With heavy voter turnout in Chilmark and the final count of votes in just before midnight, Rebecca Haag was confirmed as the select board member for the next three years, with just over 60 percent of the total vote, beating the write-in candidate Katherine Carroll.
From noon to night on Wednesday, just under 600 Islanders strode into the Chilmark Community Center to cast their votes, waving at the rival select board candidates holding campaign signs as voters drove to the polls at the Chilmark Community Center. Some of the more eagerly awaited ballot questions were all passed by voters, including budget overrides and changes to repeal a ban on commercial cell towers that were instituted over decades ago. These included allowing cell towers to be built.
Cellular coverage has been a talking point of the Chilmark select board for the past year. The prospect has created a unique dilemma: building cell towers has been banned and changing the character of the town is usually avoided, but the difficulty in finding service has become a public safety concern for residents, according to first responders. The ballot questions on Wednesday approved by voters would permit traditional cell towers within Chilmark and allow the town to install and lease out two macro cell towers. It also allows for an additional cell site to be installed at Peaked Hill, where a cell tower utilized exclusively by first responders already exists.
But the highlight of the night was the election of the next select board member in town.
“I want to thank my supporters and the voters of Chilmark for their trust in me. I hope to represent all of Chilmark and I encourage residents to engage me and the full board on issues they care deeply about. I want to tip my hat to Katie and I look forward to working with her,” Haag said in a statement to The Times. “I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work.”
A last minute write-in campaign for a select board seat by generational Chilmark resident Carroll was matched with enthusiasm by townspeople, with 232 of them showing their support for her at the polls. Haag, however, won decisively with a total of 357 resident ballots. 12 townspeople left the question blank.
Haag is not a stranger to the Island or the unique issues townspeople face. She has been a full-time Chilmark resident for 10 years, and has lived on the Island for over 35. Haag held the executive director position at Island Grown Initiative from 2016 to 2024, when she retired and set her sights on volunteer work. She is the chair of the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Board, volunteers for Healthy Aging Martha’s Vineyard, and drives local seniors to medical appointments and grocery stores.
“As someone who wanders through Menemsha in January, swims at Lucy Vincent Beach, and walks the many beautiful trails, I feel an obligation to give back to the community,” Haag wrote of her decision to run for town office in a letter to the town.
A budget override of nearly $368,000 was initially approved by voters at the Chilmark town meeting on Monday night to raise the property tax levy over the 2 ½ percent limit in place by the state, referred to as Proposition 2 ½. In order to get approved, the question must be voted on at the town meeting and election. Residents across all Island towns voted on overrides this year, many due to rising education and operational costs.
Chilmark residents were asked to approve $252,210 for operating costs of the Up Island Regional Schools, $48,283 for the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High school, $43,427 for an additional EMT on staff, and $24,044 for additional hours at the Chilmark Free Public Library.
Three of the ballot questions before voters were regarding unreliable cell service and ways to address it. Although the questions regarding cell towers were on the warrant for town meetings, the article was postponed for voters to decide on their ballots instead.
The select board members rejected a proposal by Verizon to boost connectivity this January over concerns that it would presume preference for one carrier over another. Verizon filed a federal lawsuit to the town over the rejection in an attempt to overturn their decision.
But the cell service saga may be coming to a close. After voting yes on all of the ballot questions, Chilmark residents could see better coverage soon.
Other candidates:
- Board of Assessors: Elizabeth Barrett Oliver
- Board of Health: Drew Belsky
- Trustee of the Public Library: Kaila Allen-Posin
- Finance Advisory Committee: Marshall E. Carroll III and Deborah Hancock
- Planning Board: Peter Cook, Mitchell Posin, and Hugh Weisman
- Cemetery Commissioner: Mary E. Grady
- Tree Warden and Surveyor of Wood, Lumber, and Bark: Aaron Brown
- Fence Viewer: Keith Emin