Amy Eldridge Dropping Out Of Select Board Race

Select Board candidate Amy Eldridge is dropping out of the race a little more than a month ahead of the 2026 town election.

Eldridge told the Current on Monday that her decision reflected family obligations that emerged after the deadline to submit nomination papers, as well as work constraints that would make serving on the Select Board too difficult at this point.

"My father-in-law is 89, and he's getting knee replacements, so my sister and I are going to have to help him through the summer," Eldridge said. "And I just feel that it's not really a good fit right this second. Had I known when I turned my papers in that he was going to be scheduled for knee surgery, I wouldn't have submitted them."

Eldridge's withdrawal from the Select Board race leaves three challengers vying for the two seats being vacated by incumbents Malcolm MacNab and Tom Dixon, both of whom decided not to run for reelection. The remaining candidates are Brad Smith, Jill Vieth, and Cliff Williams.

For Eldridge, who grew up on Nantucket and now works as the manager for Holdgate's Laundry on Vesper Lane, the decision to pull out of the face was difficult, but ultimately the right one for her family. She vowed to run again in the future when the time is right.

"I'm literally heartbroken," Eldridge said. "I'm sick to my stomach over it, because the community support has been unreal. People I don't even know are have told me 'we're voting for you. We love what you do.' But this is not over and out for me. This is just a delay in the game."

A political newcomer, Eldridge had largely focused her campaign on cost-of-living issues and tax rates. She has previously spoken out against the plan for a new Our Island Home and in favor of the full legalization of short-term rentals.

The 2026 town election will be held on May 19th at the Nantucket High School, and the deadline to register to vote is April 24th.

Vieth, who serves as the chair of the Finance Committee, has the most experience with Nantucket’s local government of the three remaining candidates. Vieth’s position on the Finance Committee gives voters an early look at where she stands on some of the major issues facing Nantucket. She voted against recommending a new Our Island Home facility and opposed a plan for new Town employee housing, but supports a plan to install a new artificial turf field at Nantucket High School's Vito Capizzo Stadium.

Musician and artist Brad Smith is also running for a seat on the board. Smith, who has organized with the left-leaning political action group Indivisible Nantucket, volunteers with the Nantucket Food Pantry. He has emphasized concerns with affordability and an openness to new ideas as central to his campaign.

The field is rounded out by perennial candidate Cliff Williams, who has run for Select Board unsuccessfully 15 times before. In his prior campaigns, Williams has focused on affordable housing and fundamentals, such as fixing potholes, the landfill, and Our Island Home. Williams has long argued that the landfill should incinerate trash, which is currently illegal under Massachusetts law.