Dear LBIA Families, 

The Town of Rockport requested and received an extension to submit its legal brief to the SJC until Monday, October 26. 2026 .  

You can read the LBIA Annual Meeting Minutes, that include updates on Long Beach Day 2027,  LB Seawall, SJC Litigation , Saratoga Creek, and Future Legal  Fundraising at this link https://longbeachrockport.com/residents-page-home.

 Sincerely, 

Antoinette Giugliano 

LBIA EC Member

Dear LBIA Families, 

The LBIA Legal Sub Committee conducted two years of LBIA legal fundraising and negotiated a cap with our Attorneys for total legal fees to preserve our right to vote.  We will be sending LBIA’s Attorneys a final payment this month—- even though our Attorneys will continue to do a significant amount legal work with the upcoming the SJC hearing which may not occur until sometime in 2027.  

Our right to vote directly impacts our ability to repair the seawall. 

A successful LBIA legal fundraising event is dependent upon the generous financial support of so many of you who are committed to Protect and Preserve Long Beach and our homes on Long Beach. We are grateful to all of you who generously contributed. 

However, during this cycle of legal fundraising, we received silence from a minority of non-contributors,  except a few non-contributors comments that surprised us: (1) the voting issue is each individual’s issue —not mine; and  (2) I do not want to participate in fighting with the Town. 

We also received LBIA legal fund contributors expressing concerns about the non-contributing families including: (1) I cannot believe you are asking me to contribute a second time to subsidize my neighbor who does not contribute; and  (2) My family members voted at April 24’ Town Meeting for the Seawall Grant and we totally support Protecting and Preserving Long Beach and our right to vote in Rockport , but we may not contribute beyond our initial $1500 until we know who is and is not contributing. 

The LBIA legal Sub Committee committed to hold a Membership discussion regarding the “Future LBIA Legal Fundraising”. This discussion will occur at our Annual Meeting on Sept 5th at 10 am on the tennis court. 

Please join us for this open dialogue. We need everyone’s thoughts and ideas as we seek to establish the fairest and most equitable legal fundraising approach possible. 

The LBIA has proven that, when we stay together, our small Membership represents a powerful voice. The future of the next generation of our families living on Long Beach is dependent upon all of us not permitting anyone to silence our voice by dividing our unity. 

Please come and be heard on Sept 5th. We will take every comment offered at this meeting and do our very best to come back to you with a recommendation. 

Sincerely, 

Chip Tarbell

Antoinette Giugliano

Steve Sheehan

Dear LBIA Families,

In light of feedback we received earlier this summer, we have created a private Instagram account to share beach updates and reminders. Please send a follow request if you are on social media and would like to receive updates there. https://www.instagram.com/preservelb/#‍ ‍

Please contact Rose Mooney at Rmooney@alumni.nd.edu with any questions.

Account name: PreserveLB  https://www.instagram.com/preservelb/#

Sent on behalf of

Rose M. Mooney, Esq.

Rmooney@alumni.nd.edu

Dear LBIA Families,

We are pleased to follow up our last communication on 8-6-26 announcing the decision of the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) to hear LBIA’s case.   

We confirm that on Wednesday,  8-26-26, LBIA’s Attorneys submitted an impressive Legal Brief with  accompanying materials to the 7 Justices of the SJC.  All this information is posted on the private Preserve Web site via this link. https://longbeachrockport.com/votingupdate

The brief can be found here: https://preserve-long-beach.squarespace.com/s/Brief-of-Appellants-as-filed-from-Word-doc.pdf

 We encourage everyone to take the time to read our Attorney’s primary arguments at this link. This specific document is ~ 50 pages of exceptional work as our Attorneys outline the many reasons why we should have the choice to choose Rockport as our domicile for voting purposes.   

Without your generous financial support combined with a negotiated cap on the legal expenses, the LBIA could never have navigated the long road to arrive with pride at the SJC.   

The Town of Rockport has14 days to submit their disagreement.  

Please plan to attend the LBIA Annual Meeting on September 5th. For the first time in 2 years the LBIA Legal Sub Committee will not be asking families for special legal fund contributions!  We will be facilitating a Membership discussion to obtain your ideas how to achieve a fairer and more equitable approach for any Legal Fundraising Emergencies in the future.  

With gratitude and great hope for the Future of Long Beach as we stand together!  

Sincerely,  

LBIA Legal Sub Committee  

Chip Tarbell

Antoinette Giugliano

Steve Sheehan

Dear LBIA Families,

We share positive, but still cautionary, developments on the LB Seawall provided to us by Rockport Select Board Member Don Southard.

According to Selectmen Southard, FEMA has granted the Town of Rockport an extension until November 30th to complete the bid process and select a vendor.

To meet this requirement the Town needs permit approvals from the Army Corps. of Engineers. The Town also  needs to complete their current bid request which the Town's vendor is currently working on. Both are reported to be on track.  A Town Select Board member reports the Town working on both in parallel and are tracking progress daily. 

Once completed, the request for bids will be published and a final contract will be awarded by November 30th. This only needs Rockport Select Board approval. Then the Town will  apply for a further extension until June 30th, 2027, for work completion. 

Actual work on the LB Seawall  will start, weather permitting, as soon as possible after signing the contract and receiving extension approval. The Town believes this can be accomplished in the allotted time as long as the goalposts aren't moved.  

This development on the LB Seawall along with the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) decision to hear our voting litigation are major developments towards our collective hard work and shared goals to Protect and Preserve Long Beach.   

We hope to see any many families for our annual meeting on Sept 5th! 

Sincerely, 

LBIA Executive Committee 

https://longbeachrockport.com/residents-page-home

Dear LBIA Families  

The 2026 LBIA Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, September 5, 2026 at 10am on the Tennis Court.   

At our meeting, we will reserve as much time as possible to hear from LBIA members about your thoughts and ideas to achieve a fair and equitable Legal Fundraising should another crisis be thrust upon the LBIA in the future. 

We encourage every family to attend this important meeting as our primary goal to “Protect and Preserve Long Beach “includes protecting our families at Long Beach. 

2026 LBIA Annual Meeting Agenda                             

I.      Welcome, Pledge of Allegiance & Presidents Update- Chip Tarbell 

* Membership confirmation Vote for Rose Mooney to be elected to a 3 year term as EC Member. 

*  Long Beach Seawall Update 

*  Goals for Future Fundraising Discussion for later in the meeting.  

* Preserve Web site LBIA owner directory and Instagram feature  

II. Secretary Report ,Steve Sheehan

    - Approve 2025 Annual Meeting Minutes

   - Approve June 27, 2026 Membership Meeting minutes  

III. Treasurer Report - Jayne  Mirabassi 

     - LBIA Account Balances, Dues, Fees, and Expenses 

     - Membership Vote to Transfer $3k Funds from General Fund to Legal Fund. 

IV.   Committee Updates 

    - Bylaws - Stephanie Erb

    - Saratoga Ecological Restoration Committee (Dredging) - Joe May 

    - Recap 2026 Social Events - LB Day and Seawall Parade -All       

VI. SJC Voting Litigation Update - Antoinette Giugliano 

VII. Future Legal Fundraising Open Discussion- LBIA Membership 

V.III.  Unfinished Business -All

IX. New Business- All

X. Adjourn  

Three attachments posted on Preserve Web site:

    - Treasurer’s 2026 Annual Report

      - 6-27-26 LBIA Membership Meeting Minutes (emailed on 7-20-26)

     - 8-30-25 LBIA 2025 Annual Meeting Minutes (emailed on 8-26-25) 

Sincerely,  

LBIA Executive Committee

https://longbeachrockport.com/residents-page-home

Dear LBIA Families,

Not only will the highest court in MA, the “Supreme Judicial Court” (SJC) hear our voting litigation, the SJC Justices have invited Amicus briefs.  An Amicus request invites interested parties to provide input on how a possible decision on a case may effect the general public. With respect to our litigation, this means effects beyond just the interests of the LBIA families and the Town of Rockport. LBIA’s Attorney, Bill Sheehan said that the SJC’s request for Amicus briefs is a significant development confirming the SJC is taking this case very seriously.

Specific to our case, the SJC is asking for comments from interested parties about whether the ruling made by the Superior Court judge, on December 16,2025, was in error when he struck our 15 LBIA Plaintiffs names from the list of Rockport registered voters.

SJC Amicus Announcement Posting on: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/amicus-announcements-from-september-2025-to-august-2026:

“Whether the motion judge (Superior Court) erred in granting the motion of the Board of Registrars of Voters of the Town of Rockport (Board) for judgment on the pleadings, whereby the motion judge affirmed the Board's decisions striking the names of each of the plaintiffs from the list of registered voters on the basis of its determinations that each was not a "resident" of Rockport for purposes of registering to vote pursuant to G. L. c. 51, s. 1, including whether the motion judge correctly stated the burden of proof before the Board and the standard of review in the Superior Court.”

 The United States Federal Government leaves the decision of voting registration eligibility to each State. In MA, current law permits a person in prison to choose his jail cell location as his domicile for voting purposes. Current law also permits a MA college student to choose his college Town location as his domicile for voting purposes. However, there has never been a MA Court decision about a growing number of Americans who qualify as bona fide residents of two or more locales.

This makes LBIA’s litigation a “Case of First impression” for the SJC to decide. Therefore, the SJC’s decision will establish the legal precedent for MA. Regardless of how the SJC decides, the SJC’s decision should provide guidance regarding the criteria to qualify as a Rockport voter.

 Sincerely,

 LBIA Legal Sub Committee

 Chip Tarbell

Antoinette Giugliano

Steve Sheehan

Dear LBIA Families, 

We shared your positive feedback with LBIA’s Attorney, Bill Sheehan, who  responded that the SJC’s decision to hear LBIA’s case, confirms without a shred of doubt, that Long Beach families were 100% justified in challenging the Town’s decision to remove LBIA voters.  

The decision by the SJC to “hear” LBIA’s case does not mean we have “won” the case. Both sides must present written and oral arguments. Win or lose, we now have the right body involved to rule on this case—the highest court in MA!  

Here are the next three steps:  

1.    LBIA’s Attorney, Bill Sheehan, will submit a principal legal brief to the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) no later than August 26, 2026.  

2.    The Town of Rockport must respond within 14 days of our submittal.  

3.    LBIA’s Attorney will then have the final opportunity to decide to reply within 14 days of the Town of Rockport submittal.

 The SJC hearing date has not yet been scheduled.  

With continued gratitude.  

Sincerely,  

LBIA Legal Sub Committee  

Chip Tarbell,

Antoinette Giugliano

Steve Sheehan

Dear LBIA Families,  

We are delighted to report that the highest court in MA, the “Supreme Judicial Court” (SJC), accepted LBIA’s Attorney Bill Sheehan application for “Direct Appellate Review”.  The SJC, comprised of seven justices, will hear the Long Beach voting registration litigation.  

The Direct Appellate Review decision by the SJC means that the SJC saw merit with our Attorney’s reasons to bypass the Appeals Court and go straight to the SJC. In 2025, the SJC accepted only 21 of 67 submittals (31%) for Direct Appellate Review. [Source: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/supreme-judicial-court-case-statistics].  

The SJC decision to accept our case would never have been possible without the generous financial support from so many of you; the strong commitment of the 15 plaintiffs; and having received sage legal advice from our Attorneys. Getting this case to the SJC represents a remarkable achievement to be proud of by Long Beach families. 

With the final legal decision now in the capable hands of the highly respected SJC, we can hope to receive a fair court decision that serves the future best interests of all MA residents, including 154 Rockport resident families living at their homes on Long Beach. 

We will continue to update you on the steps and timing involved as our Attorneys prepare for the SJC. Here is a link to the SJC recently entered cases including ours.  

With gratitude to all!  

