01907 Spring 2024

INSIDE 

High school senior has a 

plan for climate change 

Drumming up 

a community 

FRANKLY 

SPEAKING 

SPIRNG 2024 

VOL. 10 NO. 1

2 | 01907

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2 | 01907 

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER 

TED GRANT 

A publication of Essex Media Group 

Publisher 

Edward M. Grant 

Chief Executive Officer 

Michael H. Shanahan 

Directors 

Edward L. Cahill 

John M. Gilberg 

Edward M. Grant 

Gordon R. Hall 

Monica Connell Healey 

J. Patrick Norton 

Michael H. Shanahan 

Controller 

Susan Conti 

Creative Director 

Spenser Hasak 

Art Director 

Samuel R. Deeb 

Copy Editor 

Stuart Foster 

Writers 

Mark Aboyoun 

Joel Barnes 

Joey Barrett 

Anthony Cammalleri 

Stuart Foster 

Charlie McKenna 

Benjamin Pierce 

Ryan Vermette 

Photographers 

Emma Fringuelli 

Spenser Hasak 

Paula Muller 

Advertising Sales 

Ernie Carpenter 

Ralph Mitchell 

Patricia Whalen 

Magazine Design 

Emilia Sun 

INSIDE 

4 What's up 

6 A Collective approach 

10 Drumming up 

12 House Money 

14 Don of many trades 

18 A North Shore Haven 

22 Pulitzer Prize-winning 

24 Sand sculptures 

28 Frankly speaking 

32 Champion 

34 Climate Action 

ESSEX MEDIA GROUP 

85 Exchange St., 

Lynn, MA 01901 

781-593-7700 

Subscriptions: 

781-214-8237 

01907themagazine.com 

Diamond in the rough 

The image you see on the cover of this edition of 01907 is a classic – the photo itself and the subject. 

The photo is quintessential Frank DeFelice – taken in the latter stages of his Swampscott High baseball 

coaching career which spanned 35 seasons over 39 years, ending in 2005. 

465 wins – 45 of them in the state tournament; three sectional titles and six other sectional final berths; a 

state championship in 1993, one of only two in the history of SHS baseball. 

Coach DeFelice also played an integral role in the early stages of the Big Blue football dynasty in the late 

1960s. Anyone who was paying attention knows that without guys named DeFelice and (Dick) Lynch on his 

staff, the legendary Stan Bondelevitch might not have been quite as legendary. 

In addition to the gaudy record, Frank DeFelice’s real statistics can’t be quantified: the thousands of young 

men and women on whom he had a profound impact as a coach and middle school gym teacher. Ask Dick 

Jauron, a former NFL Coach of the Year, about the best coaches he has had in his life and you will hear the 

name DeFelice near the top of the list. Ditto Mike Lynch. 

As a high school coach, Frank DeFelice came straight out of central casting: an old-school disciplinarian 

who taught players about respect and accountability, far more important than hitting and fielding. It must’ve 

been something in the Winthrop air. Frank’s brother Bob, a former Winthrop football and Bentley baseball 

coach and athletic director, and my St. Mary’s High baseball coach Bob Guidi, were teammates growing up a 

few years apart in Winthrop, and I’d describe both Bobs in the same manner I do Frank. 

Thanks to a vote of the Board of Selectmen, and diligent behind-the-scenes work of SHS baseball coach 

Joe Caponigro and former Boston Herald sportswriter Steve Bulpett, the baseball field behind Swampscott 

Middle School where the Big Blue play, has been named Frank DeFelice Diamond. 

That decision is a home run. 

Speaking of Jaurons, Dick’s daughter Kacy Jauron-Rogers is celebrating Coastal Collective being nearly 

10 months in business. She provides a space for local vendors and artists to display and sell their products, 

from handmade jewelry to postcards to nautical-themed wood quilts. Our guy Ben Pierce crafts a story, 

detailing what it's like for a local business helping other local artists promote their work. 

From one Swampscott Athletic Hall of Famer – Dick Jauron – to another, William Hennessey, who was 

a part of the only undefeated track team in a 53-year span at the high school, has gone from the track to the 

weightroom. Hennessey began competing in powerlifting after high school, and reached new heights when 

he became a national champion in the sport in 2016. Sports reporter Mark Aboyoun works out the details 

with Hennessey on how his track and field career morphed into becoming a powerlifting champion. 

We also feature three stories involving those in the area focused on all things art, in three very different 

ways. 

As spring nears, it's likely that you will see Nahant resident Gary White out on the beach, constructing 

detailed sand sculptures, almost every other day. A retired art teacher who came to town right at the 

beginning of the pandemic, White is now using his skills for his (almost) full-time hobby. Our guy Charlie 

McKenna steps into the sandbox with White in his story. 

Ben also introduces us to Don Hammontree, a musician and a painter, at least whenever he can find time 

in between being a husband, foster parent, and pharmaceutical proofreader. He is a regular at the local Panera 

Bread, trying to find inspiration in his work. Ben takes a look into Hammontree’s passions that will surely be 

music to your ears. 

Staying on the same note, if you will, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn, located at 101 

Forest Ave. in Swampscott, is host to a monthly community drum circle, open to anyone in the region ages 

10 and up. The circle predominantly uses African drums and rhythms and creates a positive vibe that will 

leave those participants feeling relaxed and inspired. Ryan Vermette drums up a conversation with some of its 

members and talks about how the group came to be, and its plans for the future. 

Others are also becoming or have already become an inspiration for their activism efforts in multiple 

issues, both locally and internationally. Anthony Cammalleri talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning editor David 

M. Shribman. A Swampscott native, Shribman was the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette executive editor during its 

coverage of the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting. Shribman reflects with Anthony on the tragedy and 

grief that the city experienced, as well as the ongoing fight to combat antisemitism. (Commercial: Read 

David Shribman’s column on Saturdays in The Daily Item, the Essex Media Group flagship.) 

One teenager in town is also doing his part to combat climate change on a local level. Sixteen-year-old 

Swampscott High senior Sam Snitkovsky is the youngest member of the town’s Climate Action Plan 

Committee. He got the attention of the committee after leading a movement to start composting in the 

school’s cafeteria, and was subsequently nominated for the position. Our reporter Joel Barnes sheds a (green) 

light on the passion and efforts to save the environment by Snitkovsky, who is serving his second term on the 

committee. 

Each person featured in this edition of 01907 is a diamond in the rough. Or maybe more like a diamond 

in the sand? Or a drum set? Well, you get the point. Enjoy. 

COVER: Swampscott High baseball coach Frank DeFelice doing what he does best. 

