Applications to represent the Vineyard on the Steamship Authority board of governors are multiplying. Four more Islanders sent letters of interest this week to the Dukes County Commission.
Applications to represent the Vineyard on the Steamship Authority board of governors are multiplying.
Four more Islanders sent letters of interest this week to the Dukes County Commission, which is the appointing authority for the Island boat line governor. That brings to eight the field of candidates seeking to replace 15-year board member Marc Hanover when his term expires next month.
Interviews are planned for next Wednesday.
The latest applicants are Rob Lytle of Oak Bluffs, Clarence A. (Trip) Barnes 3rd of Vineyard Haven, Elmer Vanderhoop of Edgartown, and Leon Brathwaite of West Tisbury. They join Allen Carney of Aquinnah, Angela Cywinski of Tisbury, James Malkin of Chilmark and Michael Lyons of Oak Bluffs in vying for the volunteer position.
Mr. Lytle’s application cited his master’s degree in information technology and more than 20 years of digital project management among the assets he would bring to the boat line board.
Mr. Barnes, a retired trucker who is in his second term as an elected member of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, sent a handwritten letter of interest.
Mr. Vanderhoop is a retired EMT, former Aquinnah selectman and member of the Wampanoag tribe, according to his application.
Mr. Brathwaite is retired and previously worked in human resources for the city of Newton. He also is an elected county commissioner.
Among the four candidates who applied previously, Mr. Malkin is a second-term Chilmark selectman and retired business executive with a background in transportation. Mr. Lyons is an Oak Bluffs resident and truck driver who is a 2008 graduate of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. Mr. Carney is a marketing and sales technology consultant who lives in Aquinnah. And Ms. Cywinski is a Tisbury resident who formerly worked as the principal assessor in Aquinnah.
County manager Martina Thornton said Thursday that interviews will be held on Feb. 5 beginning at 2 p.m. Due to the large volume of applicants, she said the interviews will be moved to the Vineyard Transit Authority administration building where there is more space. The building is located at 11 A street in the airport business park.
At press time Thursday, Ms. Thornton also said she was researching the rules governing Mr. Brathwaite’s participation in the process, since he is also now an applicant. The application deadline is Friday.
The county commission is expected to vote on March 4, according to Ms. Thornton.
Mr. Hanover decided recently to not seek a sixth three-year term on the board. Earlier this month he took over as board chairman. He said he plans to attend the February meeting, and will stay on longer if needed.
Comments
Brilliant plan by Trip. He
Washashore MVBrilliant plan by Trip. He gets himself appointed to this job and every sensible soul with property interests on this island will buy a one way ticket to the mainland. He’ll probably make a fortune shipping their stuff off island, and selling their used cars here (if he gets his business license back). Player to the end...respect!
you’re exactly the reason why
Longtime Local MVYyou’re exactly the reason why good leaders don’t want to have anything to do with public service. Trip Barnes has done more for this island out of his own pocket and time than you even lift a finger to find out before writing such a careless comment. Clearly you don’t know him yet you feel empowered to just throw something like this out. If you did, you’d also know that he’s far from some wealthy islander looking to exploit a public service responsibility. The SSA is in poor shape and who knows better how to help improve it than a man that has committed his life to this island including knowing the SSA well because of his business.
The best thing a new Vineyard
Edgartownite EdgartownThe best thing a new Vineyard rep could do is create an alliance with the Nantucket representative. That would allow the two to control the Authority with a 70% voting bloc.
You are so right EdE. The
T Bone Oak BluffsYou are so right EdE. The vacant OB seat gets the chairman's role this year. Reach out to ACK and forge an alliance -- a 70% voting block will get the attention of Davis and the SSA honchos.
Just For Clarification, The
Just For Clarification The VineyardJust For Clarification, The Vineyard
From the Assistant Assessor climbing in a window in 2017 to now wanting to serve on the SSA Board of Directors is absolutely ludicrous. Such aggrandizement from self-pity for that notorious climb to now trying to seize the opportunity to self-glorify oneself, the community should be well aware of such nonsense. There was never a position of principal assessor in Aquinnah for her to claim such a title.
The term principal assessor
EditorThe term principal assessor is one the newspaper used generically, referring to the chief staff administrator in the assessors office, as distinguished from the elected or appointed board of assessors. You are correct that the town of Aquinnah does not use the formal title.
Trip is the one who knows the
Richard J ONeil Naples, FLTrip is the one who knows the SSA from top to bottom. He would have the interest of the traveling public in his decisions.
Trip Barnes. 1 Trip at a time
Scratchy Vineyard HavenTrip Barnes. 1 Trip at a time! Wake up people, if you don't know Trip, do yourself a favor and start learning. If you do know Trip, God Bless you and yours.Thank you Trip for even considering helping out The SSA.
The freight side of SSA
Islander TooThe freight side of SSA operations is just as important to the Island as the car/passenger business, if not more so. I expect Trip understands more about the challenges of the freight side than most. I'd say that Trip would be a good choice. Regarding Washashore's comment, above: Wash, you really *are* clueless. Trip sold his moving business some years ago. That business really was an integral "lifeline to the islands" for thousands who moved to the Vineyard, moved away, moved back and forth---or had, say, a bicycle that needed to fetched in Manhattan and brought to the Vineyard.
Barnes is an island legend.
Kevin OBBarnes is an island legend. But he needs to choose - does he want his MVC seat or the SSA one? I don’t believe one person should have both roles. Each has its own challenges.
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