An Oak Bluffs attorney easily won the Democratic nomination for Dukes County clerk of courts in the state primary Tuesday, prevailing over his opponent by more than 1,450 votes.
T. George Davis beat Charles Morano, a former Cape and Islands district attorney who lives in Edgartown, 2,751 to 1,268, according to results supplied to the Gazette by each of the seven towns that make up Dukes County. Mr. Davis won every town in the county including Gosnold.
He will now appear on the ballot in November for the seat being vacated by longtime court clerk Joseph E. Sollitto Jr., who is retiring after 42 years on the job.
“I’m truly gratified,” Mr. Davis told the Gazette by phone late Tuesday after the last votes were counted up Island. “I’m looking forward to the general election in November.”
Mr. Davis will face a challenge in November from Anthony Piland, a physician assistant who works at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and lives in Vineyard Haven. Mr. Piland will appear on the ballot as an unenrolled candidate.
In the other closely-watched primary race, acting register of probate Daphne Devries prevailed over her opponent Gail Barmakian, also by a wide margin.
The final count was 2,211 to 1,637.
Ms. Devries took three of the seven towns. Ms. Barmakian won by a single vote in Gosnold, prevailed in Aquinnah 62-47, and in Chilmark, 148-146 In Ms. Barmakian’s home town of Oak Bluffs, where she is a selectman, the two candidates tied with 503 votes apiece.
“I’m happy. I’m relieved and I’m exhausted,” Ms. Devries told the Gazette this week. “I feel blessed to be part of this community. I was impressed with the respectfulness of the all of the candidates. I wish Gail the best of luck and I just look forward to getting back to work in the office.”
Fueled by interest in the two local races, turnout was steady throughout the day for the primary on the day after Labor Day. On a hot, summery day candidates and their backers were in evidence at the polls in every town.
Six candidates for Dukes County Commission, including two write-in candidates, advanced to the November general election. Incumbent commissioner John Alley was the top vote getter Islandwide with 2,404 votes, followed by fellow incumbents Christine Todd, 2,286, Gretchen Underwood, 2,213, and Leon Braithwaite, 1,996. Keith Chatinover received 308 write-in votes and John Cahill received 59, safely over the 25 needed to qualify for the November ballot.
Mr. Chatinover, an 18-year-old Edgartown resident who graduated from the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School in June, launched his write-in campaign at the last minute using social media. “It was overwhelming,” he said this week after the election. “It was so last-minute and the Island community was so generous.”
Mr. Chatinover will leave the Island in February to attend Middlebury College in Vermont, but if he is elected he pledged to be at the majority of the commission meetings in person and participate in the rest by speaker phone.
Incumbent register of deeds Paulo DeOliveira was running unopposed on the Democratic ticket and captured 3,259 votes.
State Sen. Julian Cyr and Rep. Dylan Fernandes, running unopposed in the Democratic primary, received 3,303 and 3,263 votes respectively. On the Republican ballot for state senator John Flores, a Barnstable town councilor who will challenge Mr. Cyr in November, received 449 votes.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, running unopposed for re-election on the Democratic ballot, received the most votes on the Island for any office with 3,550. Island Republicans joined voters statewide in choosing Geoff Diehl to run against her in the general election.
The Island also voted with the rest of the district to give U.S. Rep. Bill Keating the nod over Bill Cimbrelo to be the Democratic candidate in the ninth congressional district, with 3,223 votes. He will face Republican Pete Tedeschi, who was unopposed in the primary, in November.
In only one statewide race did Martha’s Vineyard voters buck the state trend. Jimmy Tingle outpolled Quentin Palfrey, 1,505-1,502 in the Democratic race for lieutenant governor. Statewide, Mr. Palfrey won with 58.9 per cent of the vote.
About 33 percent of the 14,482 registered Dukes County voters turned out for the primary election.
Turnout by town was as follows: Aquinnah, 128; Chilmark, 371; Edgartown, 1,095; Oak Bluffs, 1,206; Tisbury, 1,046; West Tisbury, 939. Voting numbers for Gosnold were not immediately available.
Some voters interviewed at the polls said they came out for the local races, while others said they voted out of a sense of civic duty.
“Local elections are very important. They decide a lot of things for us on this Island,” said longtime Chilmark voter Bridget Tobin.
“I’m here because I believe voting is important . . . What did Tip O’Neill say — all politics are local,” said Edgartown native Susan Brown.
“These are trying times, and I think it’s very important to get involved and shape what we can,” said Oak Bluffs voter Martha Abbot.
Anne Carmichael Whiting agreed. “I’ve been voting in Oak Bluffs since I was 18, and now I’m 64, so you do the math. Voting’s important. It’s a right and an obligation,” she said.
Tisbury voters Bettie and Mark Nickowal had their grandson Isaac Rendon, age six, in tow. “If you don’t vote, then there’s no reason to complain about anything.” Mr. Nickowal said.
“I like the sticker,” said Isaac.
Landry Harlan, Steve Myrick, Holly Pretsky, Noah Asimow and Katherine Gianni contributed reporting.
This story has been updated to include results for John Flores, a Republican who is running for state senate.
Editor’s note: All the numbers were provided by town clerks in the six Island towns.
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