The Oak Bluffs town health agent and principal assessor both submitted their resignations this week, leaving the town with two key positions suddenly vacant.
On Friday afternoon assistant town administrator Wendy Brough confirmed the resignations of health agent Meegan Lancaster and principal assessor MacGregor Anderson, who are married.
Town officials could not immediately say whether the resignations were in any way related, although West Tisbury town administrator Jen Rand confirmed Friday that Mr. Anderson has been hired as principal assessor in that town.
“I don’t know that the two [resignations] are related in any way,” select board chairman Brian Packish told the Gazette by phone Friday. “I don’t know exactly whether it’s personal, life change [or] Covid.”
Ms. Lancaster did not immediately return a phone call from the Gazette seeking comment.
She has been the town health agent since 2017, and has played a prominent role during the pandemic alongside the other five Island health agents. All have been working around the clock since March 2020 to admimnister and enforce public health measures in a constantly changing environment.
Mr. Anderson has been principal assessor since 2019, and before that had worked as the planning board clerk.
Both live in Edgartown, where Ms. Lancaster is also an elected member of the Edgartown board of health. She was re-elected in 2020.
She submitted her resignation as Oak Bluffs health agent to the town by email Feb. 9, with an effective date of Feb. 22.
“I appreciate the skills I have gained and am thankful for the opportunity to have worked with my board and coworkers,” she wrote in the email, provided to the Gazette by the town.
Board of health chairman William White called it a loss for the town.
“Her time with the town was excellent,” Mr. White told the Gazette by phone Friday.
He said the town has begun a search for a new health agent, and will likely request help from other health agents during the search and transition periods.
“We’re still trying to figure out who’s who and what’s what,” Mr. White said. “It’s all hands [on deck] and we’ll get it done.”
Mr. Packish echoed the remarks.
“We are lucky to have had them as staff,” he said.