Sincerely,  

LBIA Legal Sub Committee

 Chip Tarbell,

Antoinette Giugliano

Steve Sheehan  

‍ To All LBIA,  ‍ ‍

Yesterday afternoon, NBC  Channel 10 local news visited Long Beach to report on the Long Beach Seawall. NBC reporter Brianna Borghi delivered a fair and accurate report that you can watch here. ‍‍ ‍

Sincere thank you to Lisa Mooney,  104 LB, and Antoinette Giugliano, 68LB, for contributing to this special report which aired on the evening news. The reporter was advised, and subsequently reported that , "The town owns the land at Long Beach, while residents own the homes located there. Supporters of the repairs say those properties generate millions of dollars each year in lease payments and property taxes that help support the town and its schools." ‍ ‍

Rockport residents living at Long Beach already know that the FEMA Funding was approved with over a 67% resident pro vote at a Rockport town meeting in 2024. ‍‍ ‍

The written transcript of the report is a follows and the video can be seen here: ‍‍ ‍

Seawall repairs at stake after FEMA grant for Rockport is canceled‍ ‍

Without the federal funding, supporters say it will be difficult for Rockport to move the project forward. A long-planned project to repair the seawall at Long Beach in Rockport, Massachusetts, is facing an uncertain future after the Federal Emergency Management Agency canceled nearly $2.8 million in funding.‍ ‍

The seawall has stood for about a century, but residents say it has become increasingly vulnerable to storms and rising tides.‍ ‍

“I don’t know what will happen once we get a really good storm because the wall is failing,” Long Beach resident Lisa Mooney said.‍ ‍

Mooney’s family has had a home at Long Beach for generations. She said the seawall is critical to protecting the cottages along the shoreline.‍ ‍

“There definitely is a rise in the tides and a need for a better support for the seawall here to protect all these homes,” Mooney said.‍ ‍

Rockport voters had already approved the town’s required share of the project, which would have allowed the town to access the federal grant. The FEMA funding was expected to pay for repairs to portions of the wall that had already been damaged in previous storms.‍ ‍

Antoinette Giugliano, a member of the executive committee of the Long Beach Improvement Association, said the project should not be viewed as a political issue.‍ ‍

“This has nothing to do with whether I’m Republican or Democrat, it only has to do with fixing something that seriously and desperately needs repair,” Giugliano said.‍ ‍

Without the federal funding, supporters say it will be difficult for Rockport to move the project forward.‍ ‍

“Rockport is a small town and to absorb a cost like that would be difficult. So we were depending on that FEMA grant money, and to take it away from us just really seems wrong,” Giugliano said.‍ ‍

The town owns the land at Long Beach, while residents own the homes located there. Supporters of the repairs say those properties generate millions of dollars each year in lease payments and property taxes that help support the town and its schools.‍ ‍

The seawall also helps protect nearby marshes, estuaries and other coastal habitat from storm damage.‍ ‍

FEMA’s decision could also affect previously approved projects in six other coastal Massachusetts communities, including Gloucester, Hull, Marshfield, Nahant, Scituate and Quincy.‍ ‍

Gov. Maura Healey is urging FEMA to reverse the decision.‍ ‍

If the cancellation stands, affected communities could lose funding they have counted on for years. Some could also be required to repay federal money already spent on planning, engineering and design work, potentially shifting those costs to local taxpayers.‍‍‍ ‍

***photo of seawall omitted here***

A cracked seawall at Long Beach in Rockport, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026.‍ ‍

Sincerely, ‍‍ ‍

Steve Sheehan‍ ‍

Secretary, LBIA 

Dear LBIA families,

Please see the attached Gloucester Daily Times Article in Today’s paper. The article states in part that the Town will “advocate for the continuation of FEMA funding” and is “seeking alterative funding sources for the project.” The article also states “The town’s local share of the project that was allocated at a previous Town Meeting of $1.3 million remains unimpacted by this current decision and the town is continuing to develop final design for construction,” Vieira said.

For further information on the Seawall, please visit our Resident Portal.

We will keep you posted of further developments.

LBIA Executive Committee

‍ Further to the email below, here are the direct links to the the open letter and press release.

‍ ‍‍*****

‍ ‍Dear LBIA families,‍ ‍

Yesterday, we received notice that the FEMA extension for the seawall repair has been categorically denied along with a number of other communities including Situate, Gloucester, Hull, Marshfield, Nahant, and Quincy.  Govern Healey has issued an open letter to Acting Administrator Robert Fenton of FEMA urging him to reconsider FEMA’s decision.  The open letter and press release regarding the extension denial can be found on the seawall page of the private portal of our website.

‍We are disappointed by this development, as are you.  We will continue to fight this as a cohesive community.  We are looking at our options and will revert to you once we know more.

LBIA Executive Committee

Dear LBIA Families,  

The Executive Committee (EC) of the Long Beach Improvement Association (LBIA) is composed of volunteers.  All seven EC members serve without remuneration. Long Beach cottage/condo owner family members, who are 18 years of age or older, may hold LBIA EC positions. "Next Generation" self-nominations encouraged. 

In 2026 one Executive Committee position is open for self-nomination.

The Member position is in bold type for 3-year term 9 /26 to 9/29. Incumbents may self-nominate. 

Below is the current list of the seven EC positions, volunteer names, and each position’s 3 year election date. 

EC PositionVolunteer Names  Current Term Date

President              Chip Tarbell                   9/28

VP                         Stephanie Erb 9/27

Secretary          Steve Sheehan    9/28

Treasurer  Jayne Mirabassi   9/27           

Member  Heather Carbone     9/27

Member        Antoinette Giugliano     9/28

Member Rose Mooney 9/26 

The LBIA Bylaws instruct that volunteers self-nominate via e-mail to the LBIA Secretary within a 7 day period posted at least 1 month prior to the Annual Meeting. Therefore, please respond via eMail to Steve Sheehan, stevegsheehan@gmail.com ,by Wednesday, July 29, 2026 and indicate the position for which you are self-nominating.  We will publish the final list of name(s) of the self-nominated candidates for each position(s) approximately two weeks before the 2026 LBIA Annual meeting to be held on Saturday September 5,  2026.

At the September 5, 2026 Annual LBIA Membership meeting, if there are multiple candidates self -nominated for a position, a ballot election will take place of voting members who are in attendance —-one vote per family if LBIA dues are paid. If there is only one candidate self-nominated for a position, a confirmation vote will be taken at the Annual meeting (no ballot required).

To be eligible to vote, your LBIA dues contributions must be received.

If you have questions about an EC position, responsibilities, and the time commitment required, feel free to contact any EC member.  

Thank you,  

LBIA Executive Committee

Attached please find the June 27, 2026 LBIA meeting minutes. They can also be found in the Private resident portal at the bottom of the page.

Thank you

Steve Sheehan

Secretary

LONG BEACH DAY 2026

SATURDAY AUGUST 1st

 EVENTS

9AM START TIME

Treasure Hunt for 5 Years & Under

10AM

Sprint Races, Three-Legged, Wheelbarrow,

Long Distance Races & Long-Jump

LUNCH

12 NOON: Served on the Seawall & Enjoy on the Beach!

Tickets $2.00 (Hot Dog, Soda, and Chips)

1PM - Egg Toss For All

Rolling Pin Toss (adults)

Long Beach Day T-Shirts

Rain date Sunday August 2nd

Agenda LBIA Membership Meeting,

Saturday, June 27, 2026 10AM Tennis Court

[ Please bring your own chairs]

*

Welcome

Pledge of Allegiance

*

Opening comments about status of LB Seawall and Voting Registration Litigation

*

Protect and Preserve by EC Web Site Update-

Chip Tarbell

*By law review process update

Stephanie Erb

*

Secretary Report -Review and approve 2025 Annual Meeting Minutes, 2026 EC self-nomination process for one Member 3 -year term beginning September 5, 2026, & Legal Fundraising discussion at 2026 Annual Meeting

Steve Sheehan

*

Treasurer Report - Review and Approve Treasurer Report and 2026

*

Dues update

*

Discussion regarding payments by Credit Card(membership Vote)

* Social Events

-4th of July Parade- Laurie Heaney?

- Tennis lessons- Sara Daniels?

- Pickleball/Tennis App- Stephanie Erb?

- Long Beach Day- Chris Potts

* Old business- All members

* New Business- All members

* Adjourn

Hi Long Beach Cottage Owners,

I hope you’re all doing well and looking forward to another great summer on Long Beach. I’m reaching out with a friendly reminder to send in your annual LBIA membership dues ($100 per cottage) by the date of our first meeting on June 27. Your contribution helps support the work we do on behalf of the community—advocating for Long Beach issues and hosting events that bring everyone together. As a reminder, $50 goes to the LBIA general fund and $50 supports the LBIA legal fund.

You can use the payment link on our website at longbeachrockport.com and click on “Contribute Here.” You are also welcome to pay by check made out to “LBIA” (please include your cottage number). Checks can be placed in my mailbox at 18 Old County Road or mailed to:

Jayne Mirabassi

18 Old County Rd

Rockport, MA 01966

Thank you so much for your support and for helping keep our community strong.

Warmly,

Jayne Mirabassi

LBIA Treasurer

Dear Long Beach Families,

Welcome to the summer of 2026. We had a very busy winter moving forward on the objectives with which we have been tasked.

The Seawall:

On June 3, the town of Rockport applied to their Conservation Commission for a NOI (Notice of Intent) regarding the Long Beach seawall project. The NOI passed unanimously. This allows the engineering firm to move forward in the process to obtain the other permits it needs before going out to bid to secure contractors for construction of the wall. It is hoped that this can all be accomplished in the next few months so construction can begin this fall. More information and details can be found on our website - including the latest plans from GZA - the engineering firm the Town has engaged for the design and permitting of the new section of the seawall.

The seawall process has only reached this point because LB residents bonded together to register to vote which allowed us the right to vote at Town Meeting. We continue to fight the battle for Long Beach residents’ voting rights - and recently our lawyers informed us all that they are moving the appeal forward to the court. We will continue advocating for our right to vote so that we can continue to work to preserve Long Beach. You will find copies of the various legal documents on the LBIA (members’) website.

Legal Fund:

For those of you who have contributed to the LBIA legal fund, I thank you so much. It is through your true generosity that we have been able to continue this legal case.  We are extremely close to fully paying off our debt to the lawyers, as they have capped their professional fees. But we still need some additional financial help to clear this debt - so you may be hearing from me if you have (thus far) not been one of the many contributors to the LBIA legal fund from which we all hope to benefit. If you have chosen not to contribute, it would be helpful for me to hear why so I can increase my understanding on this issue.

Other happenings:

·        The LBIA subcommittee that is reviewing the LBIA Bylaws has been working diligently; the proposed bylaw changes are currently being reviewed by the LBIA Executive Committee.

·        The subcommittee for the Saratoga Creek has been in touch with town officials and other agencies as they examine ways to help with the health of the creek.

I thank everyone involved for their time and efforts as they continue to move forward on these additional endeavors.

Some important Long Beach Community dates:

Ø June 27th – LBIA membership meeting (on the tennis court)

Ø July 4th - Seawall Parade celebrating 250 years of independence

Ø August 1st – Long Beach Day

Ø September 5th – LBIA Annual Membership meeting (on the tennis court)

Web Page:

I urge you to visit the LBIA web page! We try to keep it updated with the most current information about what’s happening on the Beach.. The website address is:

longbeachrockport.com

In closing, I wish all of you a great summer. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. I am usually home by 7:30pm during the week at 24 Old County Road - or my cell# is 617-257-3683 (I particularly welcome calls on my daily journey up 128!)

Best to all,

Chip Tarbell, LBIA President

Dear  LBIA Families,

The zoom LB Seawall Public Hearing will be held Wednesday, night  June 3rd at 6:30pm. Attached you will find the Meeting Notice and how to access the meeting. The Zoom link for the meeting is:

https://rockportma-gov.zoom.us/j/89692516264

Attached are :
* Meeting Agenda Notice and how  your can access meeting .
* Copy of the Certified Letter Sent to each Long Beach Lessee in case you have  not yet received yours.
* Copy Letter , dated 5-31-26 ,to Conservation Commission Chair and Agent from  LBIA President Chip Tarbell
* GDT article

See our resident portal for more information on the seawall.
‍ ‍
Steve Sheehan
Secretary, LBIA

Dear Long Beach Families, 

Tremendous news to share with everyone! 

The collective team effort by the 200+ Long Beach family members, who voted at the April 2024 Annual Town Meeting to approve the $3.1M FEMA Emergency Grant for the first Long Beach Seawall section rebuild since 1958, is coming to fruition!

