Meet The Candidates Seeking Appointment To Town Boards And Committees

For the third time in four months, the Select Board is set to appoint new members to key local boards and committees after the last round of appointments created new vacancies on the Capital Program Committee and Planning Board.

Howard Matz, formerly a member of the Capital Program Committee and a Planning Board alternate, was appointed to the Finance Committee in the last round of appointments and subsequently resigned from his other positions. The new applicants for the Planning Board alternate seat are Keith Hirschmann and Graham Veysey.

Veysey entered local politics last fall as a staunch advocate for the artificial turf field proposed by the Nantucket Public Schools for installation at Vito Capizzo Stadium. She then ran for a seat on the Land Bank Commission on a platform centered around her support for indoor recreation on Land Bank land. Veysey was handily defeated by long-time incumbent Neil Patterson in the Land Bank race, but the field she supported passed by a wide margin at Town Meeting and seems to be on track for installation next year. Now, she is vying for a seat as a Planning Board alternate.

“I’m an interior designer and small business owner, so I’m used to reading plans, thinking about how spaces work and solving problems when there are a lot of competing needs,” Veysey wrote. “I’d really like to learn and better understand the zoning bylaws, the process, and the issues that come before the Planning Board. Over time, I’d hope to contribute a perspective that balances the needs of the community while protecting [what] makes Nantucket special.”

A former Manchester, New Hampshire alderman and the owner of an alarm monitoring business, Hirchsmann said that he hopes to parlay a term as a Planning Board alternate into a stint as a regular member of the Planning Board.

“I care about the island, and through thoughtful planning with adherence to code rules and zoning, we can ensure future development is positive on Nantucket,” Hirschmann wrote in his application. “I feel serving as a Planning Board alternate would be the best preparation and learning to eventually run for a vacant Planning Board seat and serve the island further.”

The Capital Program Committee analyzes and makes recommendations on major capital expenses proposed by the town. The candidates for the vacant seat on the Capital Program Committee are Kit Murphy and Mary Longacre.

Longacre has a long history of involvement with Nantucket’s local government. A member of the Coastal Resilience Advisory Committee, Cultural Council, and Tree Advisory Committee, Longacre has held various finance and business-related positions throughout her career.

“I would hope to bring fiscal prudence and a focus on the most important and urgent needs,” she wrote in her application, saying she would like to “help plan capital spending for the town as we face multiple challenges, balancing needed investments against a growing tax burden.”

Murphy has spent her career in commercial lending and venture capital. She previously applied for both the Board of Health and Finance Committee this year, but withdrew her application for the Board of Health seat before the vote and lost to Matz on a four-one vote for the Finance Committee seat.

“I’ve always believed in citizen involvement in all levels of government, but especially at the local level,” Murphy wrote in her application. “I believe we are at an existential moment in Nantucket’s financial history, and I want to be part of the sound decision-making process for our future.”

Despite vacating his seat on the Capital Program Committee, Matz will still be serving with whichever candidate the Select Board appoints next. After taking his seat on the Finance Committee, he was voted back onto the Capital Program Committee as the Finance Committee’s representative. The Finance Committee’s previous representative to the Capital Program Committee was Jill Vieth. Vieth is now a member of the Select Board. She voted to appoint Matz to her former position and is now poised to vote on his replacement.

The Select Board will also choose between former healthcare law attorney Tony Walsh and former Council on Aging member Jonathon St. Laurent for a spot on the Council on Aging.

The reshuffling of seats still won’t be finished, however. Vacant positions on the Cannabis Advisory Committee and Scholarship Committee remain, and Maria Mitchell Association executive director Joanna Roche’s resignation from the Coastal Resilience Advisory Committee just opened up another position.