COURTESY PHOTO

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WHAT'S UP 

Spring Equinox at 

Sacred Sun Circle 

What: Join Lisa Kawski and Kampa Vashi 

Deva, who will lead the ceremony to 

mark the beginning of the spring season. 

This event will feature the blowing of 

a conch shell as the sun breaks the 

horizon, the chanting of songs about 

the sun, opening remarks, a gong sound 

bath, and an opportunity for those in 

attendance to bring a creative work to 

share with the group. 

Where: The event will be held at the 

sun circle at Preston Beach. 

When: This event will take place at 6:44 

a.m. on Tuesday, March 19. 

North Shore 

Philharmonic’s 2024 

Spring Concert 

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What: The philharmonic will perform 

Josef Suk's “Scherzo Fantastique,” 

Mozart's Piano Concerto #19 featuring 

Sayuri Miyamoto as the soloist, Antonin 

Dvorak's “The Wood Dove,” and 

Mozart's “Prague” Symphony. Joel Bard 

will be the guest conductor. 

Where: The concert will be held at 

Swampscott High School. 

When: The concert will start at 3 p.m. 

on Sunday, April 21. 

Earth Day Yard Sale 

What: Swampscott is holding a 

town-wide yard sale for Earth Day. 

Participation will cost $20, and people 

have to register at swampscottrec.com. 

Those who register will receive a yard 

sale sign with stakes, an automatic 

permit for the day of the yard sale, and 

a feature on the town’s social-media 

postings and a map it will make before 

the event. 

Where: Participants can set up shop 

either at their yard or Town Hall. 

When: The yard sale will be on 

Saturday, April 22. The rain date is 

scheduled for April 23.

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01907 

Collective 

A 

approach to 

art in town 

Coastal Collective owner Kacy Jauron-Rogers sits 

among the coastal-inspired pieces of her Humphrey 

Street store. 

STAFF PHOTOS | SPENSER HASAK

SPRING 

SPRING 



| 7 

BY BENJAMIN PIERCE AND ANTHONY CAMMALLERI 

MAGAZINE STAFF 

Approaching 10 months in business, Coastal Collective has 

established itself as a one-stop shop for all things Swampscott. 

The ocean-side art gallery and marketplace came to be 

when founder Kacy Jauron-Rogers was searching for a new 

headquarters for her family’s nonprofit organization, the Jauron 

Family Foundation Inc. Her father, Dick Jauron, had a storied 

career in the NFL as a player and coach that spanned across four 

decades. Swampscott residents may especially remember him as 

the head coach of the Patriots’ division rival Buffalo Bills from 

2006 to 2009. 

When Jauron-Rogers learned the space was zoned for 

commercial use only, Jauron-Rogers decided to create a business 

where local vendors and artists could use dedicated wall and 

shelf space to sell their products. 

“I literally woke up one night in the middle of the night 

and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what am I thinking? My friend 

Terry makes beautiful pottery, my friend Melissa makes 

amazing jewelry, my friend Aparna makes block-printed 

textiles — I could probably curate an indoor farmers 

market for people who already have the products and 

just need a place to sell them,’” Jauron-Rogers said. 

The store’s roster of products includes paintings, 

handmade jewelry, postcards, candles, and 

nautical-themed wood quilts from Swampscott 

artist Nate Fontes-Fried. 

COLLECTIVE, continued on page 8



Coastal Collective specializes in coastal-inspired 

lifestyle needs, art, and gifts made by local artisans. 

COLLECTIVE, continued from page 7 

Jauron-Rogers describes her store as an ideal 

place for part-time local artists to display their 

creations. 

“This is their creative outlet — it’s their break 

from their kids, their break from carpools. It’s 

something that they’re doing for themselves, 

so I think it’s really cool to have a space where 

somebody can show me something interesting 

and I can say ‘Sure, I’ll find a space for it,’” 

Jauron-Rogers said. 

The store features a different coastal theme 

each season, with winter’s “Coastal Whites” 

debuting last December. “Coastal Greens” and 

“Coastal Yellows” are slated to follow suit in the 

spring and summer, respectively. The store’s fall 

exhibit, “Coastal Blues,” was its inaugural theme 

when it opened last fall. 

Jauron-Rogers said the community component 

of Coastal Collective is on display when visitors 

recognize other people’s creations. 

“The amount of people that I know in the 

town or who grew up in town or have children in 

the schools, people will just walk around the store 

and they’ll say, ‘Oh, this is Sandra’s stuff,’ or ‘This 

is Terry.’ All the time, I see people recognize their 

neighbors’ work and it’s just really fun,” 

Jauron-Rogers said. 

Goods from Marblehead-based 

Blue Lobster Company and Sea 

Bags Maine for sale at Coastal 

Collective, above. 

Ocean-themed 

illustrations for sale at 

Coastal Collective, left.

SPRING 2024 | 9

10 

10 

| 01907 


D 

ru 

Drumming up a good 

Dr 

mmimi 

n mmm um 

ng 

in 

p 

g 

go 

od 

BY RYAN VERMETTE 


vibe 

The sound of African drums echo through 

the halls of the Unitarian Universalist Church 

of Greater Lynn Sanctuary on a cold February 

afternoon, bouncing off the walls like the 

hands on the percussive surfaces. 

Walking further down the hall, a 

group is circled in the center of 

the room, aligning their own 

beats with others, smiling, 

laughing, and communicating 

with each other without 

saying a single word, rather 

through rhythm and 

harmony. 

It’s the sound of the 

Drumagic Community 

Drum Circle, which 

meets on the third 

Vincent Pito, of Wakefield, succumbs to the 

hypnotic rhythm at the drumming circle that 

gathered at the Universalist Unitarian Church of 

Greater Lynn. 

PHOTOS | PAULA MULLER

SPRING 

SPRING 



| 11 

11 

Sunday of every month from 1:30 to 3:30 

p.m. to play African-based and free-formed 

rhythms that create feelings of inspiration, 

calmness, and positivity. 

Started more than 14 years ago by the 

late Pearl Brown, along with Regina Millis 

and Ricia Fleming, the drum circle has 

served as a way for members of the area’s 

communities to express themselves, step 

away from the commotion of everyday life, 

and get lost in the music. 

“It’s being physical, rhythmically 

physical,” Fleming said. “I think rhythm is 

so powerful.” 

After Brown’s death, Don Goldman 

took over as the drumming circle’s leader 

roughly 10 years ago. Goldman said that 

his passion for drumming started 18 years 

ago when his son bought him a djembe. 

Sometime after he began playing, he 

ran into some people in the Swampscott 

Common who were familiar with the circle 

at UUCGL, and suggested that he take 

over. 

