Oak Bluffs: Annual town election

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—MV Times

Welcome spring with the sunnier days true to the predictions at last. Our family spent Sunday last raking away barrels of leaves and allowing the early daffodils and crocus to stretch toward the sunlight and send out buds of color. Both my house phone and cell have been ringing constantly with news from sheriffs coming to arrest me, money offers for purchase of my house, fake orders from Amazon, and best of all, a wealthy king in a far off country with an offer of marriage, wealth, and precious jewels. Of course they all end with needing all my personal information, including Social Security info, so I must reject them all. So we now must keep ourselves safe from the coronavirus and scammers who attack us by phone and online. We can keep up our defenses against the virus by continuing to safe distance and wear masks. Be kind and helpful, say thank you to all those on the frontlines who risk their lives to keep us safe and healthy.

Flowers are not the only thing rising in town. Our new town hall building is moving right along at last after many delays. I drove by and saw many rafters and the roof, including shingles, is now on. For now the business of the town is now being conducted in temporary trailers across from the new construction.

I am giving you a heads up for an upcoming fundraiser for our P.A. Club in Oak Bluffs. This benevolent organization has been unable to hold many of its events this year due to the coronavirus. They have always provided thousands of dollars worth of scholarships each year and given a helping hand to numerous families throughout the years. So mark your calendar for April 29 for their grab-and-go baked chicken dinner that will be held from 5 to 7 pm. Along with the dinner, there will also be a 50/50 raffle and a scratch ticket tree. If you would like to donate you can send a check to Holy Ghost Association, PO Box 2203, Oak Bluffs 02557.

Sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mary Tucker who died last week just a few days before her 103rd birthday. She was the widow of the late Judge Herbert Tucker Jr. Mary was very active in her church and was much loved by her large family and friends.

Among the beautiful things that the spring season presents for our viewing, there is also the political season where candidates parade their qualifications before us in the hopes that we will choose to vote for them. To aid us in these decisions, the League of Women Voters of Martha’s Vineyard, in conjunction with MVTV, will be conducting a candidate forum via Zoom for the Oak Bluffs candidates for select board on Thursday, April 8, at 7 pm. There are three candidates for one seat: Jason M. Balboni, incumbent; Emma R. M. Green-Beach; and Richard G. Michelson. There are no other contested races in the town. This program will be broadcast live on channel 15 and also available for streaming. Since there is no live audience available due to COVID restrictions, the League is asking voters in Oak Bluffs to submit questions they would like to have asked to dmedders@vineyard.net.

Besides the select board contest, there is also an article that has been submitted on the annual warrant regarding the Oak Bluffs Fire Department that would lessen the power of the town fire chief. The article would ask voters to transform the position of strong chief to a weak chief role. If the article passes, the fire chief would no longer have the authority to hire and fire personnel and to have complete control over discipline. Those responsibilities would transfer to the select board. If you would like to know how the fire department feels about this article, pro or con, get in touch with a department member for their take on it.

Make sure you are registered to vote in the annual town election on April 15. The deadline to register is tomorrow, March 26. The clerk’s office is open until 8 pm that day for registrations. The hours for the town election will be from 10 am to 7 pm at the library meeting room on School Street.

We send birthday smiles to June Manning on March 26, James Rebello and Hannah Gibb on the 27th, Kailyn Hart on the 28th, Garrett Broadley on the 31st,t and Robin Meader, Tyson Araujo, and Sandy Moreis on April 1.

Enjoy your week. Peace.

If you have any Oak Bluffs Town Column suggestions, email Megan Alley, meganislandmegan@comcast.net.