MassVoter.com← AquinnahMunicipal votes · 2020–2021 Board
Aquinnah Select Board
How the Aquinnah Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 3 Select Board members elected townwide. Minutes are loaded from January 5, 2021. Jim Newman chaired the board. Covers 8 meetings, January 5 to May 11, 2021.
A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.
What does the Select Board do? It is the town’s executive board. It prepares the Town Meeting warrant (the list of articles voters decide), appoints members of many town boards, hires the town’s top staff, signs warrants to pay town bills, and grants licenses and permits.
Town Meeting, not the Select Board, votes the town budget and town bylaws.
Sources: Massachusetts Select Board Handbook (MMA) · Mass. Division of Local Services: the town budgetYour Aquinnah ballot: 13 quizzes, about a minute each.
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Coming up
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What Town Meeting decided
In Aquinnah, Town Meeting — not the Select Board — votes the town budget, bylaws and zoning. Here is what it did with each article, in the Town Clerk’s own words. Any registered voter can take part, and most votes are by voice or show of hands, so there is no list of who voted which way.
Annual Town Meeting · May 14, 2024 18 votes: 17 passed, 1 passed as amended
- Art. 3 Raise and appropriate the FY2025 operating budget and set salaries of elected officers and employees Passed “PASS: YES · TOTAL 66 – 57 YES, 6 NO, 3 ABSTENTIONS”
- Art. 4 Rescind earlier votes on Parcel 59 (Map 5) and declare it available for disposal; direct Select Board to dispose of the land Passed “PASS: YES · TOTAL 69 – 49 YES, 17 NO, 3 ABSTENTIONS”
- Art. 5 Exempt town land at Map 6, Parcels 25.1 and 25.2 from town zoning (amended to refer to Planning Board, non-binding) Passed as amended “PASS: YES · TOTAL 71 – 60 YES, 9 NO, 2 ABSTENTIONS”
- Art. 6 Take $5,500 from available funds to pay unpaid contract obligations to Atlantic Construction Passed “PASS: YES · Total 69 – 62 YES, 6 NO, 1 ABSTENTION”
- Art. 7 Take $250,000 from available funds for repairs to town hall, fire station and Aquinnah Circle comfort station Passed “PASS: YES · Total 70 – 66 YES, 3 NO, 1 ABSTENTION”
- Art. 8 Appropriate $39,411.27 in FY2025 Chapter 90 state aid for highway work Passed “PASS: YES · Total 65 – 64 Yes, 0 No, 1 Abstention”
- Art. 9 Authorize cancelling outstanding taxes on land owned by the Gay Head Baptist Church Passed “PASS: YES · Total 68 – 59 Yes, 7 No, 2 Abstentions”
- Art. 10 Amend the Island Housing Trust ground lease at Carl Widdiss Way to add an easement for accessible parking Passed “PASS: YES · Total 70 – 61 Yes, 5 No, 4 Abstenstions”
- Art. 11 Transfer $50,000 from available funds to the OPEB Stabilization Fund Passed “PASS: YES · Total 72 – 60 Yes, 7 No, 5 Abstentions”
- Art. 12 Raise and appropriate $5,000 for MVC transportation engineering services in FY2025 Passed “PASS: YES · Total 49 – 41 Yes, 6 No, 2 Abstentions”
- Art. 13 Take $2,400 from available funds for FY22 and FY23 unpaid wages due the Fire Chief Passed “PASS: YES · Total 70 – 63 Yes, 6 No, 1 Abstention”
- Art. 14 Transfer $50,000 from the Waterways Fund to dredge the West Basin Harbor entrance Passed “PASS: YES · Total 69 – 68 Yes, 1 No”
- Art. 15 Accept G.L. c. 44, s. 55C to create an Aquinnah Affordable Housing Trust Fund Passed “PASS: YES · Total 70 – 58 Yes, 9 No, 3 Abstentions”
- Art. 16 Establish the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and its board, and add the trust bylaw to the General Bylaws Passed “PASS: YES · Total 51 – 42 Yes, 5 No, 4 Abstentions”
- Art. 17 Reserve FY2025 Community Preservation revenues ($280,000 projected) among CPA reserves and admin costs Passed “PASS: YES · Total 50 – 47 Yes, 2 No, 1 Abstention”
- Art. 18 Appropriate $227,400 in CPA housing funds (Island Autism Group, rental assistance, IHT projects, Carl Widdiss Way apartments) Passed “PASS: YES · Total 57 – 51 Yes, 5 No, 1 Abstention”
- Art. 19 Appropriate $85,000 in CPA historic funds: ACC archives $35,000, Grange Hall $10,000, Gay Head Light lantern room $40,000 Passed “PASS: Yes · Total 52 – 49 Yes, 2 No, 1 Abstention”
- Art. 20 Appropriate CPA open space funds: $125,000 Town Center playground and courts, $55,500 Aquinnah Circle mortgage costs Passed “PASS: YES · Total 60 – 53 Yes, 5 No, 2 Abstentions”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes of the May 14, 2024 Annual Town Meeting.
Not here yet: the May 2025 and May 2026 Annual Town Meetings and any Special Town Meetings held since January 2024 (the town posts minutes only for the May 14, 2024 Annual Town Meeting, and its 2024 and 2025 Annual Town Reports print only the warrants, not the results).