“As we got more and more into the 

drumming, we started to do different 

things with it as well and pretty soon our 

group grew,” Goldman said. 

Before the onset of the pandemic, 

the group was meeting regularly twice a 

week. At the group’s monthly gathering 

on Feb. 18, Goldman and other longtime 

attendees sparked a conversation about 

returning to the twice-a-month format as 

its membership continues to grow. 

The drum circle is open to anyone older 

than 10 years old, whether they have never 

drummed a beat in their life or have years 

of experience. 

“If you’re a complicated drummer, there’s 

a place for you. If all you do is go ‘boom, 

boom, boom,’ there’s a place for you,” 

Fleming said. “I love that.” 

Drums are available for borrowing 

upon arriving at the church, and attendees 

can also bring their own. While most 

members play the djembe, other drums 

and percussion instruments are welcomed 

as well. 

Many who have played in the circle 

say that they have had a form of “spiritual 

awakening” or feelings of inspiration, as 

they can feel the positive vibes and energy 

flowing from their minds to the drum 

surface, which then spreads to the entire 

circle. 

“Drumming is very healing,” Goldman 

said. “It’s very, very, healing. You come out 

and you feel pretty good.” 

During the group's February session, 

some had their eyes closed, getting deeply 

focused into the rhythms, and others, like 

Fleming, were laughing and filled with joy 

while playing. 

Despite mostly conversing in between 

songs, Goldman said it’s a great way to 

build relationships with others in the area. 

“What I find with the drumming is 

that the drumming is also a social event,” 

Goldman said. “You notice everybody is 

friendly with each other and they get along 

pretty well and they make good friends.” 

Those who come to play in the circle are 

kindly asked to give a suggested donation 

between $5 and $10. The events are open 

to the larger North Shore community and 

beyond, and the group encourages those 

planning on attending to bring friends and 

spread the word about the circle. 

Goldman said that the circle is 

continuing to gain interest, and when the 

weather gets nicer, they plan on holding 

outdoor events for an even more immersive 

experience.


HOUSE MONEY 

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GENERATING MEDIA OF MARBLEHEAD


A PEEK INSIDE 

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SALE PRICE: $2,795,000 

SALE DATE: Dec. 18, 2023 

LIST PRICE: $2,795,000 

TIME ON MARKET: 

52 days to closing 

LISTING BROKER: 

Erica Petersiel & Judith White with 

Sagan Sotheby’s Harborside 

SELLING BROKER: 

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Sotheby’s Harborside 

LATEST ASSESSED 

VALUE: $2,626,800 

PROPERTY TAXES: $30,182 

PREVIOUS SALE: $750 ,000 

(2008 – LAND ONLY) 

YEAR BUILT: 2008 

LOT SIZE: 1.16 acres 

LIVING AREA: 4,539 sq ft 

ROOMS: 11 

BEDROOMS: 5 

BATHROOMS: 5.5+ 

SPECIAL FEATURES: 

Modern conveniences with old world 

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Source: MLS Property Information Network.

14 

14 



DON OF 

MANY 

TRADES 

Don Hammontree is a talented 

painter and musician. 

STAFF PHOTOS 

SPENSER HASAK

BY BENJAMIN PIERCE 


SPRING 

SPRING 



| 15 

15 

When he's not tending to his duties as a husband, foster 

parent, and pharmaceutical proofreader, Don Hammontree 

is working on his art. The musician and painter often spends 

time at the Panera Bread in Vinnin Square in search of 

inspiration and to work on his projects. 

The Illinois native first moved to the North Shore 

at the turn of the century, however his passion 

for making music started long before that. 

“It all started right before 

Christmas of 1983,” 

HAMMONTREE, 

continued on page 16 

Artist Don Hammontree works on a 

painting of a tram in Romania. 

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Musician and artist Don 

Hammontree tunes his guitar. 

Don Hammontree's 

latest musical venture, 

"House of Pizza." 

HAMMONTREE, continued from page 15 

Hammontree recalled. “And I saw this 

keyboard at the local department store… 

I got it for Christmas and I played it 

faithfully for years until I went off to 

college.” 

More than 40 years later, Hammontree 

still has his Casiotone MT-40. Nowadays, 

the guitar is his primary instrument. 

Hammontree was a part of multiple bands 

throughout his music career, with his most 

recent group known as Bad Fogelberg. 

“Dan Fogelberg, the singer, he went 

to my high school. He was from Peoria, 

so that was kind of a tribute to him,” 

Hammontree said. “Technically that band 

has never ended, we put 

out a CD in 2017.” 

A moment that helped 

fortify Hammontree’s 

passion for music was 

when he got to meet 

and interview guitarist 

and songwriter Ritchie 

Blackmore from Deep 

Purple during his time as a 

freelance journalist for the 

Boston Herald. 

“He’s my hero, absolute hero,” 

Hammontree said. “May 16, 2011. I 

remember the date.” 

“House of Pizza” is the title of 

Hammontree’s most recent album, which 

features 12 songs he wrote. 

Hammontree’s passion for visual art 

developed later in life. The Salem resident 

recalled drawing a lot in his earlier life before 

music became his main creative outlet. 

“When my daughter was little we were 

drawing together and she was saying, ‘Daddy, 

you draw pretty good,’” Hammontree said. 

“So I think that was a push.” 

Hammontree’s paintings vary from 

fantastical incorporations of brutalist 

architecture all 

around the world, to 

quaint portraits of a 

Swampscott couple 

sitting on a bench on Lynn Shore Drive. 

His works have been featured in multiple 

libraries in the area, and he sells his pieces 

both in person and online. 

When it comes to balancing everything 

in his busy life, Hammontree credits his 

wife of five years, Vicki Lepoutre, for her 

encouragement of his artistic pursuits. 

Hammontree proposed to Lepoutre on 

King’s Beach in 2017. 

Hammontree’s oldest biological 

daughter, Liliana, is following in her 

father’s footsteps as an artist. 

He also said that the ability to work 

from home, both for his job and his 

creative pursuits, has been a big help. 

“Most of what I’m able to do is around 

the house,” Hammontree said. “It’s not like 

when I was back in Chicago and we were 

rehearsing in practice spaces and playing 

a million bars from here to Indiana. I feel 

like I’m a lot more present.”

SPRING 

SPRING 



| 17 

17 

Various paint tubes line Don Hammontree's 

workspace as he works on a painting. 

73


An ‘alchemy’ 

of 

Scandinavian 

and 

Asian cuisines 

BY STUART FOSTER 


Most towns on the North Shore would be 

lucky to claim a great restaurant specializing 

in either Asian or Nordic cuisine. 

Swampscott doesn’t just have both — it has 

both in the same building. 

