Nantucket Town Government Roundup, March 27 - April 9

Are you excited for the circus? This government roundup includes information on the approval of a summer circus at Tom Nevers by the Select Board and an update on a year-round deed-restriction program from the Affordable Housing Trust.

• The Select Board approved a series of permits clearing the way for the Maria Mitchell Association to host a traveling circus in Tom Nevers as a fundraiser this July.
• The Affordable Housing Trust is moving toward paying two island homeowners to deed-restrict their homes for year-round affordable housing under a new pilot program approved last September. It’s a more muted showing than some housing advocates were hoping for from the program, but it will still represent two housing units secured for year-round occupancy at affordable rates in perpetuity.

And here are the local government stories we’ve covered in full over the last two weeks:

• The Select Board claims it did not violate the Massachusetts open meeting law when a quorum of the board urged Board of Health chair Ann Smith to shut down a discussion on the merits of artificial turf in March. That response has been appealed. The Board of Health issued a more equivocal response, not admitting any violations but agreeing to certain limited remedial action.
• The Select Board unanimously adopted a strategic plan for municipal employee housing that calls for creating 25-50 municipally controlled town employee housing units over the next 10 years.
• The Select Board also seems poised to accept a proposed license agreement with the Sconset Beach Preservation Fund, which includes a guaranteed escrow of around $8.5 million, as concerns about the Fund's reliability and the source of needed mitigation sand swirl.
• Zoning enforcement officer Marcus Silverstein has issued a cease and desist order to ACK Natural to prevent the island dispensary from delivering cannabis products around Nantucket.
• The contractors who allegedly demolished a historic cottage in Madaket without a permit are now claiming that the Historic District Commission actually did issue a permit for the demolition.
• Merrill Mason, one of two island school teachers who filed a lawsuit in May of 2025 against the town in Nantucket Superior Court for its failure to implement the Paid Family & Medical Leave Act, has appealed the Superior Court's denial of her lawsuit.
• Planning Board member John Kitchener has resigned, setting up an appointment process that will mirror the one he went through to be appointed to the board himself in 2024.
• The field for Nantucket’s annual local election is set. Amy Eldridge pulled out of the race for Select Board, setting up a three-way contest between Jill Vieth, Brad Smith, and Cliff Williams.
• A Land Bank plan for a new boardwalk overlooking the creeks was approved by the Conservation Commission.
• Zoning Board of Appeals member Joe Marcklinger, notable for his skepticism of some short-term rentals, has resigned.
• State officials suggested Monday that a closer look at the Steamship Authority’s governing structure could be incoming, but emphasized that the veto power currently held by the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard is not under threat.
• The owners of 21 and 25 Commercial Wharf have once again sued the Land Bank over a plan to install a new floating pier at Petrel Landing on Nantucket Harbor.
• A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the town of Nantucket over a local bylaw, Chapter 58, which restricts the licensing of rental car agencies.
• The Select Board approved a rate increase at Our Island Home.