Welcome to the Weekly Roundup, a new South Shore Times feature catching you up on some of the stories making news around the region.
This week brought an election with real consequences in Marshfield, a still-developing Plymouth County political race, a transportation startup aimed squarely at overscheduled parents and perhaps the most South Shore way possible to celebrate the unofficial end of summer.
Marshfield voters say no to $7 million override
Marshfield voters rejected a proposed $7 million property tax override Tuesday, ending a months-long debate over how to close the town’s budget gap.
The measure failed 4,801 to 4,059, despite voters at June’s Financial Town Meeting overwhelmingly backing the proposal by a show of hands.
A smaller $4 million override had also been proposed by the Advisory Board, but it was never considered after Town Meeting approved the $7 million plan. Of that amount, about $5.6 million would have restored services and avoided cuts, while roughly $1.4 million would have provided additional capacity for future expenses.
The largest impact will be felt in the schools, which face about $4.5 million in reductions. Dozens of educators had already been told their positions could be eliminated.
The failed override means Marshfield will now fall back on a budget officials previously warned could bring layoffs, unfilled positions and reduced services.
The tax vote is over. The debate over what Marshfield can afford is not.
Incumbent Plymouth County commissioner ousted in primary
Plymouth County voters delivered a significant upset Tuesday, with incumbent County Commissioner Sandra Wright losing the Republican primary to Anthony O’Brien of Pembroke. O’Brien will face Democrat Rhonda Nyman in November.
The loss comes just weeks after Wright and Commissioner Greg Hanley faced criticism over their decision to hire former county administrator Troy Clarkson to return to the job.
Clarkson received a three-year contract paying $185,000, $61,000 above the maximum salary advertised for the position. Commissioners eliminated two other county positions to accommodate the hire, including an administrator-in-training position created less than a year earlier.
Commissioner Jared Valanzola, who opposed both the hiring process and Clarkson’s appointment, went so far as to say during a public meeting that “the fix was in.” Wright rejected that characterization and said commissioners entered the process supporting different candidates before she ultimately joined Hanley in backing Clarkson.
Hingham parents get another answer to “Who’s driving?”
Hingham parents juggling practices, lessons and other activities now have another transportation option.
LOOP Shuttle has officially launched after receiving Select Board approval earlier this summer. The Hingham-based service is designed specifically for children, using locally vetted drivers and an app that lets parents track rides and receive pickup and drop-off notifications. Drivers undergo background checks and fingerprinting, and the company has said it plans to use drivers with 7D certification.
LOOP is already offering rides to destinations including Lovell Arena, Starland, Hanover Crossing and Union Point Sports Complex. On-demand rides start at $20 for the first three miles, with recurring rides and group discounts also available.
For parents who feel like they spend half their lives driving to practices, there is now, quite literally, an app for that.
Cohasset puts the brakes on automatic Flock renewal
Cohasset is taking another look at the automated license plate readers used by its police department.
The Select Board voted unanimously to prevent the town’s Flock Safety contract from automatically renewing, opening a 30-day window to renegotiate or consider another vendor. Cohasset has four Flock cameras.
The cameras have proven useful. In July, police used the system to track two Mercedes SUVs stolen from Cohasset driveways, helping investigators recover both vehicles in Somerville within hours.
But the technology continues to raise privacy and data-sharing concerns locally and nationally. Even Police Chief William Quigley has acknowledged the tension, calling the cameras a valuable investigative tool while warning that surveillance can “really, really get out of hand.”
For now, Cohasset isn’t abandoning the cameras. It is reconsidering the terms under which it uses them.
And finally, a beer for everyone who survived Route 3
You know summer is ending on the South Shore when the beach traffic starts disappearing, Route 3 becomes marginally less terrifying and a local brewery decides the whole experience deserves its own beer.
Stellwagen Beer Company is marking the transition with a new fall New England IPA called “Summer People, Summer Not.”
The release is a tongue-in-cheek goodbye to summer crowds and Cape traffic, with the brewery pitching the beer as something of a reward for locals who made it through another season. The IPA features berry, cherry, spruce and pine flavors, according to Stellwagen.