Two Town Elections See Brisk Turnout With Heated Contests for Selectman in Oak Bluffs, Edgartown
Long lines, sunny skies and hand sanitizer greeted a steady stream of masked voters in Oak Bluffs and Edgartown on Thursday, as Islanders headed to the polls to decide heated selectmen’s races and controversial ballot questions. Polls are set to close at 7 p.m. Masks are required to vote.
Long lines, sunny skies and hand sanitizer greeted a steady stream of masked voters in Oak Bluffs and Edgartown on Thursday, as Islanders headed to the polls to decide heated selectmen’s races and controversial ballot questions.
Voters line up in Edgartown as polls open Thursday morning.
Voters line up in Edgartown as polls open Thursday morning.
Polls opened at 10 a.m. in both towns, with lengthy lines forming outside polling places and continuing throughout the day. Polls are set to close at 7 p.m. this evening. Masks are required to vote.
“It’s been full all day,” said Oak Bluffs poll worker Anne Cummings, who was draped in an American flag scarf that a voter gifted her last election. “Everybody’s been very enthusiastic.”
With social distancing precautions still in effect due to the pandemic, both towns have taken unprecedented steps to keep polling stations sanitary. Ballot boxes have to be cleaned after every use, and voters indoors are being limited to five in Oak Bluffs and three in Edgartown, leading to long lines outdoors.
“Even the pens have to be washed down. Can you believe that?” Ms. Cummings said.
In Edgartown, the new precautions caused a bit of trouble with the electronic ballot box. After the machine started rejecting the first ballots of the day, workers called maintenance and realized that excessive hand sanitizer on the writing surface was likely the culprit, wetting the paper. The problem has since been resolved, town clerk Karen Medeiros said.
Line of voters formed in Oak Bluffs Thursday morning.
Line of voters formed in Oak Bluffs Thursday morning.
“Yes, we figured it out,” Ms. Medeiros said. “Thank God.”
In Oak Bluffs, a bid to raise the debt ceiling to upgrade the deteriorating town hall is on the ballot for the third time. Voters at the annual town meeting on Tuesday easily agreed to spend $13.3 million to renovate the building, but in past years town meeting approval has been reversed at the voting booth.
At the Oak Bluffs library on Thursday, voters said the town hall question drew them to the ballot box, despite the ongoing pandemic.
“We were absolutely nervous, but voting is important,” said David Hobart, who stood in line with his wife Susan.
“The town hall is an issue that I’m concerned about,” said voter Joan Hughes. “I’m not sure the town should be taking on $13 million in debt right now.”
Two incumbent Oak Bluffs selectmen — Brian Packish and Mike Santoro — are vying with challengers Ryan Ruley and Rich Weiss for two seats on the five-member board. All four men were campaigning in the parking lot Thursday morning, each with their own army of sign holders and horn honkers.
The selectmen’s race is one of three contested elections in the town. Incumbents Robert Gaffey and Rich Weiss, seeking re-election to the finance and advisory committee, are also being challenged for two seats by Sherry Countryman and Kerry Mark Leonard. Incumbent water district commissioner Raymond Moreis, Jr., has opposition from Maura McGroarty.
In Edgartown, a three-way race for selectman has pitted longtime incumbent Margaret Serpa against Juliet Mulinare and Joseph Monteiro for a seat on the three-member board. Both Ms. Serpa and Ms. Mulinare were holding signs on Main street Thursday.
In other contested races, incumbent planning board chairman Fred Mascolo is being challenged by Robert Strayton for a five-year term, while Meegan Lancaster faces opposition from Joseph Alstat for a seat on the board of health.
And a surprise write-in campaign from candidate Susan Sandford has heated up what was an uncontested school committee race only two days ago. Ms. Sandford is challenging incumbent Kimberly Kirk for a seat on the school board.
The Edgartown ballot also includes four spending requests totalling $1.6 million.
The largest involves a complicated memorandum of understanding between the town and Boys and Girls Club that essentially swaps land with the club for valuable town easements. The club has signed a purchase and sale agreement with the Norton Family to buy a 21-acre parcel off the Edgartown-West Tisbury Road for a new facility.
Under to the MOU, the town will pay the club $650,000 to buy a 4.67-acre parcel with rights to further land purchases in exchange for access through the property to town roads. The measure won easy approval at the annual town meeting Saturday, but is subject to ballot approval as well.
Edgartown voters will also decide whether to spend $400,000 to resurface and repair town streets, $350,000 to build and repair sidewalks, bike paths, parking lots and storm drainage systems, and about $177,000 to supplement the Vineyard Transit Authority’s budget to restore full bus service.
The lines were long in Edgartown too. Selectmen’s assistant Kristy Rose was selling shellfish licenses with her red, white and blue “voting mask” outside the polling station. Approximately 250 voters had cast ballots by 2 p.m., with over 100 absentee ballots already registered.
“I always vote. It’s important to exercise your right,” said Donna Lowell-Bettencourt while waiting in line. “And I’m on the ballot, too.”
Home page picture by Ray Ewing.
Comments
Ah, yes, indeed. The last
Lorraine EdgartownAh, yes, indeed. The last paragraph in the article describes the work and funds needed to repair our village streets and sidewalks; the damage is in many cases done by huge trucks and conveyances and vehicles providing provender and services to the village businesses. None of my neighbors have huge trucks as private vehicles; it is not the village citizen who does the damage, but we have to pay for it. This includes the huge VTA buses. I fully support the VTA, but we need to limit the usage of huge vehicles tearing up our village streets and sidewalks. I see it year in and year out.
Just want to clarify... are
Friend of the Flowers EdgartownJust want to clarify... are the houses in town that go through major construction projects all winter part of the “village” I’m not clear on the parameters of the village but it seems like they would account for many of the oversized trucks on the towns roads.
I voted in Edgartown this
Edgartown Voter EdgartownI voted in Edgartown this afternoon and was impressed by the work my town did to make this a smooth process. I was in and out in maybe fifteen minutes. Staff and volunteers were helpful, voters were respectful of each other and distancing.
I was disappointed to see James Hagerty sitting on the bench in front of town hall holding a mask in his hand while talking to passers by. I have been truly impressed by his leadership and support him. But I would ask that he lead by example and wear a mask when he can’t socially distance. I know not everybody agrees with the mask regulation but I think our leadership needs to set an example.
Well done Edgartown, and well done Mr. Hagerty overall. We can all do better, including this poster. And I mean no offense whatsoever if Mr. Hagerty has a medical condition that prevents him from wearing a mask. He may have been holding one for a friend.
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