Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter is running unopposed for a three-year term on the West Tisbury select board.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 15.

All races are unopposed.

The Gazette interviewed Mr. Manter, asking a slate of questions regarding his background, candidacy and current issues facing the town. A summary of his responses is below.

Mr. Manter, 63, is a longtime police officer in the town of West Tisbury, with an extensive family history of public service among both his parents and grandparents. He is running unopposed for his sixth term on the West Tisbury select board.

After growing up on the Island, Mr. Manter joined the West Tisbury police department in 1975. In 2018, he was promoted to his current rank of lieutenant.

Through the years, Mr. Manter has served on numerous municipal committees including 27 years on the Dukes County retirement board, 20 years on the up Island conservation commission, 45 years on the Tri-Town ambulance committee and 13 years as the West Tisbury town moderator.

He also is a member of the up-Island and regional high school committees.

“I believe it adds up to over 200 years of service,” he said.

When he decided to throw his hat in the ring for selectmen, Mr. Manter said he thought his compassion for serving the community in different areas could help the town as a selectmen.

He said he sees the town’s issues being not too far off from those of the rest of the world, and thinks coming together is the best way to solve them.

“The town, the Island and the world have issues of serious proportion … we have global warming, climate action issues, we’re trying to be independent of any type of fossil fuels by 2040. Affordable housing is in crisis. Our growth is having issues. Water quality is always important to look at, wastewater is important to look at. Some of these are specific issues we deal with, in general, but we have to look as a group, as a whole, in how we can improve these areas,” Mr. Manter said.

When the issues do arise, Mr. Manter said his background serving on numerous other committees can be an advantage but it will take effort from everyone to face the challenges ahead. “We all need to work together to try to get a handle on the future,” he said.

In his free time, Mr. Manter said he’s happy to talk to different people in town about questions they might have. He also enjoys reviewing minutes and information from previous meetings and likes to go for runs in the woods to keep a clear mind.

“I love serving the town I grew up in. My father and grandfather both did and I look forward to continuing serving the town not just as a selectperson but also on the numerous other committees I put time into and serve on,” he said.

Updated to correct the polling hours for the town election Thursday.