The menu at Humphrey Street’s Njord 

Haven is split into two halves: Reclaiming 

Scandinavia, which alludes to Chef Don 

Golden’s Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish 

ancestry, and Travels in Asia, which 

references the trips that have changed how 

he approaches cooking. 

Golden doesn’t use the word fusion to 

describe his restaurant, though — he prefers 

alchemy. 

“When I can add lingonberry to an unagi 

HAVEN, 


Njord Haven Chef Don Golden dresses a plate of 

okonomiyaki with Kewpie mayo. 

STAFF PHOTOS | EMMA FRINGUELLI

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20 20 | 01907 


Writer Stuart Foster 

cuts into the lamb 

pinnekjøtt served 

with rosemary glaze, 

smoked garlic oil, and 

lingonberry gel. 

Sesame crush ahi with 

pickled vegetables, 

sesame oil powder, 

lingonberry unagi 

sauce, and wasabi. 

Gui Chai, a chive rice 

cake, served with soy 

sauce and sambal. 

HAVEN, continued from page 18 

and it tastes great, I do it,” Golden said. 

“But I’m not Oppenheimer, I’m more of a 

caveman… At the end of the day it’s about 

fire, it’s about wood and sticks. Cooking’s very 

primal, and that’s the thing I like about it.” 

Njord Haven has been open for nearly two 

years, and the first thing Golden did was tear 

the walk-in fridge out of the kitchen. Jason 

Stokes, the restaurant’s bartender, said he 

thought it was a terrible idea at first, but he 

quickly realized the point: to ensure the Njord 

Haven is only using fresh ingredients. 

Before the restaurant opens for the day, 

Golden goes shopping at markets across the 

greater Boston area for ingredients and drives 

them to Swampscott in his Honda Accord. He 

grows a number of the Scandinavian ingredients 

himself. 

If Golden doesn’t have access to the 

ingredients for a recipe that day, it won’t go on 

the menu. As a result, Njord Haven prints a new 

menu every single day. 

Regardless of what dishes are available for the 

day, Njord Haven’s menu gives you hit after hit. 

The pinnekjøtt, a Norwegian grilled lamb chop, 

comes with a smoked garlic oil and rosemary 

gel that combine for something irresistible. The 

wok-seared broccoli completely changed my 

view of the vegetable. The incredibly high heat 

of the restaurant’s wok combines with oyster 

sauce and sesame to bring an incredible texture 

and deep flavor from this humble ingredient. 

In the Phu Quoc chicken, the alchemy 

really stands out. The chicken is brined in skyr, 

an Icelandic yogurt, deep fried, and topped 

with palm sugar and fish sauce. Then, it gets 

drenched in an “herbal monsoon” featuring Thai 

basil, cilantro, and mint to create an incredibly 

balanced, resonant, and refreshing dish. 

“I hate when you have a good meal and you 

wake up the next day and you feel like you were 

in a boxing match,” Golden said. “I want our 

food to be very clean.” 

From busboy to head chef 

Golden’s first experience cooking came when 

he worked as a busboy at a Greek restaurant 

when he was a teenager. 

“Many chefs never work in the front, and it 

really got me very connected to the trials and 

tribulations of being a customer and the trials 

and tribulations of being a server,” Golden said. 

The chef, who had gotten tired of cooking 

lunch for Golden, started teaching him how to 

cook it himself. 

One slow day there, the chef had drunk a 

little too much when a tour bus with about 40 

people pulled up. With the chef unable to get 

off the barstool, one of the waitresses asked 

Golden if he would be able to cook one of the 

few dishes he knew for the crowd. 

“It actually went really well, people were 

raving about the food,” Golden said. “I got 

promoted to the kitchen the next day.” 

He went on to play in a rock band, and he 

and his bandmates, with little to spend, lived off 

of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hot dogs, 

and pizza. 

This was all pretty unhealthy, and Golden 

decided to use his experience at the restaurant 

to start cooking for his bandmates. Armed with 

a cast iron, a Dutch oven, and a copy of “Chef 

Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen,” he 

would make Cajun and Creole food for them 

on the side of the road. 

He went to cooking school while his band 

was working on a record deal and went on to 

work at Allegra (before it was the Cactus Club) 

in Boston and as the executive chef at Goulston 

& Storrs, a law firm, where he cooked for 

then-Sen. Barack Obama, Al Gore, and Tom 

Brady. He got familiar with preparing Spanish 

tapas, which informed his passion for small 

plates shared between diners. 

Golden then got a job at Shriners Children’s, 

cooking for burn victims. His boss gave him 

free reign in the kitchen, and Golden started 

cooking all kinds of different dishes for the 

patients. 

“They don’t want to eat American food if 

they’re from Honduras or Mongolia,” Golden 

said. “When you haven’t eaten for a long time 

and you’ve been tragically injured, you want your 

version of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or 

French toast.” 

When the doctors at Mass General learned 

about what Golden was doing at Shriners, they 

started coming in droves to eat there. A group 

of doctors told him they had a clinic in Saigon, 

Vietnam and invited him there to repay him. 

On that trip, he explored Vietnam, 

Cambodia, and Thailand, going off the grid, 

staying with a family when he couldn’t find a


Yu xiang, a dish of eggplant, vegan beef, 

scallions, black vinegar, red bell peppers, 

Szechuan peppercorns, and prickly ash oil. 

Crazy Drunken’ 

Thai Noodles with 

shrimp, fresh rice 

noodles, holy basil, 

rice wine, oyster 

sauce, yu choy, and 

red bell pepper. 

The 

Viet 

Kieu 

hotel, living without electricity for a few days, 

and all the while trying phenomenal street food. 

“It was the game-changing moment for me 

as a chef,” Golden said. “There’s ingredients I’ve 

never seen. I’ll be going back in a couple weeks, 

I’ll still see ingredients I’ve never seen, that I 

didn’t imagine existed.” 

“It’s limitless, it’s a frontier without 

boundaries to me,” he added. 

'A million dollar view' 

During the pandemic, Golden started to 

consider opening a restaurant more seriously. 

His dream had always been to have a restaurant 

in Cambridge. He had found great options in 

Cambridge, Marblehead, and at 408 Humphrey 

St. in Swampscott, facing Nahant Bay and the 

Boston skyline. 

“One of my mentors told me, ‘Don, that’s a 

million dollar view. A guy like you will never get 

that view again,’” Golden said. “He goes, ‘If you 

don’t take that restaurant with that view, you’re 

gonna hate yourself some day.’” 

Being able to get a full liquor license in 

Swampscott further sweetened the deal. 

