It’s Davis in a landslide for clerk of courts

Democrat T. George Davis cruised to victory in the clerk of courts race. Even before the final two towns reported their results, there was no way independent Anthony Piland could overcome the commanding lead that Davis held, with four Island towns and Gosnold voting overwhelmingly in his favor.

Davis will take over for Joseph Sollitto Jr., who is retiring after holding the job in Dukes County Superior Court for 42 years. The issue of qualifications was prominent in the race, with supporters of Davis, an attorney, questioning whether Piland, a physician assistant, was qualified to hold the job overseeing the clerk’s office.

Davis was surrounded by family and friends at Offshore Ale in Oak Bluffs, waiting for final numbers in the race for clerk of courts.

“I think if people looked carefully, that my qualifications would stand out,” Davis said. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m going to enjoy it, I think.”

Davis’ daughter Simone stood by her dad and gave him a hug as everyone held their glasses for a toast. She told The Times she loved seeing her dad’s campaign signs around the Island.

“I’m so proud of him. I know he’s worked hours and hours and hours,” Simone said. “I’m so proud to say he’s my dad.”

Davis said it had been a long six months, but he is looking forward to January when he can get to work.

In a text message, Piland congratulated Davis and wished him “much success” as the new clerk of courts. He told The Times that it’s a great time to be a Democrat. “Based on the results, it looks like the people have voted across the party line,” he wrote. “It is tough to be an unenrolled candidate during an election cycle like this, with the current climate in our nation.”

Piland did not rule out running for another office: “This has been amazing meeting everyone across the Island, and I have been approached by local people in my town to consider running in Tisbury in the future.”

There were huge turnouts across the Island during Tuesday’s election, with West Tisbury reaching a whopping 75 percent of its voters at the polls. Oak Bluffs had the lowest turnout at 65 percent, but many of the clerks reported a steady flow of voters throughout the day.

In another contested race in Dukes County, political newcomer Keith Chatinover, a recent graduate of Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School who helped organize a bus trip to the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C., won a seat on the Dukes County Commission.

“I am so overwhelmed by the support from the community, and how lucky I am to live in a place that has the courage to send a young person like myself to the county commission,” Chatinover said. “I am so honored by the votes of thousands of county residents, but know that those who did not support my candidacy will be just as much my constituents as those who did, and I intend on serving every single Vineyard and Gosnold resident with vigor.”

Chatinover was one of two non-incumbents to win one of the seven seats, and will be joined by John Cahill as newcomers to the board. Incumbent Robert Zeltzer was ousted.

Tristan Israel, a longtime Tisbury selectman, was re-elected, but in his hometown he received the fewest votes among the eight candidates: “Well, No. 1, I ran unenrolled, and, No. 2, I think we’ve had some divisive issues over the last year that probably impacted the vote in Tisbury.”

Other results on the Island mirrored those off-Island, with Gov. Charlie Baker winning re-election over Democratic challenger Jay Gonzalez, though Gonzalez topped Baker in Aquinnah, Chilmark, and West Tisbury. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren easily won re-election over Republican challenger Geoff Diehl.

State Sen. Julian Cyr was victorious for the Cape and Islands seat over Republican challenger John Flores. “I’m so grateful to the voters of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket for your tremendous support and your ongoing belief in me,” said Senator Cyr in a statement released by his campaign. “It is an honor to represent you, and I am thrilled to return to the state Senate in January. I love this job. I have the opportunity every day to help others and push for meaningful change. Our communities are truly unique, and we have much to do. I look forward to continuing to work together to make Cape Cod and the Islands a better place to live, work, and thrive.”

U.S. Rep. William Keating was returned to Congress after facing a challenge by Republican Peter Tedeschi. Keating said he is ready to get back to work. “I thank everyone on the Island for their support. I am ready to get down to D.C. as part of the new majority in the House, and start fighting to protect our healthcare rights, our economy, and our environment. We’ll be more than a check and balance, we’ll be governing again,” Keating said.

Tedeschi, the Republican challenger, conceded defeat, saying it was time to put partisan bickering aside. “When I committed to get into this race, I wanted to make sure that regardless of the outcome, I wouldn’t have any regrets. This meant conducting myself in a way that would make my wife, family, friends, and supporters proud. Every step of the way, my team strived to keep it honest, positive, and dignified. I will sleep well tonight knowing that we accomplished this,” he said.

Nine people ran unopposed for the nine seats on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. Aquinnah, Chilmark, and West Tisbury elected the full slate of candidates to the regional school committee.

Alisun Armstrong, Brittany Bowker, Brian Dowd, Jenna Lambert, Lucas Thors, and Rich Saltzberg contributed to this report.