Chilmark Select Board chair Bill Rossi announced during a Tuesday evening meeting that he does not plan to run again for a seat on the board.
“I’m [officially announcing] I’m not going to run for another term on … the select board,” Rossi said, adding he wanted to give people interested in running for the position to take out nomination papers and get elected. “Anyways, it’s official. Have fun.”
Several people attending the meeting thanked Rossi for his time on the board and that they wished he would serve for another term.
“I’m looking to … branch off,” Rossi said.
Rossi was elected to the board in 2012, replacing former select board member Frank Fenner. He is also a real estate agent with Compass and founder of the company’s Martha’s Vineyard team.
According to his bio on the Compass website, Rossi has served on various town bodies and has served on the boards of the Boy’s and Girl’s Club and Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard. Before joining the real estate industry in 2001, Rossi owned and operated a large landscape and construction company on the Island. He would later manage the Chilmark General Store, in which he is still a partner in the business.
“A longtime islander and avid outdoorsman, Bill has enjoyed many hours of gardening, boating, fishing, golfing, and has competed in several triathlons,” the bio reads. “He is a year-round resident of Chilmark, where he lives with his family.”
The nomination papers for the Chilmark town elections become available on Thursday, Jan. 4. According to the town, the last day to submit nomination papers to the Chilmark Board of Registrars is on Wednesday, March 6, at 5 pm and the last day to file nomination papers with the town clerk is on Wednesday, March 20, at 5 pm.
The town election will be held on Wednesday, April 24, from 12 pm to 8 pm.
Thanks Bill, for your decade+ of service.
Thank you for your service and nice to see you are giving good notice for others to get on board. I wish more of our Island officials would not treat these positions as life time appointments. We need new people in all levels of all the boards. And people do not want to run against someone as they seldom win so why bother. Old guards need to step down as most of them only go through the motion and do not lead with fresh ideas.
Old guards need to step down when better guards step up.
This is good news.
It depends on your politics.
Thank you Bill for your service to our town