Around the same time, Golden had a DNA 

test done. While he had been raised very Irish, 

he learned that he also learned he has a lot of 

Scandinavian ancestry as well. He decided to 

take it as a challenge and use one half of his 

menu to reclaim his heritage by learning how to 

cook Scandinavian food, while using the other 

half to serve the Asian food he had become 

obsessed with in his travels. 

“I very quickly started 

learning that Scandinavians and northern 

Europeans ferment and cure and preserve, 

because they have such a limited two-month 

growing season,” Golden said. “And the people 

in Southeast Asia do all the exact same things. 

The techniques are the same basically, but the 

ingredients are different because it’s so hot that 

everything will spoil.” 

At this point, Golden started to realize 

that the seemingly disparate cuisines of his 

restaurant had a surprising amount in common. 

For the name, he was inspired by Njord, the 

good god of the ocean who protects sailors in 

Norse mythology, when he was looking at the 

shore outside the restaurant on a stormy day. 

“I thought, ‘It’s the ocean right outside the 

door, I’ve got Njord out there,’” Golden said. 

“Surely that day with the storm, he was sending 

me the message.” 

Golden said he supports orphanages in 

Saigon and Bangkok, the latter of which mostly 

helps refugees from Myanmar. He makes trips 

to Southeast Asia yearly, and said that after this 

year’s trip in February the restaurant will make a 

continued commitment to support them. 

“These kids are wonderful, they’re so sweet 

and full of energy, and the least I can do is make 

them some bananas Foster and make them 

smile a little bit,” Golden said. 

Njord Haven’s current crew, Golden 

said, is the best in its history. He added that 

having a diverse crew ensures strength, and 

the employees are from a range of countries 

Don Golden with 

Sister Louise, left, 

and Sister Jaris. 

including Vietnam, Cape Verde, the United 

States, Thailand, and the Dominican Republic. 

“When you build these monotonic teams, 

they really are not very dynamic,” he said. 

Golden is also very appreciative of Njord 

Haven’s regulars and Swampscott, which he 

said has accepted his off-the-wall concept. He 

said the people at Town Hall have been very 

supportive, and the neighboring restaurants 

have been kind as well. 

Above all, he said that everything he makes 

is an homage to the different cooks who have 

made an impact on him. 

“When I cook, I want these people in heaven 

to look down on me and go, ‘Ah, Donny’s doing 

a good job, he remembered me,” Golden said. 

“That’s really what I want them to see, that I’ve 

learned from them.”

22 

22 



Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and 

Swampscott native David M. Shribman speaks 

about his coverage of the 2018 Tree of Life 

synagogue shooting during North Shore 

Community College’s 49th Forum on Tolerance. 

PHOTO | NORTH SHORE COMMUNITY COLLEGE 

PULITZER-WINNING EDITOR 

REFLECTS ON COVERAGE OF 

SYNAGOGUE 

SHOOTING 

BY ANTHONY CAMMALLERI 


Almost five years after the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s 

coverage of the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting 

earned the publication a Pulitzer Prize in 2019, retired 

Post-Gazette Executive Editor David M. Shribman, 

who was raised in Swampscott, reflected on covering 

the tragedy, the city’s union over shared grief, and the 

ongoing fight against antisemitism in the U.S. 

On Oct. 27, 2018, Robert Bowers opened fire in 

the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel 

Hill neighborhood, killing 11 and wounding six in 

the deadliest attack on any Jewish community in the


country’s history, according to the Anti-Defamation League. 

Shribman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who lives 

just three blocks away from Tree of Life, said he was at the 

gym when a friend called him to inform him that police were 

gathered outside the synagogue and were believed to be shooting. 

“I left the gym, no shower, and drove to that particular area, 

which is basically driving home. I couldn't get anywhere close 

to it because there was so much police presence, so I did a really 

odd thing — I put the laundry in the washer… and then went 

into the office,” Shribman said. 

When Shribman went into the office that Saturday, he said 

the Post-Gazette's news staff came streaming in ready to break 

the story. Shribman said that the newspaper's writers exuded 

stoicism and were intently focused on Sunday's pages. The story 

— published with an 86-point-type Hebrew 

headline — wound up hitting home for almost everyone in the 

community. 

“It was the first four words of the Mourner’s Prayer,” 

Shribman said of the story’s headline. “When words fail, perhaps 

you're thinking in the wrong language.” 

Shribman said a reporter who broke the story lived “within 

spitting distance” of one of the victims, and he later found out 

another Post-Gazette reporter’s mother went out to lunch with 

another victim every day. 

Just as significant as the pain caused by the Oct. 27 shooting, 

Shribman said, was the sense of solidarity and unity that came 

in the weeks and months following the harrowing attack. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers replaced one of the three stars in the 

team's logo with a Star of David in solidarity with the Jewish 

community, a change that Shribman referred to as a “symbol of 

Pittsburgh's commitment to diversity and tolerance.” 

“The community reacted to this in a 

very positive way. By positive, I mean 

specifically that they grieved along 

with the Jewish community. This wasn't 

regarded only as a Jewish tragedy but as 

a Pittsburgh tragedy,” Shribman said. 

A graduate of Swampscott High 

School from the Class of 1972, 

Shribman began his career in 

journalism at the age of 16 working 

at The Salem Evening News. He later 

worked as a journalist at The Boston 

Globe, The Wall Street Journal, and Th e 

New York Times. 

Shribman returned to the North 

Shore in January to tell his story at 

North Shore Community College’s 

49th Forum on Tolerance, and to honor 

his history teacher at Swampscott High 

School, Harvey Michaels, and the 

Michaels family. 

When asked about the current state 

of antisemitism in the U.S., Shribman 

described the fight against bigotry as a 

perpetual battle, similar to the fight for 

liberty. 

“The fight isn't a fight that ends on a 

specific discrete day. It goes on forever. 

I think that fight is being conducted 

now and has a particular moment, right 

now. Those of us who lived through 

Tree of Life understand that this is not 

the last time we will have to fight this,” 

Shribman said. 

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A front page from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

covering the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting. 

Good Food. Good Drinks. Great Vibes


ONE SCULPTURE 

AT A TIME ON 

NAHANT BEACH 

BY CHARLIE McKENNA 


Regular visitors to Nahant Beach 

are probably familiar with Gary 

White’s work, whether they know it 

or not. 

In the summer, White, a Nahant 

resident, can be seen on the beach almost 

every other day working on elaborate 

sand sculptures. A retired art teacher, 

White’s work took him around the 

world before he arrived in Nahant 

at the onset of the COVID-19 

pandemic. With the beach 

functioning as his backyard, White 

brought his artistic skill to the sand. 

