pacifiers, like-new board books, diaper cream, baby wash and small baby toys. They are located at 721 Hale Street and you can call to either set up a drop off time or they will pick the items up (978-488-1805). You can reach out to Lisa Manganiello at lisa.manganiello@gmail.com for more information!
Help Afghan Refugees Locally
From Seth Moulton's Office via Christina Bain:
We are reaching out with an urgent request for help here in the 6th District. An Afghan translator and his family (spouse + 5 children) who have been living in the 6th District since fleeing their country are facing the imminent loss of their current housing. The good folks at Temple B'nai Abraham in Beverly are stepping up to assist in the immediate sheltering of this family. We are asking anyone who is able to please consider assisting this family by visiting the Temple's website here, where they are accepting donations to help cover the costs of the short-term shelter that's being secured.
The Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dancers are visiting Manchester from the Navajo Nation for the 155th commemoration of the Navajo Treaty. The agreement was signed by two Indian Peace Commissioners, Colonel Samuel F. Tappan of Manchester, (1831-1913) and General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891). The Dancers will be acknowledging the life and legacy of Colonel Tappan and the key role he played in negotiating the 1868 Navajo Treaty. This settlement established the right of return for the Diné (the Navajos) to their ancestral homelands, the only treaty to do so. In 2018, Kitty Weaver found the third missing copy, now known as the ‘Tappan Copy,' and returned it to the Navajo Nation, housed today in their Museum at Window Rock Arizona. The Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dancers will be blessing Samuel F. Tappan’s house, which still stands in town, the morning of Thursday, May 18, with a public program to follow that evening at Crowell Chapel.
As performing ambassadors to the Great Navajo Nation, the Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dancers, under the direction of Shawn Price, are a group of young, talented, and disciplined individuals. The dancers have received many accolades for sharing their cultural programs across the country. Their unique program offers the finest in traditional and semi-contemporary performances. They have performed at many distinguished events and premiere venues throughout the country. Register here!
Help us, School Budget, Vote in Manch. and Essex, Opportunities for HS students, Diaper Drive
Emily Snyder has been working with me diligently behind the scenes to engage in conversation and envision a community group with opportunities for service and dialogue. Welcome, Emily, and THANK YOU!
We need your help! Use the power of your network to help us in our work by sending a quick email introduction connecting us with people who can help with the following:
Do you know someone who is interested in staying updated on social justice/ social action in Manchester and Essex? If so, please connect us! (You can just send me their email addresses.)
Do you or someone you know have experience starting a non-profit? If so, please connect us!
Do you or someone you know have meaningful connections to impactful non-profits on the North Shore? If so, please connect us!
Help a Ukrainian family on the North Shore get settled
They need an immigration attorney, a car, and housing! All big ticket and important items. If you have a lead on any of these things, you can email olgahayes@comcast.net. The family does not yet need clothes, but we may start a gofundme or create an Amazon Wishlist soon. Stay tuned!
MERSD Schools
Budget
Manchester residents already passed the budget at Town Meeting. Next up is a vote in Essex. It's important to think about what is lost for children when the schools are not supported. When budgets are cut, student experiences are affected. For example, if we want to see small class sizes, student support specialists, and elementary foreign languages in the future, then we need to support the current budget. Additionally, there is currently no Library Media Specialist on staff at the MS/HS, no Library paraprofessional on staff, no collection development occurring and no library circulation. If we want a library program in Middle/High School we will need to support the current school budget now. If you'd like more information about the state of the MERMS/ MERHS library, I can forward it to you.
Essex voters need to pass an override to approve the current MERSD budget. On May 1, a 2/3 vote at town meeting is needed. Then, if it passes, on May 8 a majority is needed. Essex residents interested in learning more about the effort to pass the override should contact Annie Cameron at anniecameron@comcast.net.
Annie and others will be at these places to answer your questions:
Town Hall-- Thursday (4/27) from 6 to 7:30
Dump/Transfer Station - Saturday mornings (4/29, 5/6)
School Council Survey
If your child attends Manchester Memorial, be sure to fill out the survey by Friday, April 28 at 5pm. Use the link that you received in the email from Principal John Willis on Monday, April 24 to access the survey. This survey will inform school council parent reps and school leaders about what areas the school should focus on.
