Chilmark landscaper, caretaker and former fishmonger Jeffrey Maida won a race for town select board on Wednesday night, narrowly beating out William Meegan at the polls by a vote of 267 to 222.
Mr. Maida, a lifelong town resident who emphasized climate change preparation and capital planning in his campaign, will fill the seat of outgoing select board member Bill Rossi, who annouced his retirement earlier this year.
Mr. Maida, who works for his nephew’s landscaping company and was the manager of the Net Result in Vineyard Haven for 30 years, has served on waterfront working groups for the town and previously told the Gazette he was running in order to give back to the community.
“I am ready to immediately begin my work as a select board member, familiar with many of the current issues,” he said last week. “I will honor the town’s 330-year history while also recognizing preservation, managed change and growth are all part of the future.”
Mr. Meegan, a retired Island contractor, was a longtime planning board member and campaigned on helping locals stay in town.
One write in vote for town resident Don Leopold was also cast for the select board seat.
Longtime library trustee Jane Kaplan won the other contested seat that evening, beating out challenger Caitlin Kane to keep her incumbent seat in a vote of 256 to 179.
