MassVoter.com← AquinnahMunicipal votes · 2022–2023 Board
Aquinnah Select Board
How the Aquinnah Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 3 Select Board members elected townwide. Julianne Vanderhoop became Chair and Tom Murphy Vice Chair on May 24, 2022. Covers 21 meetings, May 24 to April 11, 2023.
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
ChairJulianne VanderhoopChair · Elected townwide · at 20 of 21 meetings
Vice-ChairTom MurphyVice-Chair · Elected townwide · at 21 of 21 meetings
Gary HaleyMember · Elected townwide · at 20 of 21 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 11Authorized cutting trees to preserve viewMotion: Authorized cutting trees to preserve viewPassed · see note
April 11, 2023: Authorized cutting trees to preserve view
Authorized cutting trees to preserve view
The minutes say the board voted or acted but give no count and no names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“Despite Town Counsel’s written opinion that included the on-point legal case on which current law is based, limiting uses of deeded property to “plain meaning of language in the deed [as written],” the Select Board voted to allow for the clearing..”
Apr 11Appointed Sibel Suman to Board of AppealsMotion: Appointed Sibel Suman to Board of AppealsPassed · see note
April 11, 2023: Appointed Sibel Suman to Board of Appeals
Appointed Sibel Suman to Board of Appeals
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Appointed Sibel Suman to Board of Appeals”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Appointed Sibel Suman to Board of Appeals).”
Apr 11Authorized and signed warrant as presentedMotion: Authorized and signed warrant as presentedPassed · see note
April 11, 2023: Authorized and signed warrant as presented
Authorized and signed warrant as presented
The minutes say the board voted or acted but give no count and no names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“All proposed articles, including stretch code addition to town by-laws as proposed by Bill Lake and Community Preservation articles as proposed by CPC Committee through Derrill Bazzy, were approved as presented..”
Mar 21Agreed to include “opt-in” article at ATMMotion: Agreed to include “opt-in” article at ATMPassed · see note
March 21, 2023: Agreed to include “opt-in” article at ATM
Agreed to include “opt-in” article at ATM
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 include requested articles in ATM warrant..”
Mar 21Accepted resignation of Jim Vercruysse, with regretMotion: Accepted resignation of Jim Vercruysse, with regretPassed · see note
March 21, 2023: Accepted resignation of Jim Vercruysse, with regret
Accepted resignation of Jim Vercruysse, with regret
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Accepted resignation of Jim Vercruysse, with regret”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Accepted resignation of Jim Vercruysse, with regret).”
Mar 7Agreed to take necessary steps to increase short-term rental…Motion: Agreed to take necessary steps to increase short-term rental fee to…Passed · see note
March 7, 2023: Agreed to take necessary steps to increase short-term rental fee to 6% and provide Town employees with administrative leave to attend housing demonstration on March 22, 2023
Agreed to take necessary steps to increase short-term rental fee to 6% and provide Town employees with administrative leave to attend housing demonstration on March 22, 2023
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 put article on ATM warrant that would increase the local short term rental tax to sis (6%)..”
Mar 7Authorized Town Administrator to facilitate communicationMotion: Authorized Town Administrator to facilitate communicationPassed · see note
March 7, 2023: Authorized Town Administrator to facilitate communication
Authorized Town Administrator to facilitate communication
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Authorized Town Administrator to facilitate communication”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Authorized Town Administrator to facilitate communication).”
Mar 7Accepted donationMotion: Accepted donationPassed · see note
March 7, 2023: Accepted donation
Accepted donation
The minutes say the board voted or acted but give no count and no names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“The Board voted to accept the donation and write a letter of thanks to the donor..”
Mar 7Signed necessary forms required for ReportingMotion: Signed necessary forms required for ReportingPassed · see note
March 7, 2023: Signed necessary forms required for Reporting
Signed necessary forms required for Reporting
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Signed necessary forms required for Reporting”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Signed necessary forms required for Reporting).”
Feb 7Accepted Vern Welch proposal to reinforce shackMotion: accepted Vern Welch proposal to reinforce shackPassed · see note
February 7, 2023: Accepted Vern Welch proposal to reinforce shack
Accepted Vern Welch proposal to reinforce shack
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 and approved his suggested repair..”
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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