Tisbury Select Board chair resigns

After months of absences from public meetings, Tisbury Select Board Chair Christina Colarusso resigned from her position on Jan. 28.

“This resignation will now allow the town to move forward in selecting a new member of the Tisbury Select Board,” Joseph LaCivita, Tisbury town administrator, said in a Friday email.

Colarusso has missed meetings since September, and the select board conducted its business without her. LaCivita said select board members Roy Cutrer and John Cahill will continue to serve the town so that there is “business continuity in the day-to-day operations of the board.”

“At this time, we would also like to acknowledge Ms. Colarusso and her contributions to the board and to the Town of Tisbury,” LaCivita’s email reads. 

Colarusso said she resigned to focus on herself and her health. She said it’s been a pleasure to serve the town. 

“I’m proud of the work I’ve done for the residents of Tisbury,” Colarusso said. 

Colarusso was elected to the select board in 2023 and has a long history with Martha’s Vineyard. She was a seasonal resident from 2000 until she moved to the Island full-time in 2012 after earning her bachelor’s degree of science in marine engineering from Massachusetts Maritime Academy and spending five years at sea, working on vessels for Military Sealift Command and Transocean Deepwater Inc. as a third assistant engineer. Colarusso was also a previous facilities manager and the water and wastewater operator at Martha’s Vineyard Airport. Her most recent position was as facilities manager for Avangrid, an owner of the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind project. 

As a board member, Colarusso had also advocated for improvements in how the Steamship Authority operated.

In December, Colarusso was charged for several offenses from an incident the previous month when she illegally entered a Steamship Authority vessel. After a subsequent encounter with Tisbury Police that turned physical in Vineyard Haven, she was taken to the hospital for what the officer cited as mental health issues.