The Rockport Conservation Commission is scheduling a Zoom Public Hearing on Wednesday, June 3, at 6:30pm.  As abutters to the project, Long Beach cottage/condo owners will be receiving a certified letter to your mailing address (not your Long Beach address). This certified letter is to advise you that the Town of Rockport has filed a Notice of Intent (NOI) with the Rockport Conservation Commission seeking permission to reconstruct the storm damaged portions of the Long Beach Seawall and hopefully begin construction in mid Sept 2026. This is a critical step to be able to begin the project.

Protecting and Preserving Long Beach, and one day seeing the complete reconstruction of the Long Beach Seawall represents a primary and shared goal of the LBIA membership. 

For those of you who plan to listen in on the zoom call, we can expect to hear opinions from others who do not support the Long Beach Seawall Project. However, the Conservation Commission is not going to be persuaded by irrelevant information and /or opinions that are not related to the specific purpose of this meeting. While it is your prerogative and personal decision to speak on the zoom call, we do not need to ask anyone to speak at this meeting. Before next Wednesday night I will have delivered a letter on behalf of LBIA members confirming our total support for this Long Beach Seawall FEMA Disaster Relief Project!  The letter will be entered into the public record. We will send along a copy to you in advance of the meeting.

We will also be sending you additional information including how to log in to the Zoom meeting, and a link to more details about the Project.

My final thought is to sincerely thank everyone who participated to make this initial reconstruction possible. We truly are an exceptionally strong Membership when we unite to support each other.  Congratulations to the LBIA Membership.  

Sincerely yours,  

Chip Tarbell

President, LBIA 

Attachment - Long Beach Seawall FEMA Disaster Relief Project

Dear LBIA Members,

After four months of waiting following the August 28,2025 hearing, the Superior Court denied our attorney’s motion for judgement on the pleadings denying each of the 17 Rockport residents living at Long Beach the right to vote in Rockport at this time. We have posted the initial decision on the private LBIA web site for you to read.

Having just received the Superior Court decision, our Attorneys are reviewing the decision and we plan to meet with them as soon as is practically possible. 

Sincerely, 

LBIA Legal Sub Committee

Dear LBIA Families,  

Earlier today we received notice that the Judge decided to allow the Town’s motion to dismiss the 2 person cases from being heard by the Superior Court.  We have communicated with our two Long Beach Plaintiffs,  Betsey Hanifan and Trisha Francis —both of whom were registered  voters in Rockport for over 20 consecutive years.   The Judge decided that the two plaintiffs could have first pursued an administrative path with the Town before filing a complaint with the Court.  

LBIA’s attorneys had argued that such an administrative path with the Town was futile because the Town had already decided to purge numerous Rockport residents living at Long Beach from the Rockport voter roll via their “administrative” procedure.  

Our attorneys also just received the Superior Court’s document today and are studying the decision to determine next step alternatives on the 2 cases. You can read the Court’s decision on the 2 person cases by clicking here to access the LBIA Private Website. 

Decisions regarding each of the 17 Long Beach plaintiffs complaint, remain pending.  All 17cases were heard at the Superior Court in August.    

Without Long Beach families voting together in 2024, the scheduled rebuild of the Long Beach Seawall would not be in progress today.  

We will continue to keep you promptly updated and appreciate everyone’s support.  

Sincerely,

 LBIA Legal Sub Committee

 Protect and Preserve Long Beach

Dear LBIA Families, 

We are very pleased to share with you that the Town of Rockport has awarded the contract for the two sections of the Long Beach Seawall rebuild. See todays GDT article here or our website under the “Seawall Update” page. This positive step taken for the rebuild of the Long Beach Seawall seemed unattainable until so many of you chose Rockport as your domicile for voting purposes and attended and voted together at the 2024 Rockport Annual Town Meeting to help successfully pass the warrant article. Voting together made a huge difference that was never accomplished before by Long Beach families.  

Shortly following the 2024 Annual Town Meeting, the Town of Rockport began a campaign to attempt to stop numerous family members from Long Beach from voting in Rockport. As of today’s email to you, we still have not received any initial responses from the MA Superior Court on two separate hearings held in August. When we do receive the initial Superior Court responses, whether these initial responses are favorable or unfavorable, your LBIA Membership support fuels our efforts on your behalf,  and our Attorneys truly believe in our right to choose Rockport as our voting domicile and they will pursue this to the MA Supreme Judicial Court if necessary so we can continue to vote together Rockport issues.    

Happy Thanksgiving to All,  

LBIA Legal Sub Committee

Dear  LBIA

Today’s page 1 Gloucester Daily Times (GDT) article provides a status regarding the Long Beach Seawall  rebuild. The rebuild section is proceeding but the timeframe remains undefined.  The article can be found by clicking here or at https://longbeachrockport.com/s/11-3-25-GDT.pdf.

The article mentions the 2024 Town Meeting when the FEMA grant was approved.  This was the very meeting when Rockport residents from Long Beach voted together in strong numbers to help pass the FEMA Emergency Grant. Since that  Annual Town Meeting, numerous registered voters living at Long Beach have been  targeted and removed.  The number of registered voters  from  Long Beach has declined from ~ 250 to less than 100 even though MA Law provides that a person may choose their domicile for voting purposes. Our lawyers continue to argue that It is the right of “choice" to choose ones  domicile for voting to be where the town has failed to  consider.   

We are still awaiting initial decisions regarding voting litigation hearings  held in Superior Court hearings in August 2025.   When we receive  them, we will immediately pass them along to you.

Sincerely,
LBIA Legal Sub Committee

‍ ‍Dear LBIA Families,

‍ ‍After 10 years of volunteering to serve Long Beach as LBIA treasurer, Stacy Ho announced at the past two meetings ( with a smile), If someone interested and capable would like to step forward and volunteer to become LBIA treasurer he would have no objections. He also stated that he would gladly assist his replacement to achieve a smooth transition.

‍ ‍The LBIA bylaws guide us that, "in the event that a vacancy shall occur in any of the positions prior to the expiration of the term of the current officer, the Executive Committee shall appoint a successor to fill the office for the unexpired term."

‍ ‍‍10 years of volunteering is unbelievable and truly appreciated. His candor and professionalism as a member of the EC along with his thoughtfulness on all the tough conversations will be missed.

‍ ‍‍The EC is  delighted to announce ,with a unanimous vote, the appointment of Jayne Mirabassi who has volunteered to become the treasurer. Jayne ( cottage 18 OCR; email jaynemira@gmail.com ) will serve the remainder of Stacy's term that runs until September annual meeting in 2027. We look forward to working with Jayne on all the important initiatives for the beach.

‍ ‍‍I ask the LBIA membership to join the EC and thank Jayne for volunteering to serve the LBIA .

‍ ‍Sincerely,

‍ ‍

Chip Tarbell

‍ ‍LBIA President

‍ 24 Old County Road

‍ ‍chiptarbell@gmail.coom

‍ ‍Cell 617-257-3683

‍ Protect and Preserve Long Beach https://longbeachrockport.com/

‍ ‍

Dear LBIA Families,

Some of you may have received a few unofficial LBIA emails regarding

some activities about the Long Beach Directory, Beach Gate accounts,

and the possibility of a Long Beach social dinner event. I would like to

remind you that the LBIA Membership’s priority goal continues to be to

Protect and Preserve 154 families legal right to choose Rockport as our

domicile for voting purposes. This priority goal was decided by the largest

LBIA membership attendance at a LBIA Annual Meeting in 2024.

We also continue with the traditional social events- Long Beach Day, 4th

July Parade, etc., and we recently formed two important committees —-

Dredging the Back Saratoga Creek and Legal Fundraising. Numerous

volunteers are already hard at work. In the meantime, the majority of LBIA

Executive Committee (EC) members are laser focused on legal fund raising

efforts with you.

The current voting litigation was forced upon us by the Town of Rockport

when the Town decided to specifically target and aggressively remove

Rockport residents living at Long Beach from the Rockport voting roll. We

must be eligible to continue to choose to vote together in Rockport. The

planned rebuilding of only 2 small sections of the Long Beach Seawall is

not nearly enough protection for every Long Beach cottage/condo family.

The MA Superior Court process is traditionally slow, but our attorneys our

fully engaged. We still have not received responses from the two Superior

court hearings held in August. While it may take another year to get our

cases in front of the MA Supreme Judicial and/or Appeals Court (if

necessary), we continue to diligently work with our Attorneys to cap legal

expenses. These are the same two attorneys, who previously provided

the legal guidance that resulted in every Long Beach cottage/condo owner

never again having to worry about a 600% increase in land rent being

forced upon us over a 10 year lease period, and, we possess a right of

first refusal to purchase the lease land should the Town decide to initiate a

sale. We are protected except at the voting booth and the seawall.

If we are successful in litigation, we will be able to cast our votes to

hopefully rebuild the entire Long Beach Seawall one day. If we don’t

fight, we are agreeing to the Town silencing our voices and our votes.

Official LBIA emails will continue to be sent to you from either the LBIA

Preserve and Protect Web site or from the LBIA Secretary. Eventually we

hope to have all emails originating solely from the Preserve and Protect

Web site .

If you have not done so already, we encourage you to make one of your

family’s priorities to be consistent with a majority of the LBIA members by

contributing to the future of Long Beach with a $1500 donation to the LBIA

legal fund. Your financial contribution will assist in protecting your Long

Beach family cottage/condo investment, and the investments of your

friends and neighbors too. Our ability to seek to preserve the place we

enjoy so much— Long Beach—- needs everyone’s support. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Chip Tarbell

President LBIA

chiptarbell@gmail.com

Protect and Preserve Long Beach

https://longbeachrockport.com/

To : LBIA

The 2025 LBIA Annual Meeting will be held this Saturday, August 30, 2025 at 10am on the Tennis Court.

Reminder - the voter hearing will be this Thursday 8/28/ at 2pm in Lawrence Superior Court  (43 Appleton St, Lawrence, Massachusetts  01840)

 2025 LBIA Annual Meeting Agenda

I. Pledge of Allegiance & Presidents Update- Chip Tarbell

    - Long Beach Seawall Update

    - Select Board Public Comments of 7/29/25

    - Litigation & Fundraising Introduction

II. LBIA Membership confirmation vote for Chip Tarbell, President, Steve Sheehan, Secretary, and Antoinette Giugliano, Member, to be elected to 3 Year Terms. (All)

III. Litigation and Legal Fundraising Update. Antoinette Giugliano & Steve Sheehan

IV. Treasurer Report - Stacy Ho

- LBIA Account Balances, Dues, Fees, and Expenses

- Membership Vote to Transfer Funds from General Fund to Legal Fund

V. Secretary Report- Steve Sheehan

      - Approve 2024 Annual Meeting Minutes

VI. New Committee Updates

   - Fundraising - Marcie Behman

   - Dredging - TBD

V.II Unfinished Business-(All)  

VIII. New Business- (All)

IX. Adjourn

3 Attachments (also posted on LBIA Web site)

Treasurer’s Annual Report

7-5-25 LBIA Membership Meeting Minutes(emailed on 7-6-25)

8-31-24 LBIA 2024 Annual Meeting (emailed on 9-2-24)

Sincerely,

LBIA Executive Committee

https://longbeachrockport.com/residents-page-home

Dear LBIA Families,

We share some terrific news on the LB Seawall!  

The Request for Proposal  (RFP) for the seawall was posted on July 24, 2025.  The RFP is for engineering services associated with rebuilding a portion of the wall. Proposals are due by Thursday, September 10, 2025.  The RFP posting  is attached and can be found here. https://rockportma.gov/civicalerts.aspx?aid=73

In April 2024, we came together, joining the Rockport community, to achieve the 2/3rds vote needed to obtain the matching funds for the FEMA grant.  Our power as a community comes for our ability to vote in Rockport.  The voting litigation is critical to our ability to vote for future seawall repairs.  If you haven’t contributed $1500 to the legal fund, please continue to stay united and contribute here.https://buy.stripe.com/14k5mDfW88dfcjmbII

For seawall updates and information, please visit our resident portal here. https://longbeachrockport.com/seawall

As we receive more information, we will pass it along.  A special thanks to Selectman Don Southard for keeping us up to date on this issue.

