Oak Bluff voters going to the polls for the annual town election on April 11 will notice one prominent official absent: Ewell Hopkins, longtime planning board chair, is not seeking re-election.
Hopkins, who has been an outspoken critic of the artificial turf field proposed for the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, served two terms on the planning board, a total of 10 years.
Hopkins tells The Times that he will focus on being an unapologetic environmentalist with his extra time, which he says is very difficult to do as a member of the planning board.
“If you have a passion around environmental stewardship, you can’t be an effective elected official,” Hopkins said. “An elected official has to represent everyone in the community,” he said, adding that following the decisionmaking process of the board can be a challenge when trying to make effective environmental changes.
Hopkins was first elected to the board in 2014, after he defeated longtime incumbent John Bradford. At the time, Hopkins ran on a platform of revising what he called outdated and conflicting zoning.
Coincidentally, Hopkins leaves his seat with the planning board bringing forward a substantial and controversial zoning reform package to town meeting voters on April 9. Oak Bluffs is zoned almost entirely for residential uses, and the board is asking voters to reconsider decades-old laws to give more space for light industrial and professional services.
“After 10 years, I’m so proud to say this is going to be discussed for the first time,” Hopkins said.
The planning board member may be best known to Islanders for his continued opposition to the turf field planned for the high school. Hopkins voted to reject a special permit for the field in 2022, and then to appeal a decision by a land court judge who had ruled against the planning board in December (the board would ultimately withdraw the appeal, citing other town leaders who opposed the town’s involvement).
Hopkins says that his only regret over the issue is not the votes that he took, but that school committee members — while filing a lawsuit against the planning board — did not argue against the possible environmental concerns of the turf field; their legal filings were more about whether or not the planning board had the legal authority to review the field.
“They challenged and threatened the legitimacy of the planning board,” Hopkins said. “I find that to be the most dangerous assertion over my 10 years.”
Over his decade of service, the planning board member said, his proudest moment may be helping to improve pedestrian access near the Martha’s Vineyard Skatepark, which led to safer access to facilities at the high school and M.V. Community Services. Before bringing new infrastructure, Hopkins said that passengers getting off the bus on Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road had to cross the road twice to get to the area.
“Symbolically, it was a small project. But to me, it shows the kind of thinking we need to do for every project,” he said.
Hopkins said that he will focus on his service as a board member to both the Vineyard Conservation Society and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
“That’s where I can be an unapologetic tree hugger, because that’s who I am,” Hopkins said.