White documents his work on 

Instagram, sculpting and carving 

everything from ice cream cones 

SCULPTURES, 


Gary White carves away at a block of sand. 

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Gary White uses 

a shovel to dig 

into the sand. 

SCULPTURES, continued from page 24 

to soccer balls to astronauts, employing tools primarily acquired 

from the dollar store or crafted from household objects. The 

beginning of a sculpture, for example, starts with the cut-up 

midsection of a kitty-litter container serving as a mold, and 

White also employs a 5-gallon bucket with the bottom removed. 

To craft a sphere, White reaches for the lid of a peanut-butter jar. 

Before arriving in Nahant, White had never worked with sand, 

but he explains he learned to do so quickly. 

“This was more perfect than I can imagine,” he says. “It's very 

easy to carve. But also the frame of mind you get into is, it doesn't 

matter because it's going to be broken within minutes, hours. It 

forces me to do things I’d be too reluctant to do otherwise.” 

Sand allows White flexibility not found in other materials like 

stone, where one misstep could set him back hours. On the beach, 

White finds freedom in the ability to let go. 

He explains he often creates two sculptures at a time. He will 

know exactly what to do for one but have no plan for the other, 

letting the sand itself guide his path. Nine times out of 10, he 

says the better result is the one he didn’t make a plan for. 

“It's not precious anymore. It's not something I'm afraid to 

mess up. There’s no pressure, I don’t have to impress anybody,” he 

says. “Messing around is a big part of finding the idea.” 

In fact, White says he almost always has a sense of fear when 

he heads to the beach because he doesn’t know where the day will 

take him. 

But once he actually gets to work, a plan develops in real time 

as he figures out what the sand wants to be. 

“The most important part is listening and looking, paying 

attention to what is there and what it wants to become, what it 

wants to make clear,” he says. 

Creating a sculpture is a delicate balance, with White needing 

the right mix of sand and water to ensure the structure is able to 

support itself. So much of his process is based on feel, knowing 

what consistency the sand needs to be before he lifts the mold 

away, or knowing just how long to let it dry before adding 

another layer or shape on top. 

White, though, says those finer details came quickly to him 

as he began experimenting on the beach, in part because of his 

experience carving other materials like wood and stone in his 

professional life. 

“The same way about not being afraid to mess up is where 

you figure out how far you can go,” he says. “After once or twice, 

having something fall off, you get a sense of how much weight 

can be cantilevered over.” 

“Trial and error… and not that much error,” he adds. 

And White’s teaching background is often on full display 

during the summer, when he spends hours at a time on the beach 

working away. As he constructs and carves, White draws the 

attention of children on the beach, who become curious about 

what he’s doing. Those children often get a lesson from White 

himself and, just as he does, become completely riveted by the 

process. 

White explains he has seen children, whose parents say they 

are never able to focus otherwise, spend hours working on 

sculptures on the beach. 

“It’s fun to make something, but just the process of making 

something takes away all your woes,” he says. “You’re not 

concerned about anything.” 

It’s the process itself that White loves, letting everything else 

fall away as he fixates on the project in front of him. 

“Once I start working on something, I could be in the cellar, 

in the dark,” he says. “The moment is engrossing, it’s all that 

matters.”


Gary White begins to 

turn a sphere of sand 

into a soccer ball. 

He then transforms 

the soccer ball into 

an abstract palace. 

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Frankly, 

Swampscott 

got it right


BY JOEY BARRETT 


Big Blue, bigger impact. 

If you walked into the Dick Lynch Gymnasium at Swampscott High 

School ahead of the boys basketball game against Winthrop on Jan. 16, 

you would have witnessed lots of hugs, smiles, and rounds of applause 

for a legend at the school. 

That’s because Swampscott’s baseball field (behind Swampscott Middle School, 

where the high school team plays) has a new name in Frank DeFelice Diamond, 

named after the legendary coach who helmed from 1966-71 and 1977-2005. 

DeFelice, 82, received a plaque toward the center of the gymnasium before 

speaking to the crowd and smiling for pictures. 

“Today, it’s an opportunity to get a baseball field named after you in 

the town that you live in and where I coached. I think it’s tremendous 

that I have that privilege,” DeFelice said. “I’m very excited. Thank 

you very much.” 

Like what he and his teams got for more than three decades, 

DeFelice was met with thundering applause. 

During his time in the dugout, he won 465 games (.644 

winning percentage), the state championship in 1993, 

and the Northeastern Conference eight times. He sent 

dozens of players onto college baseball and a handful 

to the pros. Perhaps more importantly, he held his 

players accountable, teaching them life lessons 

that went way beyond the field. 

For that, you get more than a Swampscott 

Hall of Fame nod, which DeFelice received 

in 2011. (He’s also in the Winthrop High 

and Massachusetts Baseball Coaches halls 

of fame.) Beginning this spring, each 

and every Swampscott baseball game 

will feature a little bit of Frank. 

“Lynn teams play at Fraser Field, 

you know? They have names,” head 

baseball coach Joe Caponigro, who 

DEFELICE, 


Frank DeFelice smiles for the 

cameras at Swampscott High 

prior to the DeFelice Diamond 

announcement. 

STAFF PHOTOS 

EMMA FRINGUELLI

30 

30 



DEFELICE, continued from page 29 

played for DeFelice at Swampscott, said. “It just makes sense. 

If you’re going to name this field, Frank would certainly be 

the only choice.” 

The Swampscott Board of Selectmen unanimously 

approved the proposal on Jan. 10, one spearheaded by 

Caponigro and Steve Bulpett, a former Swampscott baseball 

player and Boston Herald sportswriter. 

“My best friend’s nephews were playing baseball at 

Swampscott a few years ago and we’d go to games to see 

them play,” Bulpett said. “Coach DeFelice was always there 

and we’d have a nice conversation. It just struck me that he’s 

kind of the essence of community.” 

At one of those games, Bulpett chatted with Caponigro. 

“Steve was the real catalyst for this. I saw him, probably 

last year, at a game and he brought it up,” Caponigro said. 

“Then, we just kind of put our heads together and did what 

we had to do… This is a recognition that is very justified 

with his accomplishments (and) longevity.” 

Accomplishments and longevity, indeed, but it was more 

than that, according to Bulpett. 

“I started thinking about the field, and certainly his 

accomplishments as baseball coach would warrant his name 

being there,” Bulpett said. “But I think the part that really put 

it over the edge for me was the fact that he was still – after all 

these years – coming here to support the program.” 

“I’m still associated with baseball because it’s a 

tremendous passion with me,” DeFelice said. 

DeFelice’s impact goes a long way. Just ask Paul Halloran, 

who assisted DeFelice from 1989-92 and 1997-2005 and 

led the Swampscott American Legion team to back-to-back 

state championships in 1995 and ’96. 