Dear LBIA Families,

The Superior Court just notified our Attorneys that due to a Court Scheduling conflict, the 17 plaintiff case originally scheduled for Thursday August 7th, 2025 at 2:00pm in Essex County Superior Court, 43 Appleton Street ,Lawrence, MA 01841 has been rescheduled to Thursday, August 28th, 2025 at 2:00pm in Essex County Superior Court, 43 Appleton Street , Lawrence, MA 01841. Click here to see the Clerk’s Notice.

Sincerely,

LBIA Legal Sub Committee

Dear LBIA Families, 

 The Executive Committee (EC) of the Long Beach Improvement Association (LBIA) is composed of volunteers.  All seven EC members serve without remuneration. Long Beach cottage/condo owner family members, who are 18 years of age or older, may hold LBIA EC positions. "Next Generation" self-nominations encouraged. 

 We currently have three Executive Committee positions open for self-nomination. The positions are bolded below- President, Secretary, and 1 Member position, for 3-year terms 9/25 to 9/28. Incumbents may self-nominate.

Below is the current list of the seven EC positions, volunteer names, and the position 3 year election date. 

EC PositionVolunteer Names  Current Term Date

President            Chip Tarbell                         9/25

VP                                  Stephanie Erb 9/27

Treasurer  Stacy Ho   9/27                     

Secretary            Steve Sheehan               9/25

Member   Heather Carbone      9/27

Member               Antoinette Giugliano              9/25

Member               Rose Mooney                9/26 

The LBIA Bylaws instruct that volunteers self-nominate via e-mail to the LBIA Secretary within a 7 day period posted at least 1 month prior to the Annual Meeting. Therefore, please respond via eMail to Steve Sheehan ,by Sunday, July 13, 2025  and indicate the position(s) for which you are self-nominating.  We will publish the final list of name(s) of the self-nominated candidates for each position ~ two weeks before the 2025 LBIA Annual meeting to be held on Saturday August 30, 2025 

 At the August 30, 2025 Annual LBIA Membership meeting, if there are multiple candidates self -nominated for a position, a ballot election will take place of voting members who are in attendance —-one vote per family if LBIA dues are paid. If there is only one candidate self-nominated for a position, a confirmation vote will be taken at the Annual meeting (no ballot required).To be eligible to vote, your 2024 and 2025 $100 LBIA dues contributions must be paid.

If you have questions about an EC position, responsibilities, and time commitment required, please contact any EC member. 

 Thank you, 

 LBIA Executive Committee

To: LBIA Families,

Thank you to all who were able to attend yesterday's LBIA Membership Meeting.

For LBIA Members unable to attend, one of the important take-aways was for everyone to realize that:

“No rights for LB families to Vote means No additional LB Seawall Grants”…..eventually resulting in damage and/or destruction and potentially the elimination of LB cottages.

———————-

* Chip Tarbell, President LBIA welcomed everyone. Following a Pledge of Allegiance, Chip's comments included: thanking Miguel and Kristina Martinez for hosting the Long Beach Wine and Cheese social again this year; updating on the FEMA Grant to rebuild ~350 feet of the LB Seawall; announcing the EC member annual self-nomination process to start, and the plan today to save ample time for the Membership to discuss Voting Litigation and Fundraising. 

* Steve Sheehan, Secretary, said he would share comments during the Membership discussion.

* Stacy Ho, Treasurer, provided data of the LBIA accounts, including dues, legal fees and expenses anticipated in 2025. Stacy explained these are challenging times and we need ~33 additional family contributions of$1500 to pay our Attorneys. [Treasurer report sent prior to the meeting.]

* Chris Potts announced Long Beach day will be held on Saturday August 2, 2025

* Chip Tarbell thanked everyone for another successful 4th of July Parade.

* Andrea Beloff -Paciello provided info about the 2025 tennis lessons.

* Antoinette Giugliano opened the Membership dialogue with key updates on the LBIA Website and Voting Litigation.  She asked for volunteers to provide quotes and short video’s in support of the Voting Litigation to Protect and Preserve our right to choose Rockport as our domicile for voting purposes. She also asked for volunteers a history page for the website.

Antoinette presented a succinct recap of everything that has transpired since the FEMA $2.8M LB Seawall grant was approved at Annual Town Meeting in April 2024. All legal documents, and more,  are available to read on the LBIA Private part of the website for LBIA 2024 and 2025 dues payers. A few important points:

No Voting=No seawall

Two lawsuits:

•        17 plaintiff lawsuit – born out of the August hearings

The hearing for the17 LBIA plaintiffs cases has been officially scheduled by the court on Thursday, August 28th, 2025 at 2:00pm in Essex County Superior Court, 43 Appleton Street, Lawrence, MA 01841 to hear Motion for judgment on the pleading. 

•        3 plaintiff lawsuit –Long Beach cottage owners taken off the voter roll without a hearing

The hearing for the 3LBIA plaintiffs (Town's Motion to Dismiss) remains scheduled for Tuesday, August 12th, 2025 at 2:10pm in Essex County Superior Court, 145 High Street  Newburyport, MA 01950 to hear Motion to Dismiss.

          She urged all to attend.

Steve commented that we are incredibly fortunate to have 20LB plaintiffs fighting for the voting rights of every family on Long Beach and equally fortunate to be supported financially by so many dedicated families who have already generously contributed to the LBIA Legal Fund.

Specific to the legal funds still needed (outlined by Stacy Ho, Treasurer) to pay our attorneys, Steve shared that ~50 LB families, all of whom either attended, and voted at Annual Town Meeting to pass the SEAWALLGRANT, or still remain as registered Rockport voters, have not yet contributed to the legal fund. These 50 families truly understand the power of a united Long Beach vote, and their decision to contribute to the legal fund can make it fair for the many families who have already contributed—-so that those who have already contributed do not need to be asked to contribute again. 

Many  LBIA Members shared comments, ideas, and opinions including but not limited to :

1.      status of dredging the Back Creek.

2.      Creating more public knowledge about our voting plight

3.      Water Bills - serious overcharges by the Town

4.      Establishing Volunteer Committees, Fundraising, future o fLong Beach Day, & more

5.      Aligning LB Families directionally to prepare for when the current lease ends.

When there was no old or new business, the meeting was adjourned.

A copy of these meeting minutes can be found at our website here.

Sincerely

Steve Sheehan

Secretary, LBIA

Dear LBIA Families,  

The hearing for the 17 LBIA plaintiffs cases has been officially scheduled by the court on Thursday, August 28th, 2025 at 2:00pm in Essex County Superior Court, 43 Appleton Street, Lawrence, MA 01841

The hearing for the 3 LBIA plaintiffs (Town's Motion to Dismiss) remains scheduled for Tuesday, August 12th, 2025 at 2:10pm in Essex County Superior Court, 145 High Street  Newburyport, MA 01950.

The Legal process can be painfully slow. It was almost a year ago when the largest assembly of LBIA families during the past decade joined together at the 2024 LBIA Annual Meeting. We assembled to Preserve and Protect our right to choose Rockport as our domicile for voting purposes. Many “Next Generation” family members participated in the meeting.  Everyone in attendance last August listened intently as we learned first-hand, from the initial group of Rockport residents living at Long Beach, who were summoned and testified, how the Rockport Board of Registrars arbitrarily searched for, and then latched onto, any excuse to remove as many as possible from the Rockport Voter list. 

Since our meeting last August, the LBIA Membership has been well served by:

     o   the spirit and commitment of our 20 LBIA plaintiffs

     o   the many and generous financial contributions from LBIA families to date

     o   the sage guidance of two proven and experienced LBIA Attorney litigators  

Please join us on the tennis court again on Saturday, July 5th at 10am at the next LBIA Membership meeting.    

Sincerely yours,   

LBIA Legal Sub Committee

Dear LBIA Families,  

73% of LBIA families filed a Notice of Lease ( NOL)  together through Attorney William Sheehan’s office for the current 10 year lease duration. The NOL’s have been officially registered at the Essex Registry of Deeds.

Your filing a NOL, either through Attorney William Sheehan’s office together,  or individually,  ensures that anyone conducting a title search on the Town land on which your dwelling sits (such as a potential buyer looking to purchase the land under your home), will learn that you possess the right of first refusal to purchase that land as either a single lot, or potentially and collectively with your neighbors, purchase all of the leased land at Long Beach. The 73% of LBIA families participating through Attorney Sheehan's office saved the ~$109 individual filing fee and the extra personal time needed to make certain the NOL was registered properly.  

This is an additional protection that Attorney William Sheehan recommended for all LB cottage/condo owners. 

Sincerely,  

Steve Sheehan

Secretary, LBIA

Dear Long Beach Families,

I hope that the winter has treated you all well and that it is time to come back to Long Beach and enjoy the summer. Thirteen straight Saturdays with precipitation has hardly felt like beach weather yet, and my observation is that it has been a slow start – up until recently it has been very quiet. Let’s hope with the weather changing so will the activity on the beach.

This has, however, not been a slow or quiet winter for the legal subcommittee of the LBIA. I hope you have read all the reports and updates that the group sent out over the winter. We continue to follow the directives as agreed at the annual meeting and fight for the right to vote in Rockport so that we can Preserve Long Beach. I want to thank Antoinette, Steve, and Rose for their determination and hard work on this front. They have met many times for many hours to fight on our behalf. Many of you have already financially supported the LBIA legal fund and to those I say Thank You. To those that have yet to donate: we still, truly, need your financial support if we want to Preserve Long Beach for future generations (please see the treasurer’s report, attached). We will certainly be talking about this at the meeting in July.

We are still waiting for the RFP (request for proposals) to go out from the Town of Rockport for the FEMA Grant. The frustration level with the town keeps rising, but we will not stop pushing for answers and to get this work done.

Miguel and Kristina Martinez are graciously opening their home again this Saturday evening, June 21, from 7-9pm to host the Welcome Back wine and cheese gathering. This is a wonderful night to catch up with friends and to welcome newcomers to the beach. I hope to see many of you there Saturday night.

Annual LBIA Welcome Wine and Cheese Social.

Saturday, June 21

7pm-9pm

78 Long Beach 

Even Numbered Cottage, please bring a bottle of wine

Odd Numbered Cottage, please bring cheese/crackers, or fruit/vegetables, or an appetizer.

Our opening meeting will be held on July 5th at 10:00am on the tennis court. Bring your own chair! Our annual meeting will be on Saturday, August 30, Labor Day weekend, at 10:00am. 

You will see more about July 4th events, youth tennis lessons, and of course Long Beach Day as plans progress.

In closing, I wish all of you a great summer. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. I am usually home by 7:30pm during the week at 24 Old County Road - or my cell# is 617-257-3683 (I particularly welcome calls on my daily journey up 128!) 

Best to all,

Chip Tarbell, LBIA President

June 16, 2025

Dear Long Beach Cottage Owner:

Greetings!

I am writing this letter to ask for your support for the Long Beach Improvement Association (LBIA) by sending in your annual membership dues ($100/cottage).  The LBIA serves to advocate for the interests of the members on issues concerning Long Beach and to hold events to bring together the community.  $50 of the dues goes to the LBIA general fund and $50 goes to the LBIA legal fund.

To contribute, dues can be paid either online (click on the link on the LBIA website) or by sending a check payable to “LBIA” and indicate your cottage number.  Please mail the check to:

                Stacy Ho

                35 Granger Ave

                Reading MA 01867

Please pay your dues prior to the LBIA meeting on July 5.

Thank you!

 Sincerely,

Stacy Ho

LBIA Treasurer

26 Long Beach

Dear LBIA Families,

This email provides you with an update of the current status of the Voting litigation. As you know the litigation consists of one legal action involving 17 Long Beach friends and neighbors and a second Legal action involving 3 additional Long Beach friends and neighbors.

All 20 LB friends and neighbors are committed to fight for their own right to choose Rockport as their domicile for voting purposes and to fight for the rights of all 154 Long Beach families to choose Rockport as our domicile for voting purposes now and in the future.