Town Election in Manchester....
...is Tuesday May 16. You can find information about the election and a sample ballot here.
Opportunities for Local High School Students
Manchester resident Christina Bain is helping to organize 2 exciting annual events for young people and I wanted to put them on your radar. Feel free to forward to anyone who might be interested! Reach out to Christina Bain at christinaarcherbain@gmail.com to learn more! about either program!
I am writing to you today about Team Harmony “We Have a Dream” Action Institute and Rally, a multi-day educational and action-oriented experience combating hate drawing over 100 teams of U.S. high school youth leaders (and other select countries). This is an initiative through a Boston-based NGO Empower Peace, and it will take place in Tulsa, OK on May 8-11, 2023. Students will particularly learn about the history of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre as well as how to create an action project within their own communities (and we would work with them even after the Tulsa event ends). Christina has been working with Empower Peace for years and has served as board chair for one of their other initiatives, Women2Women.
This program can be organized by the school or parent groups. The costs for the program itself are fully funded except for travel to and from Tulsa. A student team is 5 students plus a teacher/faculty/ parent chaperone, and there can be multiple teams from one community/school.
Christina would be thrilled to connect in the next week or so with anyone who is interested via Zoom for half an hour to go over the program and answer any questions.
Here are some quick videos:
Team Harmony Promo - https://vimeo.com/794580493
Features our Co-Chairs - Shawna & Monroe - https://vimeo.com/782618074/ea11cbb91f
Features Students - https://vimeo.com/781840808/58518ce49f
While you may not have enough notice for this year, this is an annual event so keep it in mind for next year!
Women2Women (W2W) has been specifically developed to provide rising young female leaders, ages 15-19, with the acquired leadership skills that will empower them to make a difference in their respective communities and countries.
W2W America includes team-building activities, seminars and workshops with prominent leaders representing government, media, business, science and technology, and non-profit organizations. The sessions focus on leadership development, skills building and cultural activities. Each year, up to 125 young women representing countries throughout the world are selected to attend (Women2Womens works with the U.S. embassies to nominate local students). This program does have a cost per participants, and students can self-apply. Attaching a flyer to this email!
This year, W2W will be taking place July 20-29, 2023 at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
To find out more, check out our website at - https://www.epwomen2women.org/
You can also see Our Story at - https://vimeo.com/772105194
Last Days of Local Diaper Drive!
Clothing Drive, MERSD Curriculum Director, Beverly Bootstraps
Manchester Memorial Student Ambassadors are holding a clothing drive from February 27- March 8. Drop-off will be in the Hub of Memorial.
"Manchester Memorial Student Ambassadors are back at it! ... Cradles to Crayons is looking for gently used clothing, shoes, & jackets. They will also accept new socks, underwear and pajamas....Let's go Hornets!"
Weigh in on the new MERSD Curriculum Director
Superintendent Pam Beaudoin is currently making a decision about a Director of Curriculum & Instructional Technology for MERSD. The person in this position will make major decisions about MERSD curriculum. Here are the cover letters for the two candidates: https://ma01807435.schoolwires.net/Page/1632
There was an opportunity for community members to meet with candidates yesterday mid-day that not many were able to attend.
While I have not had a chance to meet her, based on the cover letter and word of mouth, I believe Heather Leonard is a strong candidate. Her letter reflects experience, open-mindedness, community, and equity. According to her documents, Heather was a founding member of the Ipswich Human Rights Commission. If you agree and you have a minute, you can email Superintendent Beaudoin at beaudoinp@mersd.org.
Mother's Club volunteer opportunity: Packathon for Beverly Bootstraps
Manchester Mother's Club will be hosting a family packathon for our MMC members on Sunday, March 26th at 3pm at the Manchester Community Center. The bags will provide snacks to families with children who utilize the Beverly Bootstraps Food Pantry. Please click on the sign-up genius link for details about participating in the event.
