The West Tisbury select board named a slew of members of the energy committee and climate advisory committee as special municipal employees at its regular meeting Wednesday.
The select board gave the blanket designation as a procedural move so committeee members are eligible to serve on those boards. The growing town population has pushed West Tisbury into a different municipal category, making the designation necessary, according to town administrator Jennifer Rand.
“There’s no downside to this designation,” Ms. Rand said to the select board.
Kate Warner, Nicola Blake, Richard Andre, Ron D’Agostino, Sue Hruby, Rob Hauk, Russell Hartenstine, Donna Paulnock, Beckie Scotten-Finn, Garrison Vieira and Virginia Jones all received the designation.
In other business, the select board appointed John Rau to the planning board as an associate member. The appointment lasts until April 2023.
“Thank you again John for stepping up, as you usually do,” selectman Skipper Manter said.
The select board also approved an appointment for attorney John Cloherty to serve as special counsel to represent the conservation commission. Normally the town would be represented by town counsel Ron Rappaport’s firm Reynolds, Rappaport, Kaplan & Hackney, but one of Mr. Rappaport’s attorneys represented one of the parties in a prior dispute.
Meghan Gombos, an Aquinnah resident who is a consultant for the pending Martha’s Vineyard Commission Climate Action Plan, gave the select board an update on the plan.
With the town meeting around the corner in April, the select board allowed an amendment to an article for a community preservation committee project with the Island Autism Group. The select board also added a capital exclusion ballot question for the Howes House.
— Zach Harris
