Dukes County has found a new treasurer after the position was left open for several months.

The Dukes County Commission voted Wednesday to offer the job to Judy Soules, a former banker who lives on the Island. The role was vacated by Ann Metcalf, who took a job as a financial administrator at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport last summer.

“[Soules] clearly has the background and the skills and lives on the island,” said county commissioner Donald Leopold. “We think she will be a great fit.”

The county has struggled to find someone for the position. Statutory requirements restrict candidates to people who live in Dukes County, something that has limited the candidate pool.

Ms. Soules previously worked at Edgartown National Bank before Rockland Trust purchased the company. She went on to work off-Island and said Wednesday that she was excited to not have to commute across Vineyard Sound.

Ms. Soules also worked as a municipal treasurer in Pennsylvania and as the chief financial officer for a medical manufacturing company.

Her background impressed commissioner Peter Wharton.

“Where the heck have you been hiding?,” he joked.

The county has been pushing to change the treasurer position from elected to appointed and remove the resident requirement. Ms. Soules will serve out the abbreviated term, which ends in November 2024. If the position remains an elected one, she would then have to run for election.

The position carries a $100,000 salary.