“This is the most well-deserved honor there could ever 

be. I got a chance to experience just how tremendous a 

coach and molder of men Frank was. He absolutely held his 

players to the highest standards, yet he was always fair and 

honest with them,” Halloran said. “If you were the parent of 

a player, you hit the jackpot when your son got to play for 

Frank DeFelice, even if some players realized that later in 

life.” 

“Steve Bulpett and Joe Caponigro should be congratulated 

for spearheading this effort, as well as the Board of 

Selectmen for approving it,” Halloran added. “Frank’s 

coaching tenure did not end the way he deserved, thanks to 

the actions of a few small people who thankfully have long 

left the scene, so it is very gratifying that his legacy will be 

immortalized with the naming of the field. Everyone in 

Swampscott can be proud of that.” 

Speaking of being proud, Kevin Rogers, a standout pitcher 

on the 1993 state championship team, said DeFelice created 

“a pride in playing for Swampscott.” 

“If you were lucky enough, you were coached by Frank,” 

Rogers said. “It was everybody playing for the same thing. 

He instilled that in all of us.” 

When asked to describe DeFelice as a coach, 

Caponigro could have gone on all night. 

“I learned not just baseball from him, but a lot of life 

lessons and a lot about teamwork, physical and mental 

toughness, preparation, and discipline,” Caponigro 

said. “I appreciate everything Frank did for me 

growing up and the lessons I was taught.” 

Discipline came to Bulpett’s mind, too. 

“I was around when he was coaching, so I 

got to see it up close, but even in the classes 

that he was teaching (physical education in 

Swampscott’s school system for more than three 

decades), Coach was a disciplinarian, and maybe 

we didn’t love it so much at the time, but we 

got to appreciate it,” Bulpett said. “I always 

appreciated Coach – even when he was yelling 

at me.” 

DeFelice was also head football coach at 

Swampscott from 1977-81. 

“I was disappointed to realize I was a 

better football player than I was a baseball 

player,” said DeFelice, who grew up playing 

sports in Winthrop with his brother, Bob, a 

Hall of Famer at Winthrop High, BC, and 

Bentley University, among others. “I loved 

football, but I have a tremendous passion for 

baseball.” 

It’s true. DeFelice still finds a way to be 

involved with the game, serving as a consultant 

with Endicott College in Beverly. 

“So 2008, he walked right into my office… From 

there, we were off and running,” Endicott baseball 

coach Bryan Haley said. “He was with us from 2008 to 

2018, somewhere in that range, and then he became our 

consultant. We talk about baseball and stay in touch – that 

sort of thing.” 

Haley jumped right to one of his favorite things 

about DeFelice: “The stories.” 

“He’s a class act and one of the kindest 

people in the world, but the stories 

he has from back in the day… 

priceless,” Haley said. 

There will be a 

formal dedication at a 

Swampscott baseball 

game this spring. 

“He knows more 

baseball than any of 

us will ever know,” 

Haley said.

SPRING 

SPRING 



| 31 

31 

“ 

I learned not just 

baseball from him, but 

a lot of life lessons and 

a lot about teamwork, 

physical and mental 

toughness, preparation, 

and discipline." 

— 

head baseball coach 

Joe Caponigro 

497 Humphrey Street, Swampscott, MA 

781-599-3411 

Mon - Th 9-5, Fri 9-3 781-581-7200


FROM SWAMPSCOTT’S 

WEIGHT ROOM TO 

NATIONAL CHAMPION 

BY MARK ABOYOUN 


Swampscott has had a plethora of 

great high-school athletes throughout 

its rich history in different sports. One 

Swampscott graduate might sit at the top 

of the list — William Hennessey. 

Hennessey, who is in the Swampscott 

Athletic Hall of Fame for track and field, is 

also a national powerlifting champion. 

“I grew up in Swampscott and I was 

always involved in athletics. I got into 

weight training in junior high school and 

continued with it throughout college,” 

Hennessey said. “I’m in the Swampscott 

High School Athletic Hall of Fame 

along with my teammates. From my 

understanding, we’re the only undefeated 

track team in a 53-year span at Swampscott 

High School.” 

After high school, Hennessey started 

to compete in powerlifting competitions 

after falling in love with the sport. 

After winning various competitions, 

Hennessey had his sights set on a national 

championship. 

In 2014, Hennessey decided to give a 

national competition a shot, despite being 

injured. 

“I had competed in quite a few 

competitions before the National 

Championships. Back in 2014, I actually 

injured my neck two weeks before the 

competition, so I wasn’t at my best. What 

I did was I just tried to match the lifts of 

the other top competitors. I weighed less 

than what my competitor did, so as long as 

I could match what he lifted, I would win 

based on body weight,” Hennessey said. 

“I ended up lifting more than he did, but 

going in I just tried to match him. I was 

ahead by a little in the end, so I decided to 

up the weight a bit.” 

Hennessey competed in the Masters 2 

category in the 163-pound weight class. 

After winning the competition, 

Hennessey decided to retire from 

competing. However, he still powerlifts six 

times a week. 

“I do it for my health. I still train six 

days a week,” Hennessey said. “Actually 

competing is a ton of work in the gym. 

Between making weight and everything, 

it’s not easy. You have to watch what 

you’re eating, so I kind of thought if this 

competition goes well, I’ll just sign off. I’ll 

Katarina Hennessey 

reps the American 

flag after winning 

gold at the 

Pan American 

Championships in 

Ontario, Canada. 

COURTESY PHOTOS 

WILLIAM HENNESSEY 

William Hennessey is the USA Powerlifting 

bench-press coach.


William Hennessey still powerlifts six 

times a week. 

enjoy coaching and enjoy preparing on my 

own without the pressure of competing.” 

Despite being a national champion, 

that’s only one chapter of his powerlifting 

career. 

Hennessey is an accomplished coach. 

He was Florida International University’s 

mens and womens powerlifting coach and 

only just retired this past December. 

“I was hired as the Florida International 

University’s men and women powerlifting 

coach in 2011,” Hennessey said. “We’ve 

been the most successful collegiate 

powerlifting (program) in the state of 

Florida during my tenure. We won 10 state 

championships in my 13 years.” 

In 2016, during his coaching tenure, the 

USA Powerlifting team reached out to 

Hennessey to become Team USA’s benchpress 

coach. 

“I began coaching the FIU Powerlifting 

team in 2011. When we started to do well 

at the state level and finish well nationally, 

I started to coach my daughter too, 

who won two national championships,” 

Hennessey said. “The USA Powerlifting 

team thought that maybe I knew what I 

was doing, so in 2016 they interviewed me 

as the bench-press coach, which I took and 

I'm still the coach today.” 

