MARBLEHEAD — State Treasurer Tim Cahill is not quite on board with a recent letter from the School Building Authority urging speedy action by voters, regarding construction of a new Glover School. Instead, Cahill, the chairman of the authority, sees the possibility of waiting until spring to hold a second override election.
Candidate Cahill, speaking during a campaign stop at Brooksby Village, qualified his remarks by noting he will not be on the board next spring, although he could be governor.
At issue is obtaining a 40 percent reimbursement for construction costs. Voters turned down a Proposition 21/2 override last June that would have paved the way for the new school, with the town's contribution limited to 60 percent.
More recently, in a letter from Mary Pichetti, the authority's director of capital planning, she stressed the need to act quickly.
"If the town fails to approve the Glover School project in the fall of 2010 ... the MSBA may need to remove the Glover School project from the capital pipeline in order to make room for other projects. ... The town will no longer be eligible for the 40 percent reimbursement rate."
Advocates of school construction are expected to appear at the selectmen's meeting tonight, asking for a Special Town Meeting to put the measure on the ballot for the fall. They are likely to be met by opponents, according to Jack Buba, who mounted the campaign that defeated 10 of 10 override measures last June.
If Marblehead is being urged to act by fall, Cahill said yesterday, "They're not getting that from me."
The 40 percent could be obtained in the spring, as well, he added, saying, "It's a possibility." But he stressed that the town must be more diligent about picking and choosing which measures to put on the ballot.
"There's no better job than building a school," he said.
Indeed, Cahill seemed informed about the situation in Marblehead, a town he praised for its efficient approach to spending. He complained, however, that there were too many overrides on the June ballot. In addition, he cited by name Buba's opposition group, "Not Now, We're in a Recession."
He said he was surprised the town turned down the proposal.
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