MassVoter.com← AquinnahMunicipal votes · 2021–2022 Board
Aquinnah Select Board
How the Aquinnah Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 3 Select Board members elected townwide. Tom Murphy joined the board after the May 2021 town election; Jim Newman left. Gary Haley chaired the board. The minutes the town posted for June–December 2021 are copies of other meetings’ minutes, so those meetings are missing here. Covers 7 meetings, January 18 to April 12, 2022.
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
Tom MurphyMember · Elected townwide · at 7 of 7 meetings
Julianne VanderhoopMember · Elected townwide · at 6 of 7 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.
Apr 5Accepted articles as explained by T.AMotion: accepted articles as explained by T.A.Passed · see note
April 5, 2022: Accepted articles as explained by T.A.
Accepted articles as explained by T.A.
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“accepted articles as explained by T.A.”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(accepted articles as explained by T.A.).”
Apr 5Approved sending RFP by CommitteeMotion: Approved sending RFP by CommitteePassed · see note
April 5, 2022: Approved sending RFP by Committee
Approved sending RFP by Committee
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Approved sending RFP by Committee”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
Mar 22Voted to accept Chilmark proposal in conceptMotion: Voted to accept Chilmark proposal in conceptPassed · see note
March 22, 2022: Voted to accept Chilmark proposal in concept
Voted to accept Chilmark proposal in concept
The minutes say the board voted or acted but give no count and no names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“Following discussion the Board voted to accept the principles of the building cost sharing approach to funding a new High School..”
Mar 22Voted to appoint Tom Murphy pending vote at next…Motion: Voted to appoint Tom Murphy pending vote at next meetingPassed · see note
March 22, 2022: Voted to appoint Tom Murphy pending vote at next meeting
Voted to appoint Tom Murphy pending vote at next meeting
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Voted to appoint Tom Murphy pending vote at next meeting”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Voted to appoint Tom Murphy pending vote at next meeting).”
Mar 22Voted to send a letter to Rep. Fernandes requesting…Motion: Voted to send a letter to Rep. Fernandes requesting a public…Passed · see note
March 22, 2022: Voted to send a letter to Rep. Fernandes requesting a public hearing before any legislation that would open the SSA Agreement
Voted to send a letter to Rep. Fernandes requesting a public hearing before any legislation that would open the SSA Agreement
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Voted to send a letter to Rep. Fernandes requesting a public hearing before any legislation that would open the SSA Agreement”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Voted to send a letter to Rep. Fernandes requesting a public hearing before any legislation that would open the SSA Agreement).”
Mar 8Confirmed the following appointments to CPCMotion: Confirmed the following appointments to CPCPassed · see note
March 8, 2022: Confirmed the following appointments to CPC
Confirmed the following appointments to CPC
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Confirmed the following appointments to CPC”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Confirmed the following appointments to CPC).”
Mar 8Voted to sign designer contract w/ ICONMotion: Voted to sign designer contract w/ ICONPassed · see note
March 8, 2022: Voted to sign designer contract w/ ICON
Voted to sign designer contract w/ ICON
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Voted to sign designer contract w/ ICON”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Voted to sign designer contract w/ ICON).”
Mar 8Voted to recommend 30 day extension to commercial scallop…Motion: Voted to recommend 30 day extension to commercial scallop seasonPassed · see note
March 8, 2022: Voted to recommend 30 day extension to commercial scallop season
Voted to recommend 30 day extension to commercial scallop season
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 accepted recommendation to extend scallop season and requested that Town Administrator notify the State..”
Feb 14Postpone discussion on lease of #9 Aquinnah Circle because…Motion: postpone discussion on lease of #9 Aquinnah Circle because many residents…Passed · see note
February 14, 2022: Postpone discussion on lease of #9 Aquinnah Circle because many residents who had privately expressed their desire to be heard on the proposed actions were unable to attend the meeting
Postpone discussion on lease of #9 Aquinnah Circle because many residents who had privately expressed their desire to be heard on the proposed actions were unable to attend the meeting
The minutes say the board voted or acted but give no count and no names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“Julie made a motion to postpone discussion on lease of #9 Aquinnah Circle because many residents who had privately expressed their desire to be heard on the proposed actions were unable to attend the meeting. Ultimately, the Board voted to defer discussion to a meeting to be held on February 22, 2022 at 5:00 p.m..” (Motion: Vanderhoop)
Jan 18Voted to assign the car to the Fire DepartmentMotion: Voted to assign the car to the Fire DepartmentPassed · see note
January 18, 2022: Voted to assign the car to the Fire Department
Voted to assign the car to the Fire Department
The minutes say the board voted or acted but give no count and no names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“Upon recommendation of the Police Chief the 2014 Ford Interceptor that has been replaced by a new police cruiser was voted to be turned over to the Fire Department to replace the 2010 Explorer, currently in use by the Fire Department, that has reached the end of its useful life..”
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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