Fourteen candidates are running for nine seats on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. The Gazette emailed questions to all the candidates asking them about their reasons for running, qualifications, and to speak to the unique mission of the 41-year-old regional planning agency.

Allen Look
Town: West Tisbury
Occupation: Construction consultant

Reason for Running

It’s in my DNA. Three hundred years’ worth that in ways obvious to me have shaped my life and my perspectives, both on and off the Island. Pretty much the entirety of my adult life has been spent in this community: my own family born and raised here, my grandchildren born and being raised here, my own kids both currently engaged beyond measure in service to this community. This Island and its community form the tap root of my family. Martha’s Vineyard’s health, well-being and longevity are conditions synonymous to those of my own family and the families of many beloved friends and neighbors. I would like to once again participate and contribute as I might in service to our community’s health, well-being and longevity.

Qualifications

As to my general qualifications, I have a B.A. from Hampshire College in Amherst, have worked on-Island mostly building various things — docks, boats, cabinets, houses — ran Burt Marine for a few years back in the day, ultimately became professionally involved in construction administration and project management. I have served as an EMT in both Tisbury and West Tisbury, and on the West Tisbury finance committee, as its chairman for the last couple of years of my term. I coached Martha’s Vineyard youth hockey and Martha’s Vineyard youth soccer.

Commission’s Unique Mission

I believe the MVC is an essential component of self-governance in our recognition of and reaction to the responsibilities of stewardship that we all share here as a community. I believe the MVC has a solid history of benefiting its community and that it continues to do so today. I recall that at its outset, the MVC had a strong planning agenda as well as a regulatory one. Insofar as the process to “carefully manage growth” is well served by thoughtful planning, I would like to see the energies of the MVC become a bit more proactive rather than reactive. Specifically, I would like to see the MVC undertake a process of scenario planning using a methodology developed by Royal Dutch Shell that has been proven over decades to yield exceptionally helpful results to a vast variety of organizations and communities.

Available Time Commitment

I imagine it’ll be 20-30 hours a month; however, glib as it may sound, whatever it takes is the answer.