Tristan Israel faces two challengers in race to keep selectman's seat
Two candidates, each stressing a need for change in town politics, seek to oust Tristan Israel from his seat on the board of selectmen during Tisbury town elections on Tuesday, April 27.
Constance Teixeira, a retiree who serves on numerous boards, said voters should choose her because she has an open mind and will give a voice to the elderly and Tisbury residents with disabilities. Jamie Douglas, the manager of the Black Dog’s Coastwise marina and captain of the schooner Alabama, said he will bring a young and businesslike perspective to town politics.
Incumbent Tristan Israel said he is proud of his record as selectman and will continue to serve the town with passion and creativity.
Polls will be open Tuesday from noon until 8 pm at the American Legion Post on Martin Road across from the Tisbury School.
Constance Teixeira
Connie Teixeira — a retired airline customer service representative from Washington, D.C. — has made a career of serving on various Island and town boards since moving to Tisbury in 2000. Ms. Teixeira is the leader of the Vineyard MS support group, a member of the Tisbury Senior Center board, a member of the Nathan Mayhew Seminars board and a member of the NAACP. She also serves with Universal Island Access and was recently elected as a delegate to the state Democratic convention.
Ms. Teixeira said she decided to run for selectman because she believes she can bring necessary change in Tisbury.
“Working with Universal Island Access, I saw a need for a change of voice, for someone who will speak for people with disabilities, because I do have M.S., and for the elderly. I just felt like my voice could make a change in some small way,” she told a Times reporter in a telephone interview Monday.
Although she supported the purchase of a new and enormous $800,000 ladder truck for the town fire department — which voters approved at Tisbury’s annual town meeting earlier this month — Ms. Teixeira said that she would like to see Tisbury researching ways to share resources with other Island towns. (The decision to buy the new ladder must be endorsed by voters who face an override request on the town election ballot.)
“Eventually, I would like to see us planning toward the possibility of regionalization,” she said, citing emergency services and the schools as logical places to begin that planning. “We are going to have to start thinking universally about the Island, a plan where we are not taxed to death here.”
Ms. Teixeira also pointed to development in downtown Tisbury as a possible way to ease the burden on the town’s taxpayers. “What I would like is to have a joint venture between town and business people and the community to see how we can… incorporate a package that is really going to sell to people visiting this Island, to really help our economic development.”
Ms. Teixeira said voters should elect her because she has no hidden agenda. “I’m going to come with an open mindedness for town business, and I’m going to study the issues and listen to the people to find out what they want, and make decisions jointly with the other selectmen,” she said.
Jamie Douglas
Jamie Douglas — the son of Black Dog Inc.’s founder Robert S. Douglas — manages the Black Dog marina and tall ships Shenandoah and Alabama. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1995. He campaigned unsuccessfully for selectman last year, and also for appointment to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. Mr. Douglas is currently on the committee researching the need and possible sites for an emergency service facility.
“I’m generally interested in the whole community and my own interests as well. And I love politics,” Mr. Douglas said.
Mr. Douglas was born in his family’s house just north of Owen Park. He has always lived in Vineyard Haven and says he plans to stay here the rest of his life. He said that Tisbury needs to take a more businesslike approach to town governance.
“Tisbury as a town needs to come up to speed. In order to keep the unique and genuine qualities it has, the government needs to work very effectively. The future is in being more cost effective, being more formal in the structure of government, more professional,” Mr. Douglas said. He added that he is the best candidate to cut the cost of town government and to insist on long-term financial planning.
That planning, he said, was absent in the proposal for the new ladder truck, which he spoke against at the annual town meeting.
Mr. Douglas said that regionalization must be an important consideration in cutting costs and that no services should be off limits in looking for ways to share costs and resources.
“When people ask me where I’m from, I’m from Martha’s Vineyard. I don’t see the little town dividing lines. I see someone that’s living in Oak Bluffs facing the same challenges as someone living in Vineyard Haven. Regionalization should become a top priority,” he said.
In Tisbury, Mr. Douglas said he would like to see zoning regulations relaxed at the waterfront to allow for a variety of businesses, not just those that are water-dependent. He said zoning bylaws also need to be adjusted to allow for more living units — apartments or houses — to be on one property.
Mr. Douglas said that the town’s selectmen should be addressing larger challenges such as creating jobs and affordable housing.
He said voters should choose him over the other two candidates because with his management experience, he can help run Tisbury more efficiently.
“I represent the next generation, the long-term interests of the Island,” he said.
Tristan Israel
Tristan Israel is current chairman of the selectmen and has been a selectman for 10 years. Mr. Israel has also served on the planning board, the conservation commission, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and the Duke’s County financial advisory board. Originally from Connecticut and New York, he received a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. Mr. Israel runs a landscaping business and has lived on Martha’s Vineyard for more than 30 years.
“I’m running for selectman because I believe that I still have passion and creativity, along with the experience, and public service is very important to me,” Mr. Israel told The Times on Tuesday.
Mr. Israel said he is proud of his record as selectman and cited the ongoing Main Street refurbishment project and the town’s new sewer system as examples of effective management in the town.
“One of the things I’ve been most proud of is advocating for Tisbury in the Steamship Authority over the years,” he said. “From that, the port council was born, the harbor impact fee was developed, and the Steamship Authority voluntarily agreed to abide by our harbor DCPC [district of critical planning concern]. Now, I feel that Tisbury does have more of a voice.”
Mr. Israel said that although the town has been very financially responsible during his years as selectman, it is important to look for new revenue sources and look into regional possibilities.
Affordable housing is a challenge Tisbury faces, Mr. Israel said, and he argues that zoning bylaws need to be eased to allow construction of more affordable housing.
Mr. Israel said voters should reelect him because of his strong record as selectman and his emphasis on consensus building.
“I have knowledge of not only Tisbury’s government but of many of the regional bodies on the Island as well. I also bring creativity and enthusiasm and a desire to involve all of Tisbury’s citizens in the work of our local government,” he said.
