How the Chilmark Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 3 Select Board members elected townwide. Rebecca Haag joined the board after the April 2026 town election; Marie Larsen left. On May 5, 2026 the board chose Jeffrey Maida as Chair, Matthew Poole as Vice Chair and Rebecca Haag as Clerk. Minutes loaded through September 1, 2026. Covers 15 meetings so far, May 5 to September 1, 2026.
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.
How easy Chilmark makes it to see, online, how each member votes. It scores the town’s records, not any official. Checked October 4, 2026.
~Minutes postedMinutes are posted for most, but not all, of the past year’s Select Board meetings.Part points: 1/2
~Each vote namedThe minutes give a tally such as “SO VOTED: 2 Ayes, 1 Nay Jeffrey Maida”, naming the member who voted no or abstained.Part points: 2/3
~Posted quicklyMinutes usually go up within a month or two of the meeting.Part points: 1/2
✓Past years onlineSelect Board minutes from 2017 to today are online.Full points: 1/1
✓Readable textThe minutes are text you can search and copy.Full points: 1/1
✕Member photosThe Select Board page lists members by name, with no photos.No points: 0/1
How the town can raise its score
Minutes posted (+1): Post approved minutes for every meeting on the town website. Don’t require a sign-in to view them.
Each vote named (+1): On any vote that isn’t unanimous, write how each member voted. For example: “Motion passed 3–2. Yes: Smith, Jones, Lee. No: Brown, Silva.” A roll call on split votes is the simplest way to do this.
Posted quickly (+1): Post minutes within 30 days. If approval takes longer, post a draft marked “Draft – not yet approved” and replace it later.
Member photos (+1): Show a photo of each member on the board’s web page, with their name, the date their term ends and how to contact them. A group photo of the members, with everyone named in the caption or on the same page, earns half a point.
In Chilmark, 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.
Special Town Meeting · June 29, 2026 1 votes: 1 passed
Art. 1Appropriate $200,000 more for the FY2026 Reserve Fund ($100,000 available funds, $100,000 from June 2020 ATM Article 9)Passed“Article 1 carried unanimously.”
Art. 25AAmend zoning to allow Protected Use ADUs by right and remove guest house and accessory apartment sections (size amended to 900 sq ft)Passed as amended“amended, is passed, not unanimously.”
Special Town Meeting · July 15, 2024 1 votes: 1 passed as amended
Art. 1Transfer $403,831.63 from General Stabilization for listed items (reserve fund, computers, vehicles, repairs); Menemsha Beach item struckPassed as amended“Article 1, as amended, carried unanimously.”
Special Town Meeting · January 22, 2024 1 votes: 1 passed as amended
Art. 1Authorize a lease of up to 30 years of town land behind Chilmark School for a preschool; area amended from 3,000 to 4,500 sq ftPassed as amended“Article 1 is carried unanimously, as amended.”
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).
"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.
Attendance
39 full-board meetings so far this year, through September 1. Ties share a rank.
From the official minutes: full-board meetings only (committee meetings are not counted). Members are counted only for meetings held while they served, and arriving late counts as attending. The minutes rarely say why a member was absent.
A monthly email on its votes and who was there, starting in November.
Meetings
About missing minutes
Loaded: Select Board (Board of Selectmen until 2021) minutes from January 5, 2021 through September 1, 2026, as posted on the town website. Older minutes back to 2017 are online but not loaded yet. Executive session minutes are not included. The minutes give the mover, the seconder and a tally such as “SO VOTED: 3 Ayes” or “SO VOTED: 2 Ayes, 1 Nay Jeffrey Maida”, naming any member who voted no or abstained. With three members, each member’s vote can be shown on nearly every motion. Votes taken by other boards at joint meetings (Finance Committee, Planning Board, Park & Recreation) are not listed. Where the tally does not match the members present, only the count is shown. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.
Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
Sep 1Include the amended / additional language to the Housing…Motion: include the amended / additional language to the Housing Production PlanPassed 2–1 · No: Maida
September 1, 2026: Include the amended / additional language to the Housing Production Plan
ApprovePassed · 2–1
Include the amended / additional language to the Housing Production Plan
Yes: Haag, PooleNo: Maida
From the minutes
“Ms. Haag moved to include the amended / additional language to the Housing Production Plan. Mr. Poole seconded the motion. SO VOTED: 2 Ayes, 1 Nay Chairperson Maida Community Preservation Committee - request to schedule annual.” (Motion: Haag, second: Poole)
“Mr. Poole moved to approve. Ms. Haag seconded the motion. SO VOTED: 2 Ayes, 1 Abstain Ms. Haag was not at this meeting Draft minutes from joint meeting held May 26..” (Motion: Poole, second: Haag)
“Mr. Poole moved to approve. Ms. Haag seconded the motion. SO VOTED: 2 Ayes, 1 Abstain Ms. Haag was not select board member at time of these meetings. Dukes County Sh.” (Motion: Poole, second: Haag)
Jun 2Appoint the beach staff as presentedMotion: appoint the beach staff as presentedPassed 2–0 · Abstained: Poole
June 2, 2026: Appoint the beach staff as presented
AppointPassed · 2–0
Appoint the beach staff as presented
Yes: Haag, MaidaAbstained: Poole
From the minutes
“Ms. Haag moved to appoint the beach staff as presented. Chairperson Maida seconded. SO VOTED: 2 Ayes, 1 Abstain Matt Poole nephew is on list. 8 Community Center Summer Program Agreement – CTA.” (Motion: Haag, second: Maida)
May 5Approve the budget hearing minutes for meetings 1-5Motion: approve the budget hearing minutes for meetings 1-5Passed 2–0 · Abstained: Haag
May 5, 2026: Approve the budget hearing minutes for meetings 1-5
Approve minutesPassed · 2–0
Approve the budget hearing minutes for meetings 1-5
Yes: Maida, PooleAbstained: Haag
From the minutes
“Mr. Poole moved to approve the budget hearing minutes for meetings 1-5. Chairperson Maida seconded the motion. SO VOTED: 2 Ayes 1 Abstain Haag Mr. Poole moved to approve minutes from select board meeting held 4/8/26..” (Motion: Poole, second: Maida)
From the Chilmark 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. Member photos from The Martha’s Vineyard Times: Jeffrey Maida (April 2024 election story), Matthew Poole (June 2025 profile, photo by Sarah Shaw Dawson), Rebecca Haag (April 2026 candidate forum, photo by Nicholas Vukota). Former members show initials.