Forum for county commission candidates

Posted October 5, 2006

A public forum for the nine candidates running for the Dukes County Commission will be held Tuesday, at 3 pm in the community room at the Oak Bluffs School.

The event will be taped and shown several times on Channel 13 on Martha's Vineyard Community Television before the state election on Nov. 7.

Meverell Good, who has served in Tisbury town government for many years, is the producer of the show and will act as moderator. Mr. Good will ask the candidates questions he collected from a cross-section of Islanders relating to the activities of county government in communication with the public, legal fees incurred, the cost-effectiveness of county operations and the county budget, and the county jail, to name a few.

In addition to answering questions, the candidates will be given the opportunity to make brief concluding statements.

Tristan Israel, Jim Morse, Woodrow Williams, and Peter Hefler are candidates from Vineyard Haven, Carlene Gatting, and Jesse (Jack) Law from Oak Bluffs, and Richard Lee from Aquinnah. Incumbents running for reelection include Robert Sawyer of Vineyard Haven, Paul Strauss of Oak Bluffs, and Leslie Leland of West Tisbury. Mr. Hefler will be unavailable to attend the forum, but will provide a written statement.