Incumbent Emma Green-Beach was re-elected to the Oak Bluffs select board Thursday night, and will be joined by first-timer K. Mark Leonard.
Green-Beach and Leonard earned 555 and 416 votes respectively, according to the town clerk’s final tallies.
Other candidates William F. Cleary III and Kris Chvatal gained 300 and 286 votes, respectively.
“[I’m] very excited,” said Leonard of his election, just after preliminary results were announced. “I’m thankful to the Oak Bluffs voters who came out and had faith in me. And now the real hard work starts, so I’m looking forward to that.”
“I’m honored to serve another three years,” Green-Beach said after the voting. “I really enjoyed my first term, and I’ve learned so much. And I’m looking forward to another three years of working with this board and with the staff at town hall.”
Oak Bluffs voters also passed all five questions on their ballot. They include whether the town will replace all references to “Columbus Day” with “Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” and four debt exemption questions, for funding wastewater plant improvements, the Oak Bluffs Elementary School boiler, replacing a Fire/EMS ambulance and Fire Department attack pumper, and rehabilitating the harbor jetties.
For a one-year planning board position in Oak Bluffs, write-in candidate William J. Davies won with 80 votes.
For the school committee, write-in Laurel Schneider won with 88 votes.
For the tree warden position, Richard D. Combra Jr. defeated Jonathan T. Hunt, 464–301.
In Edgartown and West Tisbury, officials were also re-elected to select boards, and multiple ballot questions were decided. On Thursday in Edgartown, Arthur J. Smadbeck was re-elected, and Jeffrey (“Skipper”) Manter was re-elected in West Tisbury.
In Edgartown on Thursday, Arthur J. Smadbeck secured his re-election to the select board with 447 votes.
In the town planning board race, Michael Shallet and Julia Livingston were elected, and Sarah N. Murphy and R. Kristin Finley Brown won spots on the school committee.Andrew Kelly has also been re-elected as parks commissioner, defeating Michael D. Magaraci, 383–78.
In West Tisbury, preliminary results show that Skipper Manter has secured his re-election to the select board with 335 votes.
As voting closed in Oak Bluffs at 7 pm, candidate Leonard had been outside since 7:30 that morning, and Green-Beach since 9:15.
“It’s a long day and it’s cold, but in general it’s fun,” said Green-Beach of the day-of campaigning. ‘We were speaking with the other candidates and with voters coming by, and passing the time and learning about each other.”
They should have a runoff of top two. 542 for. 1000 against. You should have to get 50% to win. This is how establishment holds power. Not saying in this case. But splitting the vote is an old trick. FREE KAREN READ1
Should that be case in all elections?
Even Governors’ elections?
In states with four active parities?
Comments are closed.