MassVoter.com← AquinnahMunicipal votes · 2023–2024 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 became Chair on May 23, 2023. Covers 20 meetings, May 23 to May 7, 2024.
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 17 of 20 meetings
Julianne VanderhoopMember · Elected townwide · at 17 of 20 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 7Accepted the informational report by Kate WarnerMotion: Accepted the informational report by Kate WarnerPassed · see note
May 7, 2024: Accepted the informational report by Kate Warner
Accepted the informational report by Kate Warner
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Accepted the informational report by Kate Warner”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Accepted the informational report by Kate Warner).”
Apr 16Approved request to use the patio areaMotion: Approved request to use the patio areaPassed · see note
April 16, 2024: Approved request to use the patio area
Approved request to use the patio area
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Approved request to use the patio area”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Approved request to use the patio area).”
Apr 16Approved as presentedMotion: Approved as presentedPassed · see note
April 16, 2024: Approved as presented
Approved as presented
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Approved as presented”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
Apr 16Approved one year extension of lease as negotiated by…Motion: Approved one year extension of lease as negotiated by TomPassed · see note
April 16, 2024: Approved one year extension of lease as negotiated by Tom
Approved one year extension of lease as negotiated by Tom
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Approved one year extension of lease as negotiated by Tom”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Approved one year extension of lease as negotiated by Tom).”
Apr 16Authorized Tom to invite grant writer to next meetingMotion: Authorized Tom to invite grant writer to next meetingPassed · see note
April 16, 2024: Authorized Tom to invite grant writer to next meeting
Authorized Tom to invite grant writer to next meeting
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Authorized Tom to invite grant writer to next meeting”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Authorized Tom to invite grant writer to next meeting).”
Mar 26Appointed Guy Berry and Jim PickmanMotion: Appointed Guy Berry and Jim PickmanPassed · see note
March 26, 2024: Appointed Guy Berry and Jim Pickman
Appointed Guy Berry and Jim Pickman
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 suggestion of Bill Lake after brief discussion the Board appointed Guy Berry (as representative of the Condo Association) and Jim Pickman to complete the Lighthouse Committee.”
Mar 26Appointed Kayla Manning DarceyMotion: Appointed Kayla Manning DarceyPassed · see note
March 26, 2024: Appointed Kayla Manning Darcey
Appointed Kayla Manning Darcey
The minutes say the board voted or acted but give no count and no names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“After brief discussion, Board accepted the recommendation of Town Clerk, Gabriella Camilleri, that Assistant Clerk Kayla Darcey be appointed Town Clerk until the next Town Election on Thursday, May 16, 2024..”
Mar 26Voted to allow signage with approval of Highway SupervisorMotion: Voted to allow signage with approval of Highway SupervisorPassed · see note
March 26, 2024: Voted to allow signage with approval of Highway Supervisor
Voted to allow signage with approval of Highway Supervisor
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Voted to allow signage with approval of Highway Supervisor”), with no count or names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“(Voted to allow signage with approval of Highway Supervisor).”
Mar 26Authorized participation in Regional Pooling EffortMotion: Authorized participation in Regional Pooling EffortPassed · see note
March 26, 2024: Authorized participation in Regional Pooling Effort
Authorized participation in Regional Pooling Effort
The minutes say the board voted or acted but give no count and no names, so only the result is shown.
From the minutes
“After short discussion Board voted to sign the Intermunicipal Agreement on Use of Opioid Abatement Funds that was put before them by Martina Thornton..”
Mar 26Accepted proposed set-asideMotion: Accepted proposed set-asidePassed · see note
March 26, 2024: Accepted proposed set-aside
Accepted proposed set-aside
The minutes record this decision only in the item’s heading (“Accepted proposed set-aside”), 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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