During his time coaching, he also 

coached against his daughter Katarina, 

who attended Florida State University. Her 

resume speaks for itself. 

“I'm actually not the most decorated 

powerlifter in the family, my daughter is,” 

Hennessey said. “She’s won one world 

championship, won a silver, three national 

championships, in addition to a Worlds 

silver.” 

“She won an International Powerlifting 

Federation World Championship in South 

Africa in 2016. I had the unique pleasure 

of being her coach and father and watching 

my daughter win gold for the United 

States of America. Then in 2017, she 

narrowly missed out on gold in Texas to a 

Ukrainian girl off of body weight, but she 

still took home a silver medal,” he added. 

Katarina was a competitive dancer 

growing up and her strong legs were 

something Hennessey believed would 

benefit her in powerlifting. 

“She was a competitive dancer. 

She actually won a national dance 

championship and a powerlifting 

championship in high school. Her legs 

were always incredibly strong. I told her 

she would be a great powerlifter and 

she gave it a try and she just progressed 

incredibly,” he said. 

“She’s 112 pounds of power,” Hennessey 

said. 

In 2021, Hennessey was nominated and 

inducted into Florida’s USA Powerlifting 

Hall of Fame. Hennessey was inducted 

based on his coaching and lifting career. 

The former secretary general of USA 

Powerlifting nominated Hennessey and the 

Executive Committee voted him in on his 

first ballot. 

“I was elated. There’s a ceremony 

that was held in Tampa during a big 

meet,” Hennessey said. “They made the 

announcement and I went up and received 

my plaque. It was amazing. It wasn’t 

something I envisioned when I first started 

all of this. It’s a great feeling.” 

Out of all of his and his daughter’s 

accomplishments, Hennessey is also the 

USA Powerlifting senior international 

coach, which is something not everyone 

can say. 

“There’s only a handful of us in 

the country. It’s the highest level of 

certification and recognition. We need to 

understand all the intricacies of national 

and international competition, in addition 

to drug testing,” he said. 

Hennessey is proud that he and his 

students are extensively drug tested and 

clean lifters. 

This former Swampscott resident 

continues to make a name for himself 

while helping Team USA win medals.

34 

34 



A YOUNG VOICE 

ON THE CLIMATE 

ACTION PLAN 

COMMITTEE 

Sam Snitkovsky believes that compliance with 

M.G.L c. 40A , § 3A the MBTA community zoning 

law, is instrumental to cutting emissions. 

STAFF PHOTO | EMMA FRINGUELLI

SPRING 

SPRING 



| 35 

35 

BY JOEL BARNES 


Sam Snitkovsky, a senior at Swampscott 

High School, is the youngest member 

of the town’s Climate Action Plan 

Committee. 

Appointed to the committee in the fall 

of 2022, the 16-year-old is in his second 

term on the committee. 

Snitkovsky first got interested in 

composting. At Swampscott High, he led a 

movement to start a composting program 

in the cafeteria, which got the attention of 

the committee and led to his nomination. 

Snitkovsky, who is also the Student 

Council president, orchestrated various 

initiatives such as cleanups with the 

school’s environmental club. He said he is 

driven by his concern for the environment 

and jumped at the opportunity to join the 

committee. 

“We hear a lot about environmentalism 

and about fighting climate change and 

what’s the effective way to do that,” 

Snitkovsky said.“I definitely felt that this 

was going to be a way to do much bigger 

change.” 

“The best way to address these issues is 

through policy and changing our rules,” he 

added. 

Snitkovsky said he gained popularity 

among his peers for taking an “activist 

approach” to tackle many environmental 

issues. 

It was through the Student Council 

that he started the process to form a 

composting program. Swampscott High 

sent out a survey asking students what their 

areas of concern were. 

“It was only after speaking with a lot of 

other students and other people who had 

been invested with environmentalism for 

much longer than I had been,” Snitkovsky 

said. “That’s really when I got a lot more 

invested into it.” 

Snitkovsky is most interested in zoning. 

He said if you take a look at the statistics 

on where the carbon emissions in town are 

coming from, the top sources are buildings 

and transportation. 

“That’s very similar, actually, for most 

suburbs and the reason is because of 

single-family exclusionary zoning,” 

Snitkovsky said, adding that it is the least 

efficient way to use energy. 

The town has regulations that prevent 

property owners from creating more 

residential units, meaning Swampscott is 

restricted to single-family homes. The law 

has forced it to be that way, Snitkovsky 

said. 

Snitkovsky said single-family homes are 

inefficient in energy usage compared to 

multi-family buildings. 

“When the law is forcing everything 

to be single-family, you have significantly 

higher CO2 emissions than you could have 

been having,” he said. 

Reflecting on his time on the committee, 

Snitkovsky said he felt very accomplished 

that the American Conservation 

Commission, which he is a member of, 

donated three bike racks to be used at 

Fisherman’s Beach. He said he requested 

the donation after he became more aware 

of the need for the racks as a member of 

the committee. The racks will provide a 

total of six parking spots for bikes. 

The other moment he said he is most 

proud of is when the Vinnin Square 

redevelopment plan adopted a suggestion 

he made. Snitkovsky had proposed limiting 

each unit in a new building designed 

for the plan to one parking space on the 

property, regardless of the unit’s size, and 

his recommendation was accepted. 

Snitkovsky said the past year has been a 

learning process. He has become familiar 

with a lot of laws and regulations, and said 

that composting gave him a head start in 

the field. 

“Composting can lower the trash fill 

and composting can be cheaper,” he said. 

“Even in cases where it’s not, it’s still 

a great program where you’re helping 

your community, you’re helping your 

environment, and you have a lot more food 

waste than I think people realize.” 

While Snitkovsky said composting is 

important, his top priority is to “abolish 

exclusionary single-family zoning.” He 

encourages people to ask the leaders of 

their communities about why they continue 

to have single-family exclusionary zoning 

laws. 

Snitkovsky recently finished his college 

applications, and has been accepted to 

the University of Maryland and Rutgers 

University. He said he wants to continue 

this line of work and to participate in 

similar clubs. 

He said he will continue his work with 

the Climate Action Plan Committee, 

which meets virtually on Zoom, as long as 

he lives in Swampscott. 

“I am going to continue to be informed 

and get us to where we need to be,” he said.

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Bill Willis and Christine Tierney are real estate brokers affiliated with Compass, a licensed real estate broker and abide by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. *Source: MLSPin Single Family Sales by Volume, Marblehead, 

Swampscott, 1/1/2023-12/31/2023.

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