17 Person Action Update- 

LBIA’s attorney, Bill Sheehan, submitted a detailed 25 page Memorandum supporting the legal rights of our 17 neighbors requesting the Court to reinstate each of the 17 to be a Rockport voter.   The Town currently has until June 21st to respond in writing. A Superior Court Hearing date will then be scheduled.See Memo here.

3 Person Action Update-  

The Town submitted a Motion to Dismiss the 3 person case.  Attorney Bill Sheehan responded with a detailed legal argument why the 3 cases should be heard by the Superior Court. The Judge will now decide whether to proceed to hear the 3 cases or dismiss.  See Memo here.

We have posted the submitted legal Memorandums outlining the legal positions of both the Town and Attorney Sheehan on the private LBIA Website. The private LBIA website area is available only to 2024 LBIA dues payers in good standing.

To date, accomplished by the generosity of many LBIA families, we have raised over $115K thousand dollars. However, we need to raise more legal funds, and,  to be fair to all families, we must ask those of you who have not yet contributed $1500 to the LBIA legal fund to do so now.   

We continue to estimate that if every LBIA family contributes$1500, that we anticipate having the sufficient legal funds to see this crucial litigation of vital importance to Long Beach through—all the way to the MA Supreme Judicial Court, if necessary.

If you have not yet contributed $1500 to the LBIA Legal Fund, we will begin reaching out to you personally beginning June 1st.

You can mail a check, payable to “LBIA”  to the following address:

Mr. Stacy Ho

35Granger Ave

Reading, MA 01867

or pay online at  https://buy.stripe.com/14k5mDfW88dfcjmbII

Sincerely Yours,

LBIA Legal Sub Committee

Dear LBIA families  

 Good day. I hope this note finds you and your families well. I know you have received many emails from the Long Beach Legal Sub Committee throughout the winter and early spring and the most recent last week.

Today I write to you with a personal note requesting support for our initiative. If you have already donated to the legal fund I thank you whole heartedly. It is with your support that we continue the fight on many fronts.

However, if you haven’t given yet.  I ask you to do so.

Every family that does not support this critical issue will cause us to have to ask those who have already contributed to give more when we are fighting for your family’s right to vote in Rockport  too. This is not fair to a small community like Long Beach.

We need more money than we have already raised which is over 100k. However, lawyers are not inexpensive and the town continues to try to take away our voting rights whenever possible, through all means possible.  

Please help keep the fight possible. I am willing to continue working on your behalf as is the legal subcommittee but we need your donation of $1500 so that we can get the legal council that is needed.

If we give up the fight we will forfeit our chances to preserve Long Beach.

Thank you all and I hope to see you at the beach soon.  

Please contribute a minimum of $1500 to the legal fund by June 1st to support the LBIA and your 20 neighbors fighting for your family. We believe if every family contributes we will have the financial strength to take this case to the MA Supreme Judicial Court if necessary.  

You can mail a check, payable to “LBIA”  to the following address:

Mr. Stacy Ho

35Granger Ave

Reading, MA 01867

or pay online at  https://buy.stripe.com/14k5mDfW88dfcjmbII

Thank you,

Chip Tarbell

President, LBIA

Important:  If you are Voting by Mail for the 2025 Annual Town Election, your ballot must be received by the close of polls on May 13th (Election Day ).

Dear LBIA Families,

As volunteers, we met, in person, with the two candidates for the one Rockport Select Board position..  We unanimously recommend that Rockport resident voters from Long Beach, and throughout Rockport, vote for Jonathan Lilja .

Here is a brief summary of our key conclusions for each candidate is below.  We put together a list of questions for the candidates and their answers can be found here for

Jonathan Lilja and here for Dwight Valentine.

I. Jonathan Lilja

*  Understands and well-versed in all Rockport challenges, and he wants to develop a plan for overcoming these challenges.

* Demonstrated a comprehensive knowledge of Long Beach issues and expressed that he has enjoyed many hours at Long Beach.

*  Is on record that he supports rebuilding any Town structure that is destroyed in a storm. (Long Beach Seawall)

II. Dwight Valentine

* Currently serves as Chair the Rockport Finance Committee. Understands the financial importance of Long Beach to Rockport.

*  Admits to having only a limited knowledge of Long Beach challenges, but committed to research more going forward.

* Regarding the Long Beach  Seawall, he believes in continuously assessing evolving circumstances, both financial and environmental.  

Jonathan Lilja bios can be found here and Dwight Valentine can be found here..  Anyone wishing to learn more details or hear more thoughts from this volunteer group are welcome to contact any one of us directly.

Sincerely,

Rob Berry -  rob.berry13@gmail.com

Antoinette Giugliano - agg@protectinventions.com

Fred Hochberger- fh3@comcast.net

Steve Sheehan - stevegsheehan@gmail.com

Chip Tarbell- chiptarbell@gmail.com

PS. Voting By Mail -Also, the 2025 Voting by Mail guide can be found here. You still have time to register to Vote By Mail. Please do it today if you are Registered Rockport Voter

To: Long Beach Families who have not yet contributed to the LBIA legal fund)  

cc: All Long Beach Families already contributing

We are a small community of families who have proven before, multiple times, that when we stand together we represent a powerful voice, and significant vote, in Rockport.  Our collective LB family votes at the Annual Town Meeting being the most recent success.  

Unfortunately, there are people involved in the Town of Rockport that would like to silence our LB voices and divide LB families. Our right under MA State law to choose Rockport as our domicile for voting purposes is being challenged.  A hearing on the merits at Superior Court is anticipated to be scheduled in June.   

This litigation, caused by the Town,  directly affects every Long Beach family—possibly forever.

We share a piece of good news. Peter Grammas, 113 LB, one of the 20 named litigants fighting for our voting rights in the two Long Beach complaints was restored by the Town to the Rockport voting ranks ahead of the Superior Court Hearing. We hope this will be the first of many voter removal’s reversed through the legal approach by LBIA’s Attorney William Sheehan.  

We appeal to you today because your family’s financial support is needed and you have not yet contributed to the LBIA legal fund. Winning the FEMA grant in 2024 to rebuild the first section of the LB Seawall was a great start for Long Beach, but we are not finished.   

Please contribute a minimum of $1500 to the legal fund by June 1st to support the LBIA and your 20 neighbors fighting for your family. We believe if every family contributes we will have the financial strength to take this case to the MA Supreme Judicial Court if necessary.  

You can mail a check, payable to “LBIA”  to the following address:

                    Mr. Stacy Ho

                    35 Granger Ave

                    Reading, MA 01867

or pay online at  https://buy.stripe.com/14k5mDfW88dfcjmbII

Sincerely,

LBIA Legal Sub Committee

PS: Since receiving the initial generous contributions of so many, a number of months have passed.  Today, we copied every LB family on this email, including those of you who are already contributing $1500. If you have forgotten your contribution status, or you intended to contribute and are just not sure if you did, you please email Stacy Ho, LBIA Treasurer at,stacy.ho@gmail.com and he will update you. 

Dear LBIA Families,

Renewing your MA Driver’s License, or applying for a Real ID before May 7, 2025  provide you the opportunity to choose your Residential Address and Mailing address.

Real ID: Beginning May 7, 2025, you will need a REAL ID or other acceptable ID, such as a valid passport, to fly within the U.S., access federal facilities, or enter military bases.  You can apply for a REALID on line at “My RMV”  by clicking here. https://atlas-myrmv.massdot.state.ma.us/myrmv/_/

To prepare to apply on-line for a Real ID, you will need to gather a number of verification documents to reference. The RMV website provided a Documents Check list.

Class D MA License Renewal- When your license expires, the RMV also provides you the opportunity to choose your residential address and mailing address.  You may renew your standard Class D MA Driver’s license at "MY RMV “ by clicking here.   https://atlas-myrmv.massdot.state.ma.us/myrmv/_/

Each of you likely fall into one of these three categories when you apply for, or eventually renew a REAL ID and /or a standard Class D MA License

I.     Current Rockport registered voters from Long Beach.  Under MA Law, you have already chosen Rockport as your domicile for voting purposes. When applying for a Real ID or renewing your standard license with the RMV,  you may choose to have your Long Beach address as the residential address on record with the RMV, and you may choose a different mailing address.  If you do not list your Long Beach address as your residential address with the RMV, the Town of Rockport (Town) will remove you from being registered to vote in Rockport and they will reject your attempt to renew Rockport as your domicile for voting purposes. The Town has already removed and rejected two of our long -time Long Beach neighbors who voted in Rockport for over 20 + consecutive years each

II.    Former Rockport registered voters from Long Beach.  If you have been removed from the Rockport voting rolls, either voluntarily or involuntarily,  and you want to be able to one day again choose Rockport as your domicile for voting purposes, list your Long Beach Address as your residential address on your RMV Real ID or MA  license and choose a different mailing address.  Listing your Long Beach address on your Real ID does not register you to vote in Rockport.

III.   All other eligible voters who have not previously chosen Rockport as your domicile for voting purposes. Have you ever considered that one day you, or other members of your family, may want to vote for a Federal or State Grant to rebuild the section of the LB Seawall in front of your cottage investment?  Have you ever considered voting when a Rockport Town Warrant Article directly affects your cottage investment? If you want a voice and a vote and you believe that Long Beach to be your home, choose your Long Beach address as your residential address on your license and choose a separate mailing address. 

Sincerely,

LBIA Legal Sub Committee

To:  Currently Registered Rockport voters living at Long Beach,

cc: All LBIA for your information

Dear Registered Rockport Voters living at Long Beach,

Summary:  Please complete and return a 2025 Annual Census Form to avoid the Town of Rockport from removing you as a registered voter. Since the Town is sending the census to our Long Beach Address, you should fill out the attached Census Form to remain on the Rockport voter roll.

Details:

Many of you have chosen Rockport to be your domicile for voting purposes. Updating an Annual Census in Rockport is required.

However, the recent and intentional decisions by the Town to:(1) postal mail the 2025 Annual Census (to Rockport residents from Long Beach) to an address (known by the Town) to be an undeliverable postal mailing address, (2) to communicate nothing to all of us effected Rockport residents from Long Beach when the Census were returned by the Federal Post Office in mass, to the sender (Town), and, (3) to make no attempt to deliver the Census to our proper mailing addresses on file at Town Hall before the legal date required by MA State, fall far short of ensuring an accurate Census process being conducted with integrity by Rockport. The Town mails our Long Beach Land Rent, Real Estate Taxes, Water Bills. etc., to our mailing addresses on record and the Town has an official email address to communicate with each domicile as well.

Accordingly, we must complete and return a 2025 Annual Census Form on our own to avoid the Town of Rockport from removing us as registered voters. 

You can find the Census form on our website at https://longbeachrockport.com/s/Rockport-2025-Census-BLANK_202412241308003064.pdfor on the Town web page at this link, https://www.rockportma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/476/Blank-Census-Form-2025---Town-of-Rockport-PDF?bidId=.  

In addition to some instructions on the back of the Census form, here are a few additional steps to follow:

1.   We are Precinct 3 . Write  in” 3” on the box  upper right corner.

2.   In the box on “For Resident(s) at” write in your Long Beach Address only.

3.   Under “Mailing address”(top left on Census), leave it completely blank 

4.  In the main section of the form, list every member of your domicile who is currently registered to vote in Rockport. Include their DOB, Occupation, and Political Party in the columns provided.

5. Sign your name, date, telephone number and email address as the person completing the form  

When completed, print a copy for yourself and either postal mail or drop off the original signature completed form to:

                                       Ms Melanie Waddell

                                       Town Clerk

                                       34 Broadway

                                       Rockport, MA 01966  

Any questions or difficulties, please let us know.  

IMPORTANT:  Voting By Mail - Also, the 2025 Voting by Mail guide can be found here. This directs the Town Clerk to mail your ballot to your preferred mailing address. Every family member that you list on your 2025 census may complete the “Voting By Mail” form and  indicate his/her own preferred mailing address. For example, if your son or daughter have chosen Rockport to be their domicile for voting purposes, but have a different mailing address than you do, accomplishing the Voting By Mail Form also provides the Town every individuals preferred mailing address. The LBIA Legal Sub Committee advises every person to do this for 2025.

