Photo: WBZ NewsRadio Archives
MARBLEHEAD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A software engineer from Marblehead has created a website to share data and keep the community informed about the town's finances.
Andrew Baber of Marblehead is a data guy. Last month, residents approved a $15 million operating override. Before the vote, Baber was frustrated with debates online over the measure, saying he found them to be based in emotion and not facts. So, he decided to do something about it.
He created the website marbleheaddata.org, which compiles data from the state and the town. He said he worked to keep it as "fact based" and "neutral" as possible so residents could come to their own conclusions.
"People found it really helpful," Baber said. "One of biggest points of contention was around all the different calculators, like ‘how much am I going to pay if this override passes?’ Because it was really confusing."
Even though the override has passed, the website has only continued to grow. Baber said more work has to be done to keep the community informed.
WBZ NewsRadio's Emma Friedman (@EmmaFriedmanWBZ) reports.