April 2, 2025

At many town committee meetings, dedicated volunteers can be seen scribbling notes by hand. Those notes soon become detailed reports that will keep residents informed about the decisions that shape our community.

The volunteers are part of the League of Women Voters of Marblehead, a group that has transformed the role of volunteerism in local government. They ensure transparency and community engagement in a way that goes beyond traditional service. 

“Members of the Select Board and people in town were giving compliments and thank yous for what we’re doing, spreading the word,” said Bonnie Grenier with LWVM. “If you don’t know something is happening, when you find out, you can do something.”

Founded in 1920, the League of Women Voters of the United States has long championed political engagement and government transparency at local, state and national levels. Marblehead’s chapter has embraced this mission through its Observer Corps, a team of volunteers who attend town meetings, document proceedings and publish reports online, making civic information easily accessible to residents. (You can find Observer Corps reports at MarbleheadCurrent.org.)

The Observer Corps began in 2019, a response to what many saw as a gap in local news coverage. Greiner, who had been involved with the League for 11 years, spearheaded the effort to create the program.

“We were kind of like a news desert. I think people were really frustrated that they weren’t getting local news. I didn’t really know what an observer corp was, but I figured other leagues had them,” said Grenier, who now serves as its coordinator. “I went to different websites, talked to other people who were running observer corps in different leagues. Got educated, created a couple forms and started recruiting people too.”

Since then, Grenier has recruited 11 observers who cover various town committees based on their interests. Their work has proven invaluable, especially in times of crisis, such as the town’s educator strike just last year.

“It’s a great benefit to anybody in town who wants to know what’s going on and never could possibly get to meetings,” said Grenier. 

Tom Kruger, a former pediatrician,has been an observer since 2019, covering the Board of Health. He was particularly active during the COVID pandemic, ensuring residents had accurate information about public health decisions.

“And then once COVID started, it was really important to attend meetings to find out what was going on because everything was very fluid at the time,” said Kruger. “There was a lot of controversy about how things were being done and what was happening.”

Through Kruger’s reports, Marblehead residents gained insight into the Board of Health’s response, helping the community navigate the pandemic. 

Other observers bring expertise from their professional backgrounds. Nancy Powell, a retired social worker, reports for the Disability Committee. 

“I’m a retired social worker. And I had a career working with a medical group that followed adults with significant disabilities,” said Powell. “There are a lot of issues here that affect people with disabilities. I feel like, you know, we’re educating the community because a lot of people don’t get out to the meetings.”

The work of the Observer Corps has led to tangible changes, according to the League. Local businesses have improved accessibility. The Riptide, a Marblehead restaurant, installed an accessible door and ramp after community awareness grew.

“They put an accessible door and they put a ramp inside once you could open the door and go in. And they got a lot of positive feedback from that,” said Powell.

The observers pride in their commitment to transparency especially in a time when public trust in government can be fragile.

“I think there’s definitely a segment that distrusts what’s going on,” said Kruger. “So that’s one of the reasons we wanted to have more transparency.”

A core tenet of the Observer Corps is neutrality.

“The other thing is you have a responsibility to write what’s truthful and what’s real. You can’t misstate facts. But really, it’s a struggle,” said Powell. 

The impact of their work extends beyond reporting — it inspires civic engagement, the League said. Shari Pressman, an observer with the Task Force Against Discrimination Committee since 2021, has seen firsthand how transparency can drive community involvement.

“If people hear about an issue through one of our reports, they often want to join or volunteer for a committee,” Pressman said. “That’s how you make your community a better place.”

As the Observer Corps continues to publish reports, they hope to strengthen civic participation and gain the recognition they deserve.

“This is a group of top-notch people who really do their homework,” said Greiner. “If you read any of these observer reports, honestly, it’s really the minutes in detail.”

Ella Rogerson is a student at Endicott College studying journalism.

Observer Corps volunteers provide more transparency in town