City of Gloucester Expands Staff to Strengthen Community and Economic Vitality

New Beaches and Parks Operations Manager and Economic Development Coordinator will enhance the city’s open spaces and support local business growth.

GLOUCESTER – Mayor Greg Verga is pleased to announce the hiring of Kansas Ricci-Munn as the City’s Operations Manager for Beaches and Parks and Emily Sloane as the City’s Economic Development Coordinator.

“Emily and Kansas bring a wide range of knowledge and experience to the team, and I’m confident they’ll make a real difference in their new roles,” said Mayor Greg Verga. “Our open spaces and local businesses are among the most important parts of our community, and these two new positions will play a key role in advancing the initiatives that strengthen and support them.”

Ricci-Munn, a Gloucester resident, has been a valued member of the City’s lifeguard team for nearly two decades, bringing experience and creativity to the role. He has worked as Lifeguard Coordinator for the City of Gloucester since 2022 and has been instrumental in the development of the program and team. Through his leadership of the lifeguard program, he has prioritized training, staff engagement, and communication.

“It brings me great joy to serve the City of Gloucester,” said Ricci-Munn. “ We have a special community and I’m proud to be part of it”

As the City’s new Operations Manager for Beaches and Parks, Ricci-Munn will be responsible for the care and oversight of some of Gloucester’s most well-used public spaces. From maintaining the safety and accessibility of our shorelines to supporting the upkeep of our parks,  including Stage Fort Park, he will help ensure these areas remain welcoming and enjoyable for residents and visitors. He will play a key role in the implementation of Gloucester’s Beach Management Plan — ensuring our beaches are safe, well-maintained, and welcoming for all residents and visitors.

Sloane, a native of Gloucester, brings over 20 years of experience driving economic growth, strengthening the workforce, and empowering communities. Most recently she supported studies intended to promote global food security as Markets Advisor at Tetra Tech, following nearly a decade of experience in international economic development and humanitarian program management work — specifically within the nonprofit or international NGO (INGO) sector. As Economic Development Coordinator, she will play a key role supporting Gloucester’s economic growth and long-term community goals. She will focus on implementing many of the City’s recently completed strategic plans, including the Municipal Harbor Plan, Local Rapid Recovery Plan, and Comprehensive Plan, while advancing the creation of a Downtown Business Improvement District (BID).

“After two decades of working on economic development projects worldwide, I am truly excited to be focusing on my home community. Gloucester has so many smart, engaged residents, and I look forward to partnering with them to build a stronger economic future for us all,” said Sloane.

In this role, Sloane will also work to support Gloucester’s existing maritime industry while helping to guide opportunities in the emerging blue economy, ensuring that Gloucester continues to honor its working waterfront heritage while preparing for a sustainable economic future.

Sloane and Ricci-Munn officially started with the City of Gloucester on October 6, 2025.

Surfside Subs and Pizza Monday 10/27🍕🍔

𝓣𝓸𝓭𝓪𝔂’𝓼 𝓢𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓵𝓼
🍕Buy any 18” Pizza get an 18” Cheese for $5
🍕Buy any 16” Pizza get a 16” Cheese for $5

🎉Additional Specials for today!
🦞$13.99 Lobster Rolls
🍔 $4.99 cheeseburgers w/ Chips & Pickles

ALSO FOR LONG BEACH DAIRY 🍦

🚨🚨🚨Half Off Special for 10/27🚨🚨🚨
Vermont Maple Cremee
Sprinkled with Maple Sugar
and
Pumpkin Soft Serve
🍁🍦🎃🍦

Half off only on these two flavors for soft serve, special subject to change

GEF’s 20th Anniversary Online Auction is LIVE!

 ~ gloucestereducationfoundation ~ 

The Gloucester Education Foundation’s 20th Anniversary Gala on 11/6/25 is sold out – but you don’t need a gala ticket to bid on items in our online silent auction! Bidding opens today and closes at 7:30pm on 11/6/25. Click here to visit the auction!

Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Gloucester community – and the tenacity of our auction committee, led by Rachel Refalo, Kristin Michel, and Val Gilman – we have a wonderful array of items and packages to chose from. Your participation fuels programs that make learning come alive — in classrooms, on stages, and in labs across the Gloucester Public Schools. So browse, bid, share, and help us keep the sparks flying for another 20 years!

Thank you to our silent auction donors: Kathy Johnson, Mariposa, Manship Artists Residency; Topsfield Fair, Talbot Rink, Sugar Magnolias, Cove Cafe, Downeast Yacht Tours, Avis Murray, Oak to Ember, Omni Mount Washington, Loren Doucette, Steve Abell and the GHS Carpentry Shop, Tim Rose and the GHS Cabinet Design Program, Val Gilman, Kristin Michel, Sushi Sang Lee, Common Crow, Sought Interiors, Cape Ann Lanes, Melissa Cox, North Shore Music Theater, Garden City Pub, Bass Rocks Golf Club, Gorton’s, Ann Ziergebel, Surfari, North Shore Adventures, Jenn Klopotoski, Kathy Clancy, Rob and Kristen Parsons, Boston Red Sox, James Fiahlo, Winning Moves Games, Alan Refalo, and Title Research Group.

WE’RE SO THANKFUL FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT!