Note: We know many Rockport registered voters from Long Beach are currently either out of MA State or a good driving distance from Rockport. Those of you in near proximity to Rockport, may also choose to drop off your completed Census, in person, at the Town Clerks office.  If you do, we advise you to ask the Town Clerks office to hand you your census envelope that was mailed to Long Beach and immediately returned to the Town by the Federal Post Office in Rockport.  Keep it for your records.  You may continue to submit your completed Census to the Town Clerk office.  The Town caused you to take extra personal time to complete it yourself. The Town Clerks office must accept your completed form. If the Town Clerks office refuses to accept , ask the person for their name and the reason why they are refusing to accept your completed Census and leave it on the Town Clerks counter.

Sincerely yours,

LBIA Legal Sub Committee

Dear LBIA Families,  

The list below provides the names of our neighbors and friends who have volunteered to be litigants in the fight to maintain all of our rights to choose Rockport as our domicile for voting purposes.   

We recognize and thank each of them. Being a litigant requires courage, conviction, and determination, and these 20 LBIA family members certainly personify these attributes. The names listed include both seniors and next generation, male and female, and 1st, 2nd and 3rd row family members alike. You will likely recognize some of the names, or perhaps you know some personally.  Every one of them is fighting for themselves, their family,  and for every family on Long Beach--whether or not you are currently a Registered Rockport voter.  

Peter Grammas

Chrissy Grammas

Betsey Hanifan

Trisha Francis

Don Francis

Janice Mirabassi

Denis Devine

Bill Johnson

Barrie Stavis

Rachel Stavis

Sue Dowd

Jane Fox Dobson

William Dobson

Chris McCarthy

Carolyn Tucker

Rachel Tucker

Grace McCarthy

Susan Siebeking

John Amendola

Rick Carter

Every volunteer litigant generously contributed $1500, or more, as well. If you have not already contributed, please support the Long Beach Community today by making a $1500 contribution to the LBIA Legal Fund. Todays the Day. You can contribute via the web site or write a check. Please make the check payable to “LBIA" and mail to LBIA’s Treasurer:

Mr. Stacy Ho

35 Granger Avenue, 

Reading, MA 01867.

After you make your contribution, consider reaching out to one or more of the above Long Beach family members to express your sincere appreciate their commitment to Protect and Preserve Long Beach for all our families.  You can also do this when you see them in person this year at the beach. Thank you.  

Sincerely,  

LBIA Legal Sub Committee

Dear LBIA Families ,

We know that people in Rockport want to take away our right to choose Rockport as our domicile for voting purposes. Now people in Rockport are proposing a vote to potentially raise our taxes.

Please first read today's front page Gloucester Daily Times article (click here),  and then continue reading to consider your family's decision for the future of Long Beach.  

———————————————————————

Long Beach Families Future:

We can choose either:

To act and stay together and fight to protect our voices ( by preserving our legal right to choose Rockport as our domicile for voting purposes) .

or...

To observe as bystanders potentially enabling every LB voice to be silenced and every LB vote to be removed..

We know that to act and stay together is a proven and effective strategy for Long Beach as evidenced by our collective votes cast last year to pass the FEMA $2.8M Long Beach Seawall section rebuild.

If your family chooses to stay together with Long Beach friends and neighbors, the only action needed by your family at this time, if you have not done so already,  is to contribute $1500 per cottage/condo to the LBIA legal fund. Every family's involvement will ensure that we possess the necessary legal funding to proceed to the MA Supreme Judicial Court (highest MA court). We believe, if everyone stays together, that this will be the only financial contribution request we will need to make for the entire process regarding the voting registration litigation.  

If your family's choice is not to act and stay together, todays GDT article is probably a good indicator of what LB can expect in the future.

Your choice to contribute $1500 to the LBIA Legal Fund by February 20th will be greatly appreciated.  

Respectfully yours,

LBIA Legal Sub Committee

Red Alert Protect and Preserve Action Plan for LBIA

Dear LBIA Families,

Our collective goal is to Protect and Preserve our MA State legal right existing today, and the rights of the next generation of our family members, to be able choose Rockport as our domicile for voting purposes.  We further intend to Protect and Preserve our Long Beach financial investments, and we seek to rebuild the entire Long Beach Seawall towards a brighter future for the next generation of our families.

I. Summary of 4 -Step Action Plan:

1. ANNUAL CENSUS –Please fill out the Rockport census even if you did not get it in the mail so that you can keep your name on the Rockport voter Roll.

2. MA STATE LICENSERENEWAL-  A trap for the unwary.  By renewing your license, you can easily and accidentally cause your name to be taken off the Rockport voter roll and become registered in the town of your mailing address.  Please see the information below to avoid this from happening.

3. LBIAMEMBERSHIP’S RESPONSE & 2 LEGAL ACTIONS – Summary of legal actions filed below.

4. LBIA MEMBER FINANCIALSUPPORT $1500 – Please contribute (if you haven’t already) to preserve our right to vote, protect the funds for the seawall, financial investment in your home, and more.

II. Detailed Information for 4 Step Action Plan,  Please Read Carefully: You may want to print this entire email and keep it as a reference throughout 2025.

1. ANNUAL CENSUS - (This applies to current Rockport Registered Voters from Long Beach). The Town of Rockport intentionally decided to mail the 2025 Annual Census for registered Rockport voters from Long Beach to a non-deliverable mailing address. Our response will be that every current Registered Rockport Voter from Long Beach will complete a blank census form (found here: https://www.rockportma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/476 ), keep a copy,  and submit  in person or mail it to the Rockport Town Clerks office. The LBIA Legal Sub- Committee is currently preparing guidance for you to complete the 2025 Annual Census. We have time to do this and the Town of Rockport must accept our 2025 Annual Census submittals. Every current Long Beach voter who accomplishes this easy action prohibits the Town of Rockport for removing you from the Voting Register for not having completed your annual Census. Note: If you are not currently a registered Rockport voter, you should be receiving your Annual Census from the Town you are registered to vote in.  For those of you who are registered to vote in Rockport, if you want to stay on the Rockport voter roll, please do not fill out the census for the non-Rockport town of your mailing address.

2. MA STATE LICENSE RENEWAL-  (This applies to All Long Beach Family members.)The Town of Rockport rejected the voting registration of two 20+ year consecutive Long Beach voters after they renewed their MA Drivers License. The Registry of Motor Vehicles License Renewal form asks you to identify your residential address and your mailing address. This provides you the personal choice, when renewing your licenses in 2025, to choose your Long Beach address as your residential address and a different mailing address outside of Rockport. In a couple weeks, the LBIA Legal Sub Committee will provide everyone with specific guidance for the MA State License Renewal process. In the meantime, please check the expiration date on your MA license today.  If your MA License expires in Feb or March 2025, please contact us immediately so we may guide you. Most MA license renewals can be accomplished on -line so when you proceed, print and keep a copy for your records.  

3. LBIA MEMBERSHIP’S RESPONSE & 2 LEGAL  ACTIONS - At the 2024 Annual LBIA membership meeting on the tennis court, the LBIA membership spoke as one. Long Beach families would not be accepting of this targeted campaign against us, and agreed it cannot be ignored. The Town of Rockport apparently decided they no longer want to follow the voting registration advice provided, in writing, by the Rockport Town Clerk in 2013. Instead, Rockport officials chose to target and systematically remove and refuse to re-register Long Beach voters. Beginning in August 2024, the Town of Rockport has caused the removal of  ~75+ registered Rockport voters from Long Beach.  Following LBIA’s Attorney William Sheehan’s legal guidance, seventeen (17) Long Beach family members filed a complaint in Superior Court and can be found here. The Superior Court date is expected to be scheduled in the next few months.  After considering the most recent developments, on Friday, 2-14-25, LBIA’s Attorney, William Sheehan, filed an additional complaint (click here) on behalf of three more Long Beach family members, who also stepped forward to protect their right to choose Rockport as their domicile for voting purposes, and to protect the same right for all Long Beach families.  Each of the three individuals had received a “check-the- 3-box form letter” from the Town Clerk notifying them that they were no longer allowed to vote in Rockport.  If you receive a similar letter in 2025, or any other notification of denial,  please contact the LBIA Legal Sub Committee so we can provide you with immediate guidance. If necessary, Attorney William Sheehan plans to take all 20 cases to the MA Supreme Judicial Court.

4. LBIA MEMBER FINANCIAL SUPPORT $1500 -  We respectfully ask each and every Long Beach cottage and condo family to demonstrate your understanding of the seriousness of this issue by making a $1500 contribution, if you haven’t already, to the LBIA Legal Fund by February 20th by clicking here https://buy.stripe.com/14k5mDfW88dfcjmbII.

Some of you may be wondering when and how, or even if, I should go about registering, or re-registering, to vote in Rockport considering the Towns targeted campaign to remove and reject us. Choosing Rockport as your domicile for voting purposes, either now or sometime in the future, remains your personal decision.  Whenever you proceed to register/re-register to vote in Rockport, for your protection, please keep a copy of your signed Voter Registration form and affidavit, and any correspondence and/or documents you may receive from any MA Town.  

Every family at Long Beach decided to make a major financial investment when we purchased our cottage sand condos. We all cherish the time with our families and friends at Long Beach. 154 Long Beach families are not only being forced to Protect our investments, but to Preserve our legal rights. The Town of Rockport would like nothing better than to try and divide and weaken us. Let’s stay together and demonstrate that not a single one of us will tolerate this targeted unfairness being directed at Rockport residents from Long Beach.

Today, please join all of us who have already contributed and participate by contributing $1500 by February 20th. If every family contributes by Feb 20th, we anticipate having the legal funds needed to pay the entire legal fees.  If you have any questions, please let us know.

Sincerely Yours,

LBIA Legal Sub Committee  

Item Dear LBIA Families,

On Friday, the LBIA received a large financial contribution of $14,582.67 designated to assist the litigation to stop the Town of Rockport’s targeted and systematic removal and rejecting Rockport resident voters living at Long Beach.

The letter (can be see on our website by click here), from Fred Hochberger and Steve Sheehan, managers of the Long Beach Holdings,LLC Entity,  provides the background and origin of the $14,582.67 contribution to the LBIA legal fund. The LBIA membership is extremely grateful to receive this contribution at this challenging time.  

However, the LBIA Membership’s work is far from over. The targeted and systematic disenfranchising of Rockport residents continues.

If the Town of Rockport takes away our right to choose our domicile for voting purposes, we will not be eligible to cast our votes for future Federal or State Grants to rebuild the remaining areas of the Long Beach Seawall when they are damaged. We will not be permitted to vote for other important Rockport warrant articles. We will not be allowed to vote for future Select Board candidates. If the Long Beach Seawall is damaged or destroyed, all of of our cottages and condos are at severe risk of being damaged and destroyed.

We respectfully ask every Long Beach family, who has not already contributed $1500 to the LBIA legal fund, to contribute $1500 to the Legal Fund by February 20, 2025. A $1500contribution represents only ( .5%), or less, of the market value of your cottage and condo.

Let’s look directly into the eyes of the next generation of our family members and explain, “We are fighting to protect our right, and your future right, to choose Rockport your domicile to vote”, and, “We are standing together to Protect and Preserve Long Beach.”

Contributing to the LBIA Legal Fund is easy, with multiple payment options (credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, ACH, Klarna and Cash App) available all through one simple link by going to our website https://longbeachrockport.com/residents-page-home and click on "Contribute Here”

Simply choose your option at checkout - no need to write a check unless you prefer. However, contributing by writing a check avoids the fees if contributing via the on-line options, —so every dollar contributed via check goes directly to the LBIA Legal Fund without an on-line fee deduction. If you write a check, please make it payable to “LBIA" and mail to Stacy Ho, 35 Granger Avenue, Reading, MA 01867.

Sincerely yours,

Chip Tarbell, LBIA President , chiptarbell@gmail.com

Stacy Ho, LBIA Treasurer,  stacy.ho@gmail.comescription

Red Alert- Facts For All Long Beach Families

There is another deeply disturbing development related to the Town of Rockport’s targeted and systematic attempt to remove registered Rockport voters from Long Beach and to reject Long Beach family members from re-registering to vote in Rockport.

