Marblehead Board of Health blocked from using town hall after member wore hat

Abbot Hall is both a museum space and the location of some of the town offices for Marblehead, Massachusetts. Members of the Board of Health say they have been blocked from using the space for meetings due to a dress code violation.

In a statement to the Marblehead Current, Board of Health member Tom McMahon says town Select Board Chair Dan Fox reached out to the head of the Health Board with concerns regarding attire, including hat wearing. 

McMahon can be seen in publicly recorded Health Board meetings wearing a hat. McMahon said if there was a formal policy, he would follow it, and that he doesn't intentionally wear it inside. Nonetheless, the board has been banned from using the building for meetings. 

The ruling has caught the ear of neighbors. "Marblehead is very old-fashioned, so it's not surprising, but it is surprising that they would take it to that length, that they would say 'you can't meet here,'" said Marblehead resident Emily Figueroa. 

Other neighbors took their opinions to social media saying on the Marblehead Community Forum: 

"It is called respect. The bar is so low now with dress codes and it will never come back," mentioned one commenter. 

"With all the important things happening in this world, I find this ridiculous," said another commenter. 

McMahon said in his statement that he has submitted a formal request that the decision be rescinded until a policy is made at the Select Board meeting.  

"I'm sure that it will be an amicable resolution, and I am sure one of them will decide to be the bigger person," said Figueroa.