Tisbury Planning Board Seeks Interim Member

The Tisbury planning board is short one member after Elaine Miller resigned last month. The board is advertising for Tisbury residents willing to serve the rest of Ms. Miller’s five-year term.

The Tisbury planning board is short one member after Elaine Miller resigned last month.

Ms. Miller wrote a letter of resignation to board chair Connie Alexander, citing differences with her fellow board members.

The planning board is advertising in Island newspapers for Tisbury residents willing to serve the rest of Ms. Miller’s five-year term, which expires next spring.

Speaking to the Gazette, Ms. Miller said she felt out of step with the rest of the board.

“We’re not in alignment,” she said.

Ms. Miller also faced a logistical conflict: Voters last spring named her to the town’s finance and advisory committee, which holds its regular meetings on the same night as the planning board’s.

Chair Alexander told the Gazette she tried to convince Ms. Miller to stay on the board nonetheless.

“I will miss Elaine’s voice, because she represented a sector of the community, as we all do,” Ms. Alexander said, noting the diversity of young and older voices on the board.

The resignation led to the postponement of two public hearings on special permits Sept. 4, when only three of the remaining elected members were able to attend the meeting and the associate member also was absent.

Planning board rules require a supermajority of at least three votes for a special permit to pass.

With Ms. Alexander, the remaining elected members are Casey Hayward, Daniel Phelan and Ben Robinson. Ms. Ksieniewicz was appointed by the board.

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 09/18/2024 - 17:10

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Long timer Tisbury

Mrs. Miller was and still continues to be a supporting voice for Tisbury. Her love is apparent for the town she’s served so well over the last few years. Her desire to work with others and consensus build is her forte yet this dysfunctional board highlights just how broken the leadership at the Planning Board actually is. Why would anyone give up what they love in the prime of her ability if it wasn’t irreparably broken?

Change needs to take place at the board level of Tisbury’s PB and then you’ll have good, ethical and able bodied people step up to volunteer their time.

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