* In January 2025, the Town of Rockport mailed the Annual Census of every Rockport resident registered voter living at Long Beach, but mailed it purposely to our Long Beach addresses knowing full well that mail is not delivered to Long Beach in January.

* The Town of Rockport unequivocally understood what they were attempting to do. Every Annual Census mailed to the non-deliverable mailing addresses at Long Beach included the following warning on the outside of the mailing envelope. “Warning- Failure to Respond to this Mailing Shall Result in Removal From the Active Voting List and May Result in Removal from the Voter Registration Rolls Chaper 51 Section 4.” The Town of Rockport mailed the annual Census to our Long Beach addresses intentionally.

* While the Town of Rockport schemed and executed this offensive Annual Census mailing, they made certain that our Long Beach Land Rent, Real Estate Taxes, Water Bills, and Personal Property Taxes were delivered promptly to our mailing addresses on record at the Rockport Town Hall.

* Upon receiving the Annual Census addressed to Long Beach, the Federal Post Office immediately returned (in January) the Annual Census letters addressed to Long Beach.

* Since January, the Town of Rockport chose to remain silent. They communicated nothing to us about this and no corrective effort was initiated to deliver our Annual Census to our mailing addresses. This was no mistake.

* This deliberate Town of Rockport initiative against all of us follows an earlier Town action previously communicated with you —-the Town’s refused to reinstate two long-term Long Beach registered voters who have voted in Rockport continuously for over 20 consecutive years.

There are actions every one of us living at Long Beach can take to Protect and Preserve our families future and the future of Long Beach. In the days ahead, we will create an action plan to include how we will respond to the Town of Rockport’s mailing of the Annual Census to a non deliverable address.

Look for the next “Red Alert” communication from the LBIA Legal Sub Committee, and please notify us immediately if and when you receive a voting removal or rejection letter from the Town of Rockport.

Sincerely yours,

LBIA Legal Sub Committee

Dear LBIA Families,

As we begin 2025, our Long Beach community is dealing with what I believe is the most significant challenge initiated by the Town of Rockport. Whether you are currently registered to vote in Rockport or not, please read this email carefully. The future of your Long Beach cottage/condo is at risk.

It is crystal clear that the Town of Rockport is unfairly targeting and systematically removing Long Beach family members from the Rockport voting ranks. This absurd and un-American behavior is being carried out by the 4 members of the Rockport Board of Registrars while the Rockport Select Board (Long Beach landlord) sits by idly and does nothing to stop it.

The targeting of Long Beach family members by the Town of Rockport began immediately after Rockport wide voters approved the $2.8M FEMA EMERGENCY GRANT to rebuild a 350 foot section of the Long Beach Seawall. The vote was approved at the 2024 Annual Town Meeting —431 Yes votes  to 142 No Votes  (2/3rds vote required to pass).

During the three months following the approval vote, the Rockport Board of Registrars carefully planned and proceeded to summarily remove about 66 registered Rockport voters living at Long Beach from the Rockport voting ranks.

More recently the Town of Rockport started expanded their targeting of Long Beach by denying two long-term Rockport voters their right to re-register to vote in Rockport when their MA State license was renewed. The two Long Beach and LBIA members are people from two unrelated families.  One neighbor who was denied has voted continuously in Rockport since 1998 ( 26consecutive years) and the other neighbor denied has voted continuously in Rockport since 2002 ( 22 consecutive years).  This is a deliberate attack on every one of us just because we showed up and voted at Town meeting. The Town has decided it wants  “taxation without representation”  at Long Beach.

MA General Laws includes,  “Every citizen eighteen years of age or older…who is a resident in the city or town where he claims the right to vote at the time he registers…may have his name entered on the list of voters in such city or town, and may vote therein….” Mass. Gen. Laws, c. 51, sec. 1.

The Town of Rockport is attempting, once again, to divide and marginalize our collective voices. We are not insignificant residents of Rockport and we will not allow our voices to be disempowered because we encouraged voters to vote to rebuild a seawall that has been neglected by our landlord for 100 + years. Apparently, our landlord did not learn about our principled resolve and our unwavering commitment to eliminate unfair treatment. 

I have established a legal subcommittee of the LBIA Executive Committee comprised of Antoinette Giugliano agg@protectinventions.com  Steve Sheehan, stevegsheehan@gmail.com , Rose Mooney, rmmooney12@gmail.com,  and myself,  to work closely with Attorney Bill Sheehan on the behalf of all Long Beach families. The legal sub committee will be communicating with you regularly throughout 2025.

We know from the unified response that everyone delivered at the largest turn-out for a LBIA Annual meeting this past August, that this repugnant behavior by the Town cannot be ignored and will not be accepted.

Attorney Bill Sheehan strongly advises us to pursue this all the way to the MA Supreme Judicial court, if necessary. This is a court whereby the case is heard by seven (7) MA Supreme Court Justices at the same time.  Attorney Sheehan is also offering the LBIA a ceiling cap on our legal expenses through the conclusion of the MA Supreme Court hearing. We will have more to report on this soon. 

In the meantime, click here to see the 12-12-24 Gloucester Daily Times page 1 article  quoting LBIA’s Attorney, Bill Sheehan. He is unwavering in his belief that what the Town of Rockport is attempting to do to us will be found to be unlawful by the MA Supreme Judicial Court

If you have any immediate thoughts, questions, ideas or concerns, please do contact me or any member of the legal subcommittee.  

Sincerely yours, 

Chip Tarbell

President, LBIA

chiptarbell@gmail.com

617-257-3683 (cell)

Dear LBIA Families

Yesterday, October 29, 2024, the Gloucester Daily Times published an article regarding the denial of injunctive relief to permit 17 residents living at Long Beach to re-register to vote in Rockport. Click here to see the article. A link to the article is also on the landing page of our resident only portal. 

Both Melanie Waddell, Rockport’s Town Clerk and our attorney Bill Sheehan, were quoted.  Attorney Sheehan said that said he remains “steadfast” in the belief the court will rule in favor of their argument. “It remains our position the voter gets to choose which (property) will be his domicile for voting purposes,” he said. “It is no more or no less complicated. That’s it in a nutshell.”

 Keep in mind, the standard for a Preliminary Injunction is a high standard.  Going forward, we will have a trial for the court to consider the full merits of the case and it is likely to be scheduled sometime in 1Q 2025. 

We stand strong and will fight another day in court.  We thank you for your continuing commitment to the future of Long Beach.

Sincerely,   

Steve Sheehan

Antoinette Giugliano

Dear LBIA Families

On Friday, October 26, 2024, a Superior Court judge decided not to grant immediate injunctive relief to permit 17 residents living at Long Beach to re-register to vote in Rockport. As you know, these 17 residents, along with several others, were taken off the voter roll in August 2024 by the Rockport Board of Registrars after 3 days of hearings.  We know all of you are disappointed in this initial decision by the court and we are disappointed too.  The decision can be found on our private portal here (the first article under “Voting Documents & Articles”). 

Keep in mind, the standard for a Preliminary Injunction is a high standard.  Going forward, we will have a trial for the court to consider the full merits of the case and it is likely to be scheduled sometime in 1Q 2025. As such, yesterday’s decision is not the final decision on the case. Our attorneys, as do we, truly believe in the merits of the case. 

Despite this set back, we stand strong and will fight another day in court.  We thank you for your continuing commitment to the future of Long Beach.

Sincerely,   

Chip Tarbell,

Steve Sheehan

Antoinette Giugliano

Dear LBIA Families

On Friday, 10-18-24,  Attorney William Sheehan, on behalf of the Long Beach family members he represents for being removed as registered voters in Rockport, filed a complaint in Essex Superior Court.  In the complaint, he requested that the Board of Registrar’s decision be overturned.  Attorney Sheehan is also seeking a preliminary injunction that the Rockport Board of Registrars be prevented from declining to enroll each of the Long Beach family members represented by him. In our private resident portal, the complaint can be found  here and the Memorandum of Law in support of the preliminary injunction can be found here.  If you haven’t created a log in, please do so to allow you access to the private resident portal.

On Thursday, October 24, 2024, an Essex Superior Court Judge, based in Lawrence, MA will hear arguments from Attorney Sheehan requesting the injunctive relief to allow those represented by Attorney Sheehan to re-register to vote in Rockport in time for the presidential election. The Judge is expected to rule on this one item only by Friday 10-25-24. The full complaint will be heard by the Court at a later date.

We sincerely thank each of the Long Beach family members represented by Attorney Sheehan for pursuing the path to Protect and Preserve the rights of Rockport residents living at Long Beach. We equally thank so many of you for your voluntary financial contributions to the LBIA legal fund.

We will communicate again as soon as more information is available.

Sincerely,  

Chip Tarbell,

Antoinette Giugliano

Steve Sheehan

Dear LBIA Families,

Multiple updates to share with you today:

1. Status of LBIA Fund Raising for our family members and friends stricken by the Rockport Board of Registrars from voting in Rockport.

The commitment and generosity of LBIA families and friends continues to be impressive. Long Beach families truly understand that, by supporting the initial voter suppression cases, we protect our own right to choose Rockport to be our domicile for voting. No doubt that we have learned that every vote in Rockport counts. It will take many more FEMA grant approvals at Rockport Annual Town Meetings to rebuild the entire Long Beach Seawall.

Please understand that initially your generous contributions to the LBIA legal fund will pay the legal invoices related to the following two major events:

(1) the legal preparation, strategy, guidance, representation and administrative costs related to the three days of Rockport Board of Registrar hearings conducted on August 21-23, 2024, and,

(2) the legal preparation, strategy, guidance, representation and administrative costs at the MA Superior Court. At MA Superior Court, Attorney William Sheehan will seek to reverse the Rockport registrars removal decision for those he represents, thereby reinstating their right to choose Rockport as their domicile for voting purposes. Should Attorney Sheehan be successful, each reversal will serve to benefit others who want to re-register in Rockport.

As Attorney William Sheehan continues to prepare for MA Superior Court, we are extending the current fundraising effort 2 weeks through Friday, October 11th . If you cannot afford the $1,500 requested amount, please contribute an amount you can afford.

Make check payable to “LBIA” and mail to:

Mr. Stacy Ho

35 Granger Avenue

Reading, MA 01867

Note: Following full payment to Attorney Sheehan, any remaining financial funds raised will go directly into the LBIA Legal Fund.

2. Renewing your MA License may be problematic for your voting location.

Q1. What automatically happens to your voting status when you renew your MA driving license and /or register a new vehicle?

Answer 1- There is a major flaw in the MA license renewal system. As crazy as it seems, if your car is not registered at your Long Beach home address, you will automatically be removed from voting in Rockport. Your voting location will revert back to your drivers license mailing address through no fault by you.

Q2. What should I do if this happens to me at the RMV but I want to continue my domicile for voting purposes to be Rockport?

Answer 2 - The legal advice we received is to re- register to vote in Rockport as soon as you realize this automatic change effects you. You can easily re-register on line. If you are denied your re-registration by the Rockport Town Clerk’s office, please save all communications and let us know immediately.

3. 2024 LBIA Dues- Stacy Ho, Treasurer reports that 87% of LBIA families paid the $100 annual dues in 2024 with 50% of annual dues contributed going to our legal fund. Consistent with the 2024 Annual Dues guidelines from the EC, LBIA members who decide not to contribute dues in 2024 will remain LBIA members and continue to be welcome to attend LBIA meetings, but they will not have the privilege of voting at LBIA meetings, and they will not receive access to the Protect and Preserve web site or receive group LBIA emails. Those who subsequently decide to contribute dues in 2025, their contribution amount will be $200 (2024 +2025 dues).

4. LBIA 2024 Annual Meeting Minutes- The short version minutes of the Annual Meeting can be found here. Going forward, the minutes will be in the Resident Portal and so you will need to create a login if you have not already done so. You will recall we dedicated our annual Meeting to conduct a Membership wide discussion and next steps regarding voting rights in Rockport. The voting rights summary was previously e-mailed to you on 9-2-24.