Titles are short descriptions of each article from the official record; the quoted words are the Town Clerk’s. A vote at Town Meeting is not the final word on everything: some articles also need a ballot vote (such as a tax override) or the Attorney General’s approval (bylaws).
Members
Gary HaleyMember · Elected townwide · at 7 of 8 meetings
Julianne VanderhoopMember · Elected townwide · at 7 of 8 meetings"At X of Y meetings" counts the members the minutes list as present at the start of each meeting in this record. Members who step out are listed on each meeting page.
Meetings
About missing minutes
Loaded: Select Board minutes from January 5, 2021 through June 2, 2026, from the town website (the town had not posted anything newer as of October 4, 2026). Executive session minutes are not included. Aquinnah’s minutes are written as a story of each item rather than a formal vote list. When they give a count such as “3 in favor, 0 opposed” or say a motion passed “unanimously”, every member present is shown voting yes, and members who abstained are shown by name. Many decisions are recorded only as “the Board voted to…” or in the item’s heading, with no count or names; those show the result only. Several files the town posted under June–December 2021 dates are copies of other meetings’ minutes, so those meetings are missing. We will ask the town about these.
Votes where members disagreed
Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
May 4Voted to Assess Rent at the CliffsMotion: Voted to Assess Rent at the CliffsPassed 2–0 · see note
May 4, 2021: Voted to Assess Rent at the Cliffs
Voted to Assess Rent at the Cliffs
Yes: Haley, NewmanThe minutes say the motion carried with Julianne Vanderhoop abstaining; with three members, that means the others voted yes.
From the minutes
“He moved and Gary seconded a motion for the Town to charge the same rent as 2019. The motion carried with Juli abstaining..” (second: Haley)
Apr 23Appointed Chris Manning Special Police OfficerMotion: Appointed Chris Manning Special Police OfficerPassed · see note
April 23, 2021: Appointed Chris Manning Special Police Officer
Appointed Chris Manning Special Police Officer
The minutes say the board voted or acted but give no count and no names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“At the request of Chief Belain the Board voted to appoint Chris Manning a Special Police Officer effective Tuesday, April 20, 2021..”
Apr 23Voted to assent to waiver of conflict of interest…Motion: Voted to assent to waiver of conflict of interest related to…Passed · see note
April 23, 2021: Voted to assent to waiver of conflict of interest related to 23 Oxcart Road
Voted to assent to waiver of conflict of interest related to 23 Oxcart Road
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Voted to assent to waiver of conflict of interest related to 23 Oxcart Road”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Voted to assent to waiver of conflict of interest related to 23 Oxcart Road).”
Apr 9Approved article in ATM to lease Police CruiserMotion: Approved article in ATM to lease Police CruiserPassed · see note
April 9, 2021: Approved article in ATM to lease Police Cruiser
Approved article in ATM to lease Police Cruiser
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Approved article in ATM to lease Police Cruiser”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Approved article in ATM to lease Police Cruiser).”
Apr 9Approve the warrant as renumbered, Gary Seconded the motionMotion: approve the warrant as renumbered, Gary Seconded the motionPassed · see note
April 9, 2021: Approve the warrant as renumbered, Gary Seconded the motion
Approve the warrant as renumbered, Gary Seconded the motion
The minutes say the board voted or acted but give no count and no names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“Juli made a motion to approve the warrant as renumbered, Gary Seconded the motion. There was no further discussion and the Board voted to approve the motion..”
Apr 9Approved lease for new cruiserMotion: Approved lease for new cruiserPassed · see note
April 9, 2021: Approved lease for new cruiser
Approved lease for new cruiser
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Approved lease for new cruiser”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
Apr 9Set date for discussion with leasseesMotion: Set date for discussion with leasseesPassed · see note
April 9, 2021: Set date for discussion with leassees
Set date for discussion with leassees
The minutes say the board voted or acted but give no count and no names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“Board voted to meet by Zoom video conference with the Leassees of lots at the channel on Tuesday April 20 at 5:30 p.m..”
Mar 2Appointed Julie Vanderhoop as Aquinnah RepresentativeMotion: Appointed Julie Vanderhoop as Aquinnah RepresentativePassed · see note
March 2, 2021: Appointed Julie Vanderhoop as Aquinnah Representative
Appointed Julie Vanderhoop as Aquinnah Representative
The minutes say the board voted or acted but give no count and no names, so only the result is shown.
Mar 2Voted to send a letter to TribeMotion: Voted to send a letter to TribePassed · see note
March 2, 2021: Voted to send a letter to Tribe
Voted to send a letter to Tribe
The minutes say the board voted or acted but give no count and no names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“Board voted to instruct Town Administrator to write such a letter..”
Feb 9Set up meeting with Select BoardMotion: Set up meeting with Select BoardPassed · see note
February 9, 2021: Set up meeting with Select Board
Set up meeting with Select Board
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Set up meeting with Select Board”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the Aquinnah Select Board’s official minutes, posted on the town website. We check every vote against the members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos: Christopher Manning (Sarah Shaw Dawson) and Tom Murphy (Nikeya Tankard), The Martha’s Vineyard Times; Julianne Vanderhoop (Amber Bettencourt, The Martha’s Vineyard Times, 2017); Gary Haley (Ray Ewing, Vineyard Gazette).
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