Tisbury’s select board has appointed U.S. Navy Reserve Lt. Comm. Michael Gately to be their harbormaster as the busy summer approaches.
The board’s Monday vote was unanimous following an interview with Gately.
He will succeed Gary Kovack, who served as Tisbury harbormaster for just under a year before leaving to become Edgartown’s harbormaster.
Gately, a native Vineyarder and current resident, brings extensive maritime and nautical experience. Aside from the Navy, he served as Edgartown’s assistant harbormaster and aboard thousand-foot tankers overseas in the U.S. Merchant Marine. He was also the second finalist for harbormaster positions in Tisbury last year and Edgartown last month.
Gately told the select board Monday that he can start immediately, and will be able to commit his time to the role despite his Navy responsibilities.
When town administrator Joe LaCivita asked Gately for his visions for the department, Gately suggested working with the town on their strategic goals, outlined in last year’s master plan. He also said that the department could benefit from contingency planning, and building relationships with the town library, school, and other groups.
He also highlighted the economic needs of harbor businesses. “I think it’s making sure that the harbor department is well-integrated as a department in the town itself. And that’s fitting in with that strategic plan also [to] provide revenue, provide business to the businesses that you have in town, and provide traffic,” he said.
“There are so many stakeholders who work in the harbor and have a connection to it. And I think that’s the primary goal of the harbormaster, is handling that balancing act,” he added.
Town select board member Christina Colarusso, Gately’s classmate at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, read a speech in his support after the vote.
“I’ve had the privilege of knowing Michael since 2008. From our days running student government to navigating the early stages of our maritime careers, I’ve watched Michael consistently rise to every challenge with intelligence, integrity, and an unwavering sense of calm,” she said.
