Voters in Oak Bluffs returned Emma Green-Beach to the select board at Thursday’s annual town election and ushered in K. Mark Leonard to the second open seat.

Ms. Green-Beach, the sitting board chair, and Mr. Leonard, a member of the town’s affordable housing committee, beat out Kris Chvatal and Bill Cleary in the race. Ms. Green-Beach garnered 542 votes, Mr. Leonard had 407, Mr. Cleary had 289 and Mr. Chvatal had 279. 

Mr. Leonard will be taking over for Jason Balboni, a select board member since 2018 who declined to run for reelection this year. 

The results are read off to a small crowd in Oak Bluffs. — Ray Ewing

“I’m honored to serve on the board for another three years and I’m excited for the work ahead of us,” Ms. Green-Beach said after the results came in. “Congratulations to K Mark Leonard. Kris and Bill both ran great campaigns.”

Some voters liked the experience of Ms. Green-Beach and Mr. Leonard. 

“I voted for Mr. Leonard,” said resident Ray Elliott. “I like his background— his military service and his wife’s. He seems pretty committed.” 

“I voted for Emma because she’s trained in biological science and I think that puts her in a good position,” said resident John Crane. “I’m hoping there can be progress in [nitrogen] mitigation policies.” 

Oak Bluffs had the only contested select board race in the three annual town elections held Thursday. Jeffrey “Skipper” Manter was running unopposed in West Tisbury and Arthur Smadbeck was reelected in Edgartown.  

But all three towns had big ticket debt exclusions. 

A voter casts their ballot in Edgartown. — Ray Ewing

Voters in Oak Bluffs overwhelmingly approved spending $1.6 million to upgrade the town’s wastewater treatment facility, $1.6 million for a new elementary school boiler, $1 million for a new fire truck and $4.7 million to reconstruct the town’s jetties. 

Edgartown residents passed $1.5 million to buy the former Land Bank headquarters on Upper Main street, which could be potentially used for housing, and $4.8 million to repair the aging septage lines along Edgartown-West Tisbury Road that failed twice this summer. 

West Tisbury approved $1.8 million for upgrades to the West Tisbury library HVAC system and $720,00 to bolster the Up-Island Regional School District operating budget. 

The only contested race in Edgartown was for the parks commission. Andrew Kelly beat out Michael Magaraci 383-78. In West Tisbury, Michael Colaneri won over Patti Roads for board of assessors. 

William Davies was elected to the Oak Bluffs planning board on a write-in campaign and Laurel Schneider did the same for an open Oak Bluffs school committee seat.