Reach out and I can give you the contact for more information!
Families Exploring Equity and Diversity
I am thrilled to announce that I am working with Carol Bender and the Manchester Public Library to run another session of F.E.E.D.- Families Exploring Equity and Diversity.
You can register here: https://manchesterpl.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/f-e-e-d-families-exploring-equity-diversity-story-time-and-more/
The activities are built for children ages 3.5-5 and their caregivers to work together. The 7-week series will run on Mondays from 3:30-4:15 from February 27 until April 10 in the Children's Room.
Using books, stories, and hands-on activities, we will explore the following topics over a 7-week session:
Brainstorm ways we can be welcoming and inclusive of others.
Practice speaking up when something is unfair
Celebrate each others' similarities and differences
Introduce the concept of identity
Explore families and ancestors
Talk about race through the introduction of skin color
Identify and discuss stereotypes based on gender
Please spread the word and forward this along to anyone who may be interested.
Essex Town Meeting, Holiday Resources, NAACP
Manchester's Christmas-by-the-Sea
I am not trying to "cancel Christmas-by-the-Sea." I would appreciate your support in dispelling this rumor.
Essex Town Meeting
Essex's town meeting is on November 14th at 7:30 at Essex Elementary. The warrant is here: https://www.essexma.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif4406/f/uploads/town_meeting_warrant_11.14.22.pdf
See my last post for info about Manchester's Special Town Meeting on the same night at MERHS at 6:30.
Local Resources for the Holidays
Each town/school has an effort to coordinate families supporting each other around the holidays anonymously.
Those interested can contact:
Memorial/ Manchester: Joanne Seaman, Carolyn Houde
Essex Elementary/ Essex: Nicole Grasso Correnti, Annie Cameron
Middle or High School: Carolyn Houde
NAACP- North Shore
The North Shore chapter of the NAACP is working hard to gain traction and membership. Individual annual membership is $30. membership — northshoremanaacp
Reminder--Open Door Farm Truck
Open Door Farm Truck...come one, come all! This is a community resource offered for all!
ESSEX SCHEDULE
Essex Elementary, 12 Story Street, Essex
Second and Fourth Wednesday of Each Month, 2:45-3:30 p.m.
Essex Council on Aging, 17 Pickering Street, Essex
Third Friday of Each Month, 10-11 a.m.
MANCHESTER SCHEDULE
Manchester Council on Aging, 10 Central Street, Manchester
First and Third Wednesday of Each Month, 2 p.m.
Manchester Memorial Elementary School, 43 Lincoln Street. Manchester
First and Third Wednesday Each Month, 2:45-3:30 p.m.
Group Launch Info, VOTE!, Winter Wishes, Indigenous History events
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
Hi all! We have some exciting things in the works behind-the-scenes. Right now, you should know that we are going to shift calling this group Diversity Council to…
Manchester-Essex Social Action Coalition
We are working right now on how to launch and publicize this group. Please stay tuned for more information, including in-person gatherings and information sessions where you can learn more about the name change, actions the group will take, and how you can get involved. If you have any questions or would like more information, you can still email mediversitycouncil@gmail.com.
VOTE!
Make sure you are registered to vote! Mid-term elections are approaching on Tuesday, November 8. You can find more information on voting in Manchester here and information is here for Essex.
Manchester has an important town meeting coming up: Monday, November 14 at 6:30 at MERHS. In Manchester, town residents at town meeting act as the legislative body. You can find the warrant here. I would encourage you to think about how the Proposed Zoning Changes can create opportunities for more and different types of housing at different price ranges in Manchester-by-the-Sea.
Beverly Bootstraps Winter Wishes (formerly Adopt-a-Family)
Beverly Bootstraps has launched its Winter Wishes program for this year. You can find information here. You simply look through family profiles, choose one or more, and then shop for them. My entire family has had a lot of fun picking out special gifts. From the website: "Many families are struggling to make ends meet, and you can help! Through Winter Wishes Holiday Gifts, you can help brighten a child's holiday by purchasing new games, toys, and clothes for them to enjoy."
