For the first time in 22 years, the Edgartown select board will have a new face. 

At the annual town election last week, Alex Morrison beat seven-term incumbent Michael Donaroma in a three-way race that also saw Glen Searle running for the seat. Mr. Morrison, 42, has served on other town boards and owns a landscaping and construction company. This marked his first run at the select board.

And he won resoundingly — garnering 469 votes compared with 251 for Mr. Searle and 200 for Mr. Donaroma.

There were other key changes too — in another contentious race, Taylor Pierce narrowly beat incumbent Michael Shalett for a seat on the town planning board.

Alex Morrison previously served on the wastewater commission and short-term rental committee — Ray Ewing

The results came as a surprise to some but for many represented a sea change of sorts in Edgartown and beyond, heralding the arrival of a younger generation in town politics. 

“[The election] certainly marked a generational shift,” said Arthur Smadbeck, a longtime select board member. “I’m so happy to see younger people stepping up and wanting to be on the boards.”

Mr. Morrison’s campaign was heavily rooted in bringing the voice of the next generation to the town’s highest branch of government. He said he wanted to preserve the character, history and charm of the coastal town and felt it was necessary to bring a new perspective to town government.

“I’m in my 40s and I think a lot of my peers are starting to see that our voices and our decisions are making a change . . .” he said, speaking to the Gazette after the election. “I think it’s good that everybody turned out and [wanted] to support a younger candidate.”

Though new to the board, he has a family history in town hall. His grandfather, Bob Carroll, was a select board member in the 1960s, and Mr. Morrison said he is honored to follow in his footsteps.

At his first select board meeting Monday, which ran about 10 minutes, he oversaw the swearing in of a new police officer and abstained from voting on the Rainbow Run road race application because his daughter is a student there.

Town administrator James Hagerty, who has never worked with a different select board since he started in 2018, called it an exciting time for the town.

“When I started at 33, I was the youngest person in the building,” Mr. Hagerty said, speaking about when he first became town administrator. “You’re starting to see department heads in their 30s and 40s, and now we have [Mr. Morrison].”

Mr. Hagerty and Mr. Morrison have known each other since they were in first grade at the Edgartown School and they worked together during Mr. Morrison’s tenure on the wastewater commission and short-term rental committee.

“I worked with him in several capacities,” Mr. Hagerty said. “After a couple months, [I think] he’ll be off the ground running.”

Mr. Smadbeck and fellow select board member Margaret Serpa, who have both served on the board since the 1990s, said they welcomed the changes. 

“I think it’s good that they take an interest and go run for these positions and work together with [everybody],” Ms. Serpa said. 

Michael Donaroma was first elected in 2003. — Ray Ewing

Both also underscored the long legacy Mr. Donaroma leaves in town. They recalled his help in getting the new library built, the leading role he played in helping to bring Covid-19 testing to the Island during the pandemic, and his tireless work on ever-changing plans for the new Martha’s Vineyard Boys & Girls Club facility.

“I’ve never seen him grumpy,” Mr. Smadbeck said about his longtime colleague. “Can you say that about a lot of people? For 20 some, 30 years, I’ve never seen Michael . . . without a smile. He’s just one of the most positive people and that rubs off on everybody. It certainly rubbed off on me.”

For his part, Mr. Donaroma said he had thoroughly enjoyed leading the town alongside Mr. Smadbeck and Ms. Serpa, and he wished Mr. Morrison well.

Describing the various roles of the three board members, he said Ms. Serpa was the heart of the board, greeting all the townspeople with a smile and knowing everyone in the schools and police department. He said Mr. Smadbeck brought a keen mind for town economics, and often acted as the point-person on county issues.

“I was sort of the Henry Kissinger of the selectmen,” Mr. Donaroma said. “I [was] always the guy [where] if some residents or taxpayers are complaining about [a] department, I would be the one that would go and see if we could work it out.” 

He said his favorite part of the job was using connections from his landscaping business to benefit the town. A favorite example was when he talked to a former client, Jim Swartz, about the need for a community pool. 

“He basically took over the project fundraising and got [the YMCA] built,” Mr. Donaroma said. “So, the selectmen do have unique situations and contacts where they can get things moving and that’s what I’ve enjoyed doing the most.”

Mr. Donaroma said even though he’s no longer on the board, he won’t be a stranger. He plans to continue serving as the Edgartown Land Bank advisory chair and work on his plan to build Edgartown Gardens, a proposed 60-unit condominium complex on Upper Main street.

“I’ve been honored and I’ve enjoyed my time as selectman,” Mr. Donaroma said. “I still support all the things that are going on and I’ll try to be more vocal now that I don’t have conflict of interest.”