This Week at The Rhumb Line

This week at The Rhumb Line! And….don’t miss the Halloween Fun on Friday! An early show with Joe Wilkins and then Muddy Ruckus bring the Halloween ruckus with a costume party and contest!

ROUTE 133 AUTO

ROUTE 133 AUTO

DEAL ENDING 

Oct 31, 2025

Please take advantage!

$900 off any used vehicle on our lot!

View These Vehicles Here! or

Stop by 209 Essex Ave to take a look!

Also enjoy our Monthly Deal of 

$35 Simple Wash and Vacuum

**Regularly $50**

Book Here

INSPECTION HOURS:

***SATURDAYS***

7am-11am

Commercial and Passenger Vehicles

Mon – Fri

8am-4pm

Passenger Vehicles Only

REGULAR SERVICE HOURS:

MONDAY – FRIDAY

8am – 4pm

Surfside Subs and Pizza Sunday 10/26 🍕🍔

𝓣𝓸𝓭𝓪𝔂’𝓼 𝓢𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓵𝓼
🍕Buy any 18” Pizza get an 18” Cheese for $5
🍕Buy any 16” Pizza get a 16” Cheese for $5

🎉Additional Specials for today!
🦞$13.99 Lobster Rolls
🍔 $4.99 cheeseburgers w/ Chips & Pickles

ALSO FOR LONG BEACH DAIRY 🍦

🚨🚨🚨Half Off Special for 10/26🚨🚨🚨
Vermont Maple Cremee
Sprinkled with Maple Sugar
and
Pumpkin Soft Serve
🍁🍦🎃🍦

Half off only on these two flavors for soft serve, special subject to change

Surfside Subs and Pizza Saturday 10/25 🍕🍔

𝓣𝓸𝓭𝓪𝔂’𝓼 𝓢𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓵𝓼
🍕Buy any 18” Pizza get an 18” Cheese for $5
🍕Buy any 16” Pizza get a 16” Cheese for $5

🎉Additional Specials for today!
🦞$13.99 Lobster Rolls
🍔 $4.99 cheeseburgers w/ Chips & Pickles

ALSO FOR LONG BEACH DAIRY 🍦

🚨🚨🚨Half Off Special for 10/25🚨🚨🚨
Vermont Maple Cremee
Sprinkled with Maple Sugar
and
Pumpkin Soft Serve
🍁🍦🎃🍦

Half off only on these two flavors for soft serve, special subject to change

Sawyer Free Library Launches Monthly Artist Program with Exhibit by Artists Erin Luman and Laureen Maher Bowie “Volume One”

 ~ Sawyer Free Library ~ 

Artist Reception on Thursday, November 6th, 5:00pm in the Library’s Matz Gallery

The Sawyer Free Library proudly presents Volume One, the inaugural exhibition in its new Monthly Artist Program—marking a vibrant beginning for the Library’s reimagined Matz Gallery and its renewed commitment to the arts. Featuring Gloucester artists Erin Luman and Laureen Maher BowieVolume One will be on view November 2 through December 29, 2025.

There will be an Artist Reception on Thursday, November 6, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Matz Gallery at the Sawyer Free Library, 2 Dale Avenue in Gloucester. The public is invited to attend this special event. No registration is needed.

Volume One celebrates both the creative spirit of the community and the innovative transformation of the Sawyer Free Library itself, which has just reopened following a two-year, $28 million renovation and expansion.

Both artists began their creative journeys years ago by exhibiting in the Library’s Monthly Artist Program. Returning now to inaugurate the revitalized Matz Gallery, they reexamine their art through a fresh lens—bridging past and present in this inspiring debut show.

About the Artists
Gloucester-based contemporary artist Erin Luman weaves memory and daily life into evocative scenes that invite viewers to pause and reflect. What began as a fascination with the weathered cottages of Long Beach has evolved into a body of work capturing small, intimate moments—a century-old bathroom sink, beach towels drying in the sun, or glimpses of lived spaces both personal and universal. While her upcoming winter exhibition at Endicott College will spotlight the studios of local makers, Volume One offers a deeply personal collection drawn from the in-between moments that inspire her.

Laureen Maher Bowie, an award-winning local painter and celebrated colorist, captures the beauty and grit of Gloucester in richly layered oils. Her iconic painting, We Dive at Five, depicting local youth jumping off from the Good Harbor Beach footbridge at high tide, will be displayed publicly for the first time at this exhibition. Maher Bowie’s work has been featured in Exhibit Art New England and will appear in the upcoming Rockport Art Association & Museum National Juried Show.

As part of the Library’s renewed commitment to supporting local arts and culture, the Monthly Artist Program will feature rotating exhibitions that highlight both emerging and established regional artists. The newly formed Matz Committee will help guide future exhibitions, ensuring that the space remains a vibrant showcase for creativity and connection. Local and regional artists interested in exhibiting may submit expressions of interest to matzgallery@sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Volume One serves as an exciting kickoff to this initiative—and to the holiday season—with 25% of all sales benefiting the Sawyer Free Library. The exhibition has already drawn enthusiastic community response and stands as a fitting tribute to the Library’s long-standing role as a cultural cornerstone of Gloucester.

Visitors are invited to experience Volume One and explore the beautifully expanded Sawyer Free Library at 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester—a welcoming, inspiring space designed to serve generations to come.

For more information, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.