Chris Manning elected as next Aquinnah select board member by five votes

More than half of Aquinnah residents turned up to the polls to vote for the next select board member at Thursday’s town election, which turned into a tight race between two candidates. Challenger Chris Manning, an Aquinnah Wampanoag and Tisbury police officer, defeated incumbent Gary Haley, an electrician who had held the seat for three terms. 

Manning secured the seat with 105 votes compared to Haley’s 100. 

Planning board positions, board of health officials, and moderator were also up for a vote, with many Aquinnah residents writing in their preferred candidate. With only 21 mail-in ballots, a low number compared to other years, this year’s election was in-person for the majority of voters. 

Manning, 36, brings years of experience in the town to the select board, both as a resident himself and a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). He currently works as a police officer in Tisbury and is the keeper of the Gay Head Lighthouse. He has also served as town constable and is a veteran from the U.S. Navy. 

Some of the hot button issues for this election circuit were housing, town spending, and tax rates. Aquinnah residents have some of the highest taxes out of every town on the Island, with only Tisbury beating them for first — and some community members have been calling for change, either for better services or lower taxes. 

“We’re the smallest town and have the second highest tax rate on the Island,” Manning said. “It’s my priority to lower the taxes and find more avenues of revenue for the town.”

While Aquinnah is the only Island town to exceed the acceptable amount of affordable housing units according to the state metric referred to as Subsidized Housing Inventory, or SHI, because of their options for tribal housing for those who are of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), residents are still struggling with high costs and low housing supply. 

“There’s a few priorities, I think, that we really need to focus on: definitely housing — it’s a crisis not only for Aquinnah, but for the whole Island,” Manning said. 

Manning is also looking forward to a brighter future regarding the town’s relationship with the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). 

“I think coming in as a tribal member … I kind of have a stake on both sides,” he said. “I have an interest in seeing both the tribe and the town succeed. Working together is definitely attainable.”

The results for the other elected positions in Aquinnah are as follows:

Member of the Moderator: Sarah Thulin won by three votes for a total of 26, over Richard Wagner, who had 23 votes. 

Board of Health Member: Gerald Green with 125 votes. 

Planning Board Member: Isaac Taylor with 80 votes.

Planning Board Associate: Amera Ignacio with 64 votes. 

Library Trustee for 3 year term: Hilary Jewett with 36 votes.

Library Trustee for 2 year term: Jamie Vanderhoop with 19 votes.