A former town selectman and a newcomer to politics are vying for a single seat on the board of selectmen in the Tisbury annual town election Tuesday. The two candidates are running for the seat vacated by longtime selectman Tristan Israel.

Jeffrey Kristal, 53, currently chairman of the finance and advisory committee, is emphasizing his experience in town government including two terms as selectman from 2008 to 2013. Mr. Kristal co-owns the Crocker Inn. Seth Gambino, 44, an Island native who owns La Choza restaurant on Main street, is running on a platform of increasing public engagement.

The Gazette sent both candidates a series of questions by email. Responses have been edited for clarity and space restrictions.

What do you believe is the 
most pressing issue facing the 
town of Tisbury?

Mr. Kristal: There are many pressing issues facing Tisbury. The high tax rate, the renovation/addition to the Tisbury School, the high school projects along with the increasing sewer needs and living costs for young professionals and for seniors that want to stay in their houses are all pressing issues in town and Islandwide.

Mr. Gambino : Lack of communication, and decisions being made independently of the people. I want to change how we view, and what we can expect from, our local representatives. By narrowing the focus of the select board to better dissemination of information, increased engagement, and improved efforts to gauge public opinion I hope to see less indecision and a more clearly defined and unified public will.

How would you characterize 
your leadership style?

Mr. Kristal: Having been Tisbury selectman before and a representative on many town committees, I will work with this board to solve current issues and anything that comes before us in the future. Saying no, delaying, and avoiding tough issues is easy. The challenge is finding responsible solutions and to listen and work with people. We need experienced leadership during this challenging and complex period in Tisbury’s history. I will use my experience, negotiating skills and love of our town to make tough decisions and to protect our residents interests.

Mr. Gambino: Cooperative. I try to lead by example when I can, but when I need to delegate something, I try to do my research on that person first, so that I can trust them to complete the job without need for micromanaging. In general, I would like to see the select board allow the other departments to do their job in a timelier manner and without excessive involvement from the selectmen.

If elected, how would you 
approach the following issues:

The Tisbury School

Mr. Kristal: As a member of the school building committee and a yes vote for the school, I continue to support the students, parents and teachers that attend, work and play at the Tisbury School. We must now move forward. The recent town meeting vote was a step in the right direction and now must be ratified by the residents. Meetings and decisions going forward must continue to involve the public and be transparent.

Mr. Gambino: I plan to support the direction of the Tisbury school board, which currently looks like a plan to renovate and add on to the existing building. If during this process another plan comes to the town that makes sense, I will fight to make sure that the public will is upheld; be that a new school, remodel, or relocation. Regardless of the exact plan, I am going to work my hardest to make sure that we no longer delay creating a more acceptable facility for our youth.

The strained town tax base

Mr. Kristal: The town takes a number of different approaches to controlling expenses. We have asked town departments to keep discretionary expenditures and operating budgets flat for several years which has led to prioritization in order to keep us from a budget override. We continue to have progress on some major projects and improvements while large capital debt projects, like the fire department build, come off our books. The unknown windfall this year will be the new revenue on short term rentals which will provide some necessary revenue to our general fund.

Mr. Gambino: In addition to investigating new tax streams and renewable energy use in town buildings, we are looking forward to the new tax revenue collected on short term rentals; and although we have many pressing financial responsibilities as a town, I would like to see some of that money going towards at least stabilizing taxes, if not decreasing the per cent increase many have just experienced.