Aquinnah voters Wednesday elected Gary Haley to a three-year term as selectman.
In the only contested race in Aquinnah this year, Mr. Haley beat out Macey Dunbar, 128 votes to 29. It is the first elected office for the master electrician who also serves on the town lighthouse advisory board.
Voter turnout was high on a sunny May day in Aquinnah, with about 43 per cent, or 157, of 367 registered voters casting ballots.
A Proposition 2 1/2 debt exclusion for a bond to cover a $450,000 pumper truck for the fire department was also approved, 103 to 40. Spending on the fire truck won unanimous approval at the annual town meeting on Tuesday. Fire chief Simon Bollin said the purchase was necessary because the current truck has fallen into disrepair and the needed parts are no longer in production.
Reached by phone on Thursday morning, Mr. Haley said his first priority in office would be to oversee the purchase. “That’s quite an amount of money to have to put out there, and we have to search to find the right one for the right price,” he said. “The other one we have is in dire straits.”
Among the qualities he believed he would bring to the board are the ability to listen and compromise. “I can listen to everything,” Mr. Haley said. “Give everybody a chance to say what they want to say and we can come to an agreement.”
Voters also agreed with a vote of 132 to 15 to add 2.5 acres to the Moshup Trail Sanctuary, which occupies rare coastal heathlands along the south shore. The new parcel is surrounded on three sides by conservation land.
A question asking whether to allow the town to assess an additional $54,043 for payroll increases for three town departments was moot after the annual budget was amended at the town meeting. The vote was 54 to 88 for the question.
Selectman Julianne Vanderhoop was re-elected to the board of health with 143 votes, making her the top vote-getter of the day.
Also elected without contest were: Faith Vanderhoop, library board of trustees, 140 votes; Elise LeBovit, board of assessors, 70; Jo-Ann Eccher, planning board, 107; Carlos Montoya, planning board, 109; and Michael Hebert, moderator, 132. All but Ms. LeBovit and Faith Vanderhoop were incumbents. Ms. Vanderhoop had previously been appointed to the library board of trustees following a resignation.
Heidi Vanderhoop was elected to a second spot on the library board of trustees with 47 write-in votes. Vernon Welch received 47 write-in votes for the board of assessors seat won by Ms. LeBovit.
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