<p>A plastic bottle ban was swiftly approved in West Tisbury, and an emotional tribute marked the start of the annual town meeting in Tisbury Tuesday night.</p>
Annual town meetings got under way in four Island towns Tuesday night, with large turnouts in every town.
In West Tisbury it was a spillover crowd of more than 300 voters.
Dan Sauer, owner of 7a Foods, stands to support plastic bottle ban started by school children in West Tisbury.
Dan Sauer, owner of 7a Foods, stands to support plastic bottle ban started by school children in West Tisbury.
In Tisbury and Oak Bluffs, long lines of voters queued up at both meeting places.
In Edgartown every pew in the Old Whaling Church was filled. The meeting began with a moment of silence for Ted Morgan and a poem by town poet laureate Steve Ewing remembering the late longtime selectman who died this week:
“Right up front/every year/the colonel’s in his full dress gear.”
In West Tisbury, an initiative to ban plastic bottles started by a group of school children saw swift and unanimous approval.
In Tisbury there were emotional tributes for selectman Tristan Israel, who is stepping down after more than two decades as a town father. A total of 370 voters turned out.
Rep. Dylan Fernandes presented a formal resolution in Mr. Israel’s honor and a standing ovation followed.
In Oak Bluffs, where 345 voters checked in, a $30.9 million budget was approved.
By 9 p.m. there was no outcome yet on the hot-button issue of the night in all four towns — a proposal to create a housing bank on the Vineyard.
Landry Harlan, Holly Pretsky, Noah Asimow and Steve Myrick are contributing.
Home page picture of Oak Bluffs annual town meeting by Jeanna Shepard.
Add new comment