Matt Poole: new to the select board, not to Chilmark

Matthew Poole is a familiar face to many in the town of Chilmark. He was born and raised in the up-Island town, and has observed the municipal process and local efforts his entire life. And in the past few months, he has brought his understanding of the community he knows and loves to a different level: as the newest member of the select board. 

Poole — a seventh generation Chilmarker — ran unopposed for the board in April, securing a seat held by three-term incumbent James “Jim” Malkin who decided not to run again.

In a recent interview with the Times, Poole discussed his history as a member of the Island community, his ties that have woven into the fabric of life here, and his outlook on various topics surrounding the up-Island town he now votes on behalf of every other week — sometimes more frequently.

He sat outside at the new coffee shop — Quitsa Kitchen in Vineyard Haven — and pointed out how the place hadn’t caught the attention of the whole Island yet. Like most locals, he was excited that a new business opened that was Islander-run, and joked that he was fighting the urge to gate-keep it to avoid the inevitable lines. 

Now 66 and newly retired, Poole is a generational legacy in municipal work — his father was a Chilmark select board member decades ago, and his mother was on the school committee when he was growing up. 

“There was always public service in my household,” he said. “I know it must’ve had an impact on my thinking and interests.” 

An avid biker, husband, and father, Poole was born and raised on the Island, and chose it as his forever-home decades ago while building an established career in two towns — Edgartown and Chilmark.  

The select board position had intrigued him for a while, and when he retired from his position as Edgartown’s health agent in 2023, a job he held for 26 years, he was looking to broaden his horizons. Poole said he left the day-to-day operations in good hands and an effective system, and he was looking forward to bringing the same energy to his elected position. He also served on the Chilmark health board for years, assisting them when asked and keeping up to date on the town.

“Everything was functioning properly, so I kind of absorbed that, and now I can bring that [expertise] to Chilmark,” Poole said. 

He said his focus for the next few months will be on the Chilmark Community Center, which has been on the receiving end of some negative assessment from residents, including an assessment from February that outlined ways the location was falling short. 

Poole has offered to help create an RFP (Request for Proposal) for the Community Center — a document that outlines project details and scopes in order to find bids for contractor work. He said the process should be open, transparent, and geared towards finding the best possible fit for the project.

“We’re trying to get ourselves to a point where we have good oversight and are running a good program that’s diverse — to have a sense of what’s working and what needs attention,” he said. 

His other focus is housing — both building and approving projects that align with the values of Chilmark residents, as well as ensuring that affordable housing is a priority. He said he’s looking forward to learning more about housing needs for locals, and the exact type of buildings they’re looking to integrate into the community in order to address the goals of the town and residents. 

Menemsha, he said, is also a “hot topic” — not just this year, but annually. It was not set up for the amount of visitors that arrive daily in the summer, and the popularity of the small fishing village comes up often in the form of “little adjustments” along the way. An example of the “adjustments” he referred to came up recently in the form of proposed repairs in Menemsha. 

The town of Chilmark is currently within a comment period for potential improvements to the docks in the up-Island fishing town. They’re accepting public input from residents of the town through a survey online. Part of their efforts are based on an assessment from 2022, and from resident and expert comments in various select board meetings. 

Poole told the Times there’s still a lot he wants to learn about the town, and he said he’s excited to move forward in his new position. And he brought up his deeply rooted community values as a motivator for a role in municipal decisions. 

“I’m traditional but open to change,” he said, as he leaned back in his chair and shielded the sun from his eyes. Local traditions of joining together, staying active, and keeping the character of the town, he said, are important to him.