It may not be the most controversial thing on the ballot, but the race for the Dukes County Commission is probably the most complicated.
There are three seats to fill; terms for John Alley of West Tisbury, Leonard Jason Jr. of Chilmark, and Roger Wey of Oak Bluffs are all ending. Mr. Wey is not seeking reelection.
Voters will see three names on the ballot when they vote Tuesday: John Alley, Leonard Jason and Linda Sibley, a former county commissioner from West Tisbury.
The Dukes County commission is set to make a slew of appointments in early January, including the Vineyard representative to the Steamship Authority.
Marc Hanover, owner of Linda Jeans Restaurant in Oak Bluffs, has been the Vineyard boat line governor since 2005. The appointment is a three-year position.
Acting county manager Noreen Mavro Flanders said this week she expected Mr. Hanover to seek reappointment. Mr. Hanover was off-Island yesterday and could not be reached for comment.
Dukes County Is Due for Test of Its Charter
By JAMES KINSELLA
Hopes were high over a decade ago when a newly reorganized government went into effect for Dukes County.
Voters in the county had bought the vision put forward by a charter study commission in 1992 that reorganizing rather than eliminating county government offered an effective way to confront regional issues, such as solid waste disposal and affordable housing.
Years later, the vision retains its appeal.
The epic six-year battle over control of the Martha's Vineyard Airport has ended not with a bang, but with the mailing of checks.
In the end, the court case at the center of the battle cost at least $608,374 - in payments to the two airport managers who brought the lawsuit and in legal fees charged by the attorneys.
Steamship Authority chairman Marc Hanover was not looking for support from the Dukes County Commission Wednesday in his continuing battle with the Tisbury board of selectmen over ferry fee money. But he got it anyway.
The sword of Damocles apparently will dangle a while longer over the finances of Dukes County government.
The county commission tentatively had slated a meeting for tomorrow with the finance advisory board to discuss strategy in what could be a major legal judgment against the county. But county manager E. Winn Davis said yesterday the meeting had been canceled.