On the recommendation of town clerk Hilary Conklin and town administrator Jay Grande, Tisbury’s select board approved a special election for Jan. 24. The election will be to fill the select board seat vacated by Larry Gomez.
Gomez resigned from the board effective Oct 1. He told The Times in late September his resignation came as a result of suffering a stroke.
Conklin told the board at their meeting on Wednesday that nomination papers would be available Thursday and will be due back no later than Dec. 6. Grande noted the term for whoever fills the vacancy — filling out the remainder of Gomez’s term — will be less than four months. He said he spoke to select board members John Cahill and Roy Cutrer individually about filling the vacancy. Conklin said the annual election, which is expected May 9, will see the seat up for grabs again. In response to a question by Cahill, Grande advised against not filling the seat.
“You’re running with a two member board,” Grande said. Without specifying what they were, Grande said there were big decisions ahead that should be addressed by a three-member board. He also said it would be helpful to have three select board members for the annual town meeting, which is typically in April. Cahill asked if a select board member could be appointed for the gap period ahead of the annual town election. Conklin said that wasn’t permissible. Cutrer, who has become chair, said it sounded like a special election to fill the seat was the best option for the town.
