The two candidates for the Vineyard’s state representative seat at a voter forum this week shared their top priorities, ways to improve the Steamship Authority and how they planned to deal with a dysfunctional state legislature.

Island Housing Trust project manager Arielle Faria and former assistant district attorney Thomas Moakley, the two candidates in the Sept. 3 Democratic primary for the seat being vacated by state Rep. Dylan Fernandes, took questions from about 50 Vineyarders Wednesday at the Edgartown Library.

Ms. Faria, a West Tisbury resident and the co-chair of the Coalition to Create the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank, has centered housing as her primary campaign issue, and pledged to continue pursuing a transfer tax on high end real estate deals. 

The Vineyard has petitioned the state house for the right to implement a 2 per cent fee on real estate sales of more than $1 million, with the proceeds going towards housing. The setup would be similar to the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank. 

About 50 people attended the event, held at the Edgartown library. — Ethan Genter

Gov. Maura Healey also introduced similar legislation statewide, though the fee was cut out of a $5.1 billion bill passed this summer. 

“[Housing] is our foundation,” Ms. Faria said. “We need to solve that across the state and most definitely in our region, in order for us to have a functioning economy and a thriving community.” 

For Mr. Moakley, who lives in Falmouth and worked largely in Edgartown District Court, climate change and sustainability are key issues that are facing the next generation.

“As much as our economy is suffering, we need to always be mindful of the health of the land itself in order to be sustainable, not only in the next five years, but in the next 100 years,” he said. “So as your state representative, that’s going to be at the forefront of my mind in every single one of the decisions that I make, all of the budget priorities, because every issue is interconnected with climate change and sustainability.” 

Paulo DeOliveira, the Dukes County register of deeds, asked about what the candidates could do to help the Steamship Authority, which is currently dealing with crew shortages and negotiating a contract with its licensed deck officer union.

Mr. Moakley felt that lower- and mid-level staff members at the Steamship were not being treated fairly, the boat line’s web infrastructure was dismal and there was no long-term plan in place. 

He said that the Steamship Authority was designed to largely operate outside of the day-to-day political whims of Beacon Hill, but the state legislature could still push for change when the boat line enabling act has to be renewed and when the Steamship seeks approval for bonding.

“Just like a town, it has to go through the legislature,” Mr. Moakley said. “So there are certain ways in which the legislature can try to influence, in a general way, what’s going on at the Steamship.”

Ms. Faria believed more oversight was needed and the Steamship Authority had to become a place where more people would want to come work. Ms. Faria went as far as to suggest a change in the structure of the board of governors, potentially adding more voices on the board. 

The board has five members – one each from the Vineyard, Falmouth, Barnstable, Nantucket and New Bedford. The Island members each get a 35 per cent vote and the mainland ports get 10 per cent each. 

“It is not working this way,” Ms. Faria said. “We know that, at some point, we do have to change the structure and I believe that time is now.” 

The stagnancy of the state government was also raised at the forum, which ran just over an hour. 

Several key state priorities were not passed at the end of the legislative session in July, despite a majority of both the house and senate sitting in the same party. One resident asked how the candidates would plan to affect change in this sort of environment. 

Ms. Faria said cultivating relationships and getting across the true nature of the region was important to get lawmakers to pay attention to the Cape and Islands. 

“It is imperative that we have relationships with all our legislators, not just the legislators that are serving our region, in order to educate them on our needs and encourage them to understand that we are not just an affluent community,” she said. “We need resources and we deserve resources.” 

Bills often die a quiet death in legislative committees outside of the public eye, and Mr. Moakley said he would work to peel back the curtain on how the legislature works to push for more transparency.   

“It’s fundamental reform of the legislature itself that is required,” he said. “How will I navigate that? In addition to posting my committee votes publicly, I’m going to be supporting speaker candidates that are calling for that transformative, structural change.”

There are no Republicans running for the seat, meaning the winner of the Democratic primary will likely run unopposed at the November general election. Early voting on the Island starts Saturday and runs through August 30. 

Wednesday’s forum was hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard chapter of the League of Women Voters and moderated by Robert Laskowski.

“It is critical for us to be educated if democracy is going to work,” he said. “This is one of the ways that we can do it, and as a member of the league, I’m just so gratified that you’re taking the time to come and support democracy.”