Indigenous History Events
The Tewksbury Library is hosting two, upcoming, free, virtual events about indigenous history. Click on the title below and it will take you to the page with more information and the registration link:
Murder & Indigenous Justice In Early America with Pulitzer-Prize Winner Nicole Eustace ("Covered with Night")Wednesday, November 9, 7pm
"Nicole Eustace, Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lecturer and New York University history professor, will discuss her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America, which tells of the ramifications of a violent encounter between two white fur traders and an Indigenous hunter in 1722. A historian of the early modern Atlantic and the early United States, Eustace specializes in the history of emotion. She is also author of Passion Is the Gale: Emotion, Power, and the Coming of the American Revolution, and of 1812: War and the Passions of Patriotism, as well as coeditor of Warring for America: Cultural Contests in the Era of 1812."
Dreamcatchers: Extraordinary Native American Women
Thursday, December 1, 2pm
Native American women have inspired many people, regardless of cultural identity, from the earliest contact with non-native people to the 21st century. The colorful and varied customs of indigenous women has resulted in contributions that benefitted their immediate and extended communities. The presentation will celebrate the lives and legacy of members from various tribal affiliations -- amazing individuals who were explorers, doctors, social reformers and advocates. Led by historian Jo Ann Tufo, a writer, lecturer and performer who has over 30 years of experience. Her realistic and haunting portrayals of various historic figures have delighted audiences for more than three decades all over the United States. Tufo has also taught at Coastal Carolina University/OLLI Program since 2012 focusing on a variety of subjects, including the Colonial, Civil War, World War I, World War II and Vietnam eras. Many of her programs focus on the noteworthy contributions of women. Learn more about Tufo HERE.
October 2022 Updates
What we’ve been up to…
MBTS Select Board: Human Rights Council?
Hope Watt-Bucci is on the agenda for the October 17th Selectboard meeting at 6pm to advocate for a Human Rights Council in Manchester's town government. I plan to attend in support of her efforts (town hall room #5) and I invite you to join me!
Mobile Farmer's Market/
Food Truck
MERSD is working with The Open Door Food Pantry to bring a mobile farmer's market/ food truck to Manchester and Essex. The truck will rotate between the Middle/ High School, Essex Elementary, and Manchester Memorial on the first and third Wednesday of each month. This resource is available to all residents as we all can benefit from healthy food! If you would like to contribute to The Open Door, you could think about donating to The Open Door here. If you have questions or thoughts that you'd like to talk through, feel free to reach out to me or directly to the school district.
Current days/ times for the food truck:
1st Wednesday of each Month:
2:00-2:30 – MERMHS (Near the Planet Aid Collection Boxes)
2:45-3:30 – Memorial (Near the Playground)
3rd Wednesday of the Month
2:45-3:45 – Essex Elementary
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the MERSD Strategic Plan
In the September 6 School Committee meeting, Anna Lin Mitchell advocated strongly for the need for robust language about antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the MERSD District Improvement Plan. She shared some of her experiences in the schools and in town. You can check it out here!. (Timestamps: around 1:30:00 mark and around 2:00:00 mark). Great work, Anna, and thank you!
You can find the link to the district's strategic plan here. The District Improvement Plan and the School Improvement Plans should be available at that page soon. All include an expressed commitment to equity and inclusion. For example, Strategic Initiative 3 is "Celebrate and nurture an inclusive and diverse school culture that recognizes the contributions and uniqueness of all individuals." The objectives include hiring a DEI consultant/ coach and the district has worked with Michael Eatman of Culture7 coaching since last year. Additionally, a DEI assessment and anti-bias training for students and staff are both included in the objectives of the strategic plan.
Friendship Tree Lighting Ceremony
The Manchester Women's Club sponsors the Friendship Tree Lighting Ceremony every year and the MERSD music department has traditionally done a performance at the Tree Lighting. Recently, members of the community, school district, and Women's Club met to talk about how the event can be more inclusive and the Women's Club was very receptive to the feedback.