Editor’s note: Jim Bishop dropped out of the race on April 12, two weeks after these interviews were published. He is no longer a candidate.
Three candidates are running for a three-year seat on the Oak Bluffs select board. The Gazette emailed questions to the candidates. Their responses follow in alphabetical order, edited slightly for style and clarity. The town election is April 14.
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Full name: Dion Alley
Occupation: Navy veteran, submarine service. Semi-retired global technology executive working in the energy, utilities, manufacturing and pet health care industries.
Previous or current town board service or other relevant roles: Finance committee, climate and energy committee (focus on energy), Cape Light Compact and Cape & Vineyard Electric Cooperative (Oak Bluffs board member), MVC climate action task force.
What are the two or three most critical issues facing Oak Bluffs over the next three to five years? As a resident and taxpayer of Oak Bluffs my top three issues are ecological balance between people (growth) and our natural resources, the ability to live and work here as a full-time resident, town and regional services (schools, climate, energy, social, community, business owners, seasonal residents, visitors etc.).
What specific efforts would you make to address those issues if elected? All of the above require help from our town, Island and beyond. These issues are impacting everyone and we need to work with others to find the best solutions that are both cost and results effective. We need to have an up-to-date master plan that lays out the next 20 years for the town. Having to fund wastewater, high school, East Chop, Oak Bluffs harbor jetties during a pandemic, hostilities in Eastern Europe, record high inflation, supply chain and labor scarcities all at once. Something that requires immediate attention as we will be paying much more then we should have had to if we had planned properly.
How are you uniquely qualified to serve on the Oak Bluffs select board? I grew up in Oak Bluffs, attended Oak Bluffs School and the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. I learned from others: listening, honesty, commitment, collaboration, transparency, empathy, servant leader (putting others first). Please vote, we need your voice to be heard!
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Full name: Gail M. Barmakian (incumbent candidate)
Occupation: I am an attorney by profession.
Previous or current town board service or other relevant roles: Past member and chairperson of Oak Bluffs zoning board of appeals (1997-2009), past member and chairperson of the Friends of the Oak Bluffs Library (until 2010), laymember of the regulatory Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters appointed by the governor (1999-2006), elected wastewater commissioner since April, 2008, member of the joint Oak Bluffs-Tisbury Lagoon Pond watershed committee (for nitrogen reduction in Lagoon Pond), member of Oak Bluffs select board since April 2010 (four terms), member of the Copeland Committee as the select board appointee, member of board of directors for the Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living as select board appointee.
What are the two or three most critical issues facing Oak Bluffs over the next three to five years?
Excluding the day-to-day issues that need to be addressed just to run our town government:
a) More focus needs to be put on the protection of our environmental resources and coastal infrastructure from climate change and sea level rise, including the Oak Bluffs wharf. This is who we are.
b) We should be more mindful of balancing growth while preserving our small town way of life and our diverse seasonal and year-round communities which makes Oak Bluffs so special. This includes focus on and support of our year-round population.
c) We should create better relationships with other local, state and federal officials for regulatory approval and funding of the projects needed to get done and other things needed to protect our community from all of the above. We need to shoulder some responsibility for fostering these relationships.
What specific efforts would you make to address those issues if elected?
Very simply, work with other board members and staff to identify and prioritize projects in each area, create a road map or to do list of things needed to get done, reach out to the public, other boards or agencies that may also have oversight over the subject matter and constant review to monitor progress.
How are you uniquely qualified to serve on the Oak Bluffs select board?
Aside from my professional background, I bring experience and institutional knowledge to the table. We have a relatively new board and administration and the town has experienced a lot of turnover. I know how to analyze municipal budgets and financing which is very different from the private business sector, am familiar with the maze of regulatory authorities at the federal, state and local levels including DOR, Division of Local Services, FEMA, DEP, SEMAS and the people that work there. I know how to navigate the system so there is no learning curve. I’ve also created and fostered relationships with other municipal, state and federal officials which is essential to getting funding and our projects completed.
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Full name: James Bishop
Occupation: Contractor of 25 years here on the Vineyard.
Previous or current town board service or other relevant roles: I served on the Oak Bluffs affordable housing committee for 11 years, eight years as chairman. I have served on the Community Preservation Committee in Oak Bluffs for seven years. I currently serve on the MVCS veterans housing board, working to build 12 units of housing for Island veterans
What are the two or three most critical issues facing Oak Bluffs over the next three to five years, and what efforts would you make to address them?
The three most pressing issues in Oak Bluffs in the near future are first, the sewage treatment plant. The housing issue is in no small part due to lack of a modern, larger treatment plant. We’ve wasted years on planning and studies for it. With a large enough plant we could increase density in the downtown area and allow attached second units for family members. It would also allow the construction of more bedrooms on smaller lots in zone two, which has many restrictions due to nitrogen load issues. We need as large a plant as possible to mitigate the needs of the entire town.
Next is water. We desperately need a second tower for an increase in storage. We have land near the existing unit which would mean very little needs to be done to tie it in to the existing system.
Third, and also critical is the funding agreement for the new high school. The projection is for $1 million. My guess is closer to $1.3 million. Oak Bluffs has long been the loser of revenue on the property controlled by a regional entity. Our cost for students is in the range of $31,000 a year. We get nothing in return for any of the buildings in that entire area. We carry the direct load for fire, EMS and police. How is that fair to the taxpayers. I believe a cost based on property values is the best option. Since its a regional asset, those who have higher valutions should contribute according to their worth, as the school is part of that worth.
How are you uniquely qualified to serve on the Oak Bluffs select board?
I feel I am qualified due to my many years in the construction arena. I was able to build a $14 million hockey rink faster than you can build one affordable housinng unit here. I understand cost analysis, equipment, technology and budgets. I’ve lived and worked in the town for 23 of my years here. I was involved in the hockey rink’s rebuild and enclosure many years ago. I am the guy who rebuild the the Atlantic Connection into the game room on time and under budget.
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