The candidates forum, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Martha’s Vineyard, gave candidates in town a chance to introduce themselves. Most residents attended in anticipation of getting to know the select board candidates, ask them questions, and hear their ideas head-to-head, but one candidate couldn’t attend in-person.
Rebecca Haag, who is on the town ballot for the select board, introduced herself at the meeting and answered questions from residents, while a prepared statement from write-in candidate Katherine Carroll, was read aloud by town resident Alicia Knight. Carroll was unable to attend due to an off-Island family obligation.
“Chilmark doesn’t change easily and that’s exactly what I love about it. But loving a place means showing up for it — which is why I am asking for your write-in vote for Select Board,” Carroll’s statement reads.
Some residents expressed disappointment at Carroll’s absence, sharing that they prepared some questions for her.
Edward Miller, a Chilmark resident, said he wanted to ask Carroll about how she would navigate conflict of interest regulations considering that her husband, Marshall Carroll, is on the town’s finance committee and her brother-in-law, Tim Carroll, is the town administrator.
“In a small town, you often find that there are these types of overlaps, and I am really good at compartmentalizing and not seeing Marshall as my husband and Tim as my brother-in-law at the table,” Carroll told The Times. “We have worked well together over 30 years, and I feel like it wouldn’t have an impact on how I treat the well being of the town of Chilmark.”
At the forum, Haag, who has lived on Island full-time for 11 years, said she wants to run for the select board because she “gets things done.”
“We can get housing done, we can get telephone access for people — I think that’s a public safety issue — we have a tick problem, we have a problem with the water quality in our town, and I think the role of the select board should be to work with various groups around town to find solutions to those problems,” said Haag.
She described herself as innovative and focused on consensus-building, “bringing people together from the inside and the outside.” The crowd laughed as many residents viewed the packed meeting from outside window panes, hallways, and doorways.
Haag, former executive director of the Island Grown Initiative and current chair of the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Board, highlighted that she has no conflicts of interest, “so I can serve you all in a very balanced way.”
On housing, Haag recalled when voters approved the Peaked Hill Pastures project four years ago at the annual town meeting but said that progress has slowed. She also pointed to her experience building six housing units on her own farm.
“There are people on the Island that we can work with, and that’s what I do,” said Haag. “I’m about bringing coalitions together. I have a track record of getting things done, and Peaked Hill needs to get done.”
In response to questions from residents, Haag also voiced support for local farmers, championed the Island Grown Initiative’s efforts in schools to teach children about growing food, and honored Chilmark’s tradition of being a dry town. Haag also highlighted that as chair of the hospital board, she has advocated for issues that Chilmark faces, such as tick-borne diseases.
Haag announced that the hospital recently purchased the building next to Conroy & Co. Real Estate, and plan to turn it into a local clinic, with two ophthalmologists and one audiologist
”We want to have a tick clinic there this summer so that if people get tick bites, as opposed to having to drive all the way to the hospital, we actually have something right there where they can come see a nurse practitioner immediately.”
Carroll, who is chair of the Chilmark Board of Health, assistant to the fire chief, president of the Menemsha Texaco, and longtime member of the town’s historical commission, said she wants to empower existing volunteers rather than impose top-down direction.
Carroll described the town in her statement as at a “pivotal crossroads” that needs to balance maintaining tradition and meeting modern demands.
“You are correct, I didn’t pull nomination papers during the standard filing period … I wasn’t planning to run,” said Carroll in her statement. “But after conversations with many of you, I realized that sitting on the sidelines wasn’t really an option.”
Carroll also highlighted her involvement in developing PFAS testing programs and organizing the attention of town leadership to issues like tick-borne diseases, climate change, pond health, and other environmental concerns.
She also said that her positions on the board of health and the historical commission gave her a thoughtful approach to preserving Chilmark’s character.
“This isn’t about being ‘anti-progress;’ it’s about taking a breath to ensure our infrastructure can support the current pace and the changes we choose to make align with our vision. We need to prioritize integrity and grow at a pace that allows us to retain our town’s unique character, not whittle it away,” said Carroll.
“I also believe we cannot call ourselves a complete community if our young families can’t afford to stay. Housing efforts like Peaked Hill Pastures matter,” she said in her statement.
In an interview with The Times, Carroll said regardless of the outcome of the election, seeing community members support her candidacy already feels like a victory.
“No matter how this goes I have already won in the sense that there has already been a pouring of community spirit and cheer,” Carroll told The Times. “That’s why I decided to accept the write-in nomination.”
Carroll, who had been asked to run in previous years but declined, said the outpouring of enthusiasm from Chilmark residents convinced her to step forward. She pledged to continue her work in the health, emergency preparedness, and community initiative fields no matter the results.
Additionally, voters will also decide on a number of uncontested races, including seats on the board of assessors, board of health, planning board, cemetery commission, and the trustees of the public library. Ballot questions include proposals for additional funding for up-Island schools, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, one additional full-time EMT, and funding to increase hours of operation for the Chilmark Free Public Library. Question 5, 6, and 7 ask voters whether the town should allow or pursue macro cellular telephone towers to improve coverage and service.
The town election is scheduled for April 29, and Haag and Carroll are competing to fill the select board seat currently held by Marie Larsen, who is not seeking re-election. Polls will open at noon on Thursday at the Chilmark Community Center and close at 8 p.m.