5. e-Mail Communication to LBIA - As we continue to develop and operate from the Protect and Preserve Web site, for awhile you may continue to receive two versions of the same email - one continuing from Steve’s personal email address, and one from the Protect and Preserve Web site initiated by Antoinette and/or Steve. Thank you for your patience.

6. Protect and Preserve Website- If you have not already created a login, please visit now at,

https://longbeachrockport.com/residents-page-home

Creating a login will enable you to access the Resident Only area of the website. Also, at this time, please join the Long Beach Next Generation’s initiative and send a letter of concern about Rockport residents living at Long Beach voting rights to Senator ’s Elizabeth Warren, and Ed Markey, Congressman Seth Moulton and Governor Healey. The core letters are already prepared on the Web Site and you

may add, modify and personalize them, or simply sign and send. The 7 members of the LBIA Executive support this initiative and all 7 will be sending letters. Thank you to the Long Beach Next Generation leaders, Rose Mooney, #104, Brianna Manzelli, #100, and Josh Stavis, #96 for leading this worthy initiative.

7.Notice of Lease (NOL) - LBIA Attorneys will proceed with one submittal to the Registrar of Deeds with all NOL’s received. When the NOL’s are officially recorded, we will communicate again.

Sincerely,

LBIA Executive Committee

Chip Tarbell, President,

Stephanie Erb, Vice President

Stacy Ho, Treasurer

Steve Sheehan, Secretary

Antoinette Giuliano, Member

Heather Carbone, Member

Rose Mooney , 1st "Next Generation" Member

Dear LBIA Families, 

 Two items of importance today. Voting in Rockport and Notice of Lease.  

I. Voting in Rockport

Here is additional advice the LBIA Executive Committee (EC) received from the LBIA Attorney to pass along to LBIA family members regarding your registering to vote and/or voting in Rockport: 

 “Please ask anyone who is given a hard time by the Town when registering to vote, or voting,  to write down in narrative form everything that was said and happened, along with copies of any documents relating to the same.” 

 If a concern emerges, we ask that you write and date a quick email/handwritten note to yourself (for your own record purposes) and let either Antoinette Giugliano, agg@protectinventions.com  cell # 978-335-8112 or Steve Sheehan know that you experienced a voting related issue on x-date.  You do not need to send us your personal note (to yourself) for the record. Antoinette and Steve will simply keep a log of name and date only. Thank you.  

 As an example, recently one of our neighbors,  who is a Rockport resident and registered voter  living at Long Beach went to Town Hall to cast his vote early for the MA State Primary.  While he was permitted to vote, he was issued a page from the MA State General Laws that contained the following except, “ If after examination of an affidavit of registration, it appears to the registrars from the facts set forth in the affidavit that the person is not qualified to be registered as a voter or the affidavit  is incomplete, they may decline to enter his name on the annual register.”   This person is keeping a written record of this incident. 

 Thank you for your remembering to document anything that may happen to you personally and letting us know of the date. 

         II. Notice of Lease (NOL’s) 

 On 7-31-24, one LBIA family member, who is also a LB cottage/condo owner,  was sent an email from the LBIA Executive Committee regarding directions for notarizing your Notice of Lease (NOL) . Shortly thereafter, this same family member was sent an email from Kathy Sabbio from the Law Office of Attorney William Sheehan. We asked that your NOL be notarized and the original returned via mail to the law office by Friday Sept 6th. As of 8-30-24 Kathy Sabbio is missing 89 NOL’s. 

 As reported last Saturday at the LBIA Annual meeting, we are extending this due date.  Please mail per the instructions previously sent to you and return by Friday, September, 20th.  

 Sincerely,

 Steve Sheehan 

cell (781-223-0764)

(Sent on behalf of the LBIA EC)  

Our Right to Vote in Rockport is Being Challenged 

Please read carefully. 

Dear LBIA Families, 

Last Saturday at the tennis court, the largest assembly of LBIA families during the past decade joined together at the 2024 LBIA Annual Meeting.  We assembled to Preserve and Protect our right to choose Rockport as our domicile for voting purposes. Many “Next Generation” family members participated. 

Everyone in attendance listened intently as we learned first-hand, from the initial group of Rockport residents living at Long Beach who were summoned and testified, how the Rockport Board of Registrars arbitrarily searched for, and then latched onto, any excuse to remove as many as possible from the Rockport Voter list.

The Town of Rockport Board of Registrar’s conducted 3 days of the most un-American voter registration challenge hearings imaginable.  Here are just a few examples of the charade the group experienced: 

• A registered Rockport voter living at Long Beach, who has voted in Rockport since 2014, was removed from being a Rockport voter because of a homestead declaration from another Town 19 years ago.

• A registered Rockport voter living at Long Beach was removed because she volunteers, via zoom from her home at Long Beach, on a committee in the Town where she resides in the winter.

• A registered Rockport voter living at Long Beach, who is 6 months pregnant, opened her summons package from the Town to find a copy of her father’s obituary included. During testimony, the Board of Registrars also asked if she was planning a nursery, and in which home (Rockport, or her other home) would the nursery be located?

  She responded “both locations” but the Board of Registrars removed her from voting in Rockport.

• Registered Rockport voters living at Long Beach were asked if they keep their valuables at their Long Beach homes or at another home.

• Registered Rockport voters living at Long Beach were advised that,

  if you sell your other home outside of Rockport, we will welcome you back to Rockport.

Everyone attending the LBIA Annual Meeting Saturday supported the EC recommendation to appeal the voter removals at MA Superior court. We are respectfully asking every LBIA cottage/condo family to make a voluntary contribution of $1500 to the LBIA legal fund. If you would like to contribute more than $1500, you are most welcome to do so. If you cannot afford the total amount of $1500, please contribute the maximum you feel you can contribute. Six of the seven members of the LBIA Executive Committee have already pledged $9,500 to the legal fund. We request your contributions be made by Sunday, September 15th. 

Two Calls To Action: 

1. Please Donate to the LBIA Legal Fund

You can mail a check, payable to “LBIA”  to the following address:

                         Mr. Stacy Ho

                         35 Granger Ave

                    Reading, MA 01867

  or pay online at,   www.longbeachrockport.com

II. Please Go to the Long Beach web site  www.longbeachrockport.com  Click on Log IN and then  "Don’t have an account? Sign Up “ .   Every LBIA family member that wants access to the private website to learn more about the LB Seawall, Voting, and more, is welcome to create a log in.   

We did not choose this fight but we are forced, once again, by the Town to defend our rights.   

Thank you for supporting each other and for the many ideas generated during the LBIA meeting.  

Sincerely, 

LBIA Executive Committee Members

Chip Tarbell, President,

Stacy Ho, Treasurer

Steve Sheehan, Secretary

Antoinette Giugliano, Member

Rose Mooney, 1st “Next Generation” Member 

Dear LBIA Families,                       

LBIA 2024 Annual Meeting Agenda

Saturday August 31, 2024 Tennis Court 10AM.

Our LBIA  “Preserve and Protect” initiative was initially launched with your full support to  preserve”Rockport’s  public Long Beach for all Rockport residents and visitors for generations to follow and to protect our investments in our Long Beach homes from the Towns neglect and negligence of the LB Seawall.  Now, the Town of Rockport is challenging our sacred right to vote in Rockport.  We are now being forced to fight to preserve our legal right to vote and protect our legal right to choose our domicile for voting purposes in MA.  

There has never been a more important LBIA membership meeting than Saturday at 10am. Please make every effort possible to have at least one LBIA family member attend the 2024 LBIA Annual Meeting this Saturday. 

You will also hear and learn how 4 members of the Board of Registrars searched for any excuse imaginable to remove voters from being registered in Rockport. This all unfolded in the presence of elected Rockport Select Board members and the Town Administrator——each of whom remained silent without the courage or conviction to even say a single word about this travesty of Justice.  

We will rapidly proceed through the regular Annual Meeting Agenda and commit our full attention to a LBIA membership discussion about the charade that occurred at Rockport Town Hall last week so that everyone knows how our Town Government behaved. 

I. Pledge of Allegiance & Presidents Update- Chip Tarbell

II. LBIA Membership confirmation vote for Heather Carbone (Member),Stephanie Erb (VP), and Stacy Ho,Treasurer, to be elected to 3 Year Terms. 

III. Secretary Report- Steve Sheehan

     - Notice of Lease Update

III. Treasurer Report - Stacy Ho

 - LBIA Dues Update

 - Membership Vote to Transfer Funds from General Fund to Legal Fund 

IV. Preserve and Protect Website Update - (Antoinette Giugliano)

 V. Quick Recap of 2024 Long Beach Day

V.I Unfinished  Business-(All)  

VII. New Business- (All)

VIII. Adjourn 

Dear LBIA Families,

Last Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, the Town of Rockport targeted an initial group of Rockport residents at Long Beach and challenged our right to vote in Rockport, and most of those targeted were removed from the Rockport Voter roll. They proceeded to conduct a charade unimaginable in the United States. It is a real possibility that more groupings from Long Beach may be targeted based upon the abhorrent and un-American behavior our group witnessed and experienced.

Earlier this year, we shared great success, as a united group, with our “Protect and Preserve” Rockport-wide initiative when the matching funds for the Long Beach seawall 2018 FEMA grant was approved at Annual Town Meeting.

Apparently, the Town of Rockport is challenging us to “Protect and Preserve” our right to register to vote in Rockport.

Please carefully read today’s attached letter to the GDT editor, entitled, “No Taxation without Representation”. On Saturday, August 31, 2024,10am at the Tennis Court, come learn first -hand about what transpired, including the subpoena of sensitive and personal information such as bank records and tax statements. We strongly urge that at least one family member (from every LBIA member family) attend on Saturday and of course all are welcome. Please bring a beach chair with you.

On Saturday morning, you will hear stories about the travesty of justice that occurred last week, and no doubt you will be as astounded to learn what transpired. Town officials, including members of the elected Rockport Select Board (our landlord) and the Town Administrator allowed such hearings to proceed against this initial group of Rockport residents living at Long Beach.

Today’s GDT Letter Attached, “No Taxation without Representation”

Sincerely,

LBIA Executive Committee

Chip Tarbell, President,
Stephanie Erb, Vice President
Stacy Ho, Treasurer
Steve Sheehan, Secretary
Antoinette Giugliano, Member
Rose Mooney, 1st “Next Generation” Member

Dear Long Beach Family Members,

On Wednesday, August 21, at 1pm, the 1st group of scheduled Long Beach Voter Registration hearings begins at Rockport Town Hall Conference Room A.    

If your hearing is scheduled on Thursday and/or Friday, stop by if you can for a few minutes on Wednesday during the hearings—-not only to demonstrate support for your Long Beach neighbors, but to observe one of the hearings for your own peace of mind.    

At Monday night's meeting, attendees learned:

• No one at Long Beach has done anything wrong by changing your domicile for voting purposes to Rockport.

• Your personal and financial information requested by the Town under Schedule A is not going to be shared with the Town—-only your name and mailing address on the Schedule A requested documents.      

• Every person summoned will answer every question truthfully-especially when asked questions about your life in Rockport, your mailing address, how often you are present in Rockport, etc..

• Long Beach is just one of the places you call your “Home”, so refer to LB as your “Home" during the hearings. 

• Those of you who have requested a new date for your hearing because you are currently out of state, away on vacation, taking kids back to school etc, know that the attorneys are pursuing this for you.

• You have the right to formally engage with Attorney Sheehan as your Attorney, choose your own attorney, represent yourself, or decide not to attend the hearing.

• The LBIA Executive Committee met already and unanimously agreed to develop an approach to financially support this travesty against all LB families. This approach will be presented and discussed at our Annual LBIA Meeting on August 30th, if not earlier.

We plan to communicate Wednesday night what happens at Wednesday’s 1pm hearing.

Also, on Wednesday morning,  the Attorneys have asked us to collect responses from those of you scheduled for hearings on Thursday and Friday.  Thank you in advance for your prompt responses. 

Sincerely,

Steve sheehan

Secretary, LBIA

Dear LBIA family member,

Publicly posted earlier today on the Town of Rockport web site listing the schedule of the Long Beach Voter Registration Hearings.

More information tomorrow. 

Steve Sheehan