Perelman Wins Third Term As Nantucket County Sheriff
Jason Graziadei •
Nantucket County Sheriff Jim Perelman won a third term in office on Tuesday, easily defeating former Nantucket Police Department officer David Aguiar. The race was a rematch from 2016, and Perelman once again garnered broad support from the Nantucket community to earn reelection to another six-year term in office.
Perelman was celebrating with family and supporters Tuesday night at the Rose & Crown on South Water Street, across the street from the sheriff's office.
"I’m honored to have the trust and support of the community," Perelman told the Current moments after his reelection was announced by Town Clerk Nancy Holmes.
The final vote count in the Nantucket County Sheriff's race was:
- David Aguiar: 604
- Jim Perelman: 4,188 ✅
Perelman, the former owner of The Boarding House restaurant on Federal Street, had a successful catering business and also served as a court officer before he decided to run for the Nantucket County Sheriff position in 2010 and take on a two-term incumbent Richard Bretschneider. Perelman defeated Bretschneider, who was embroiled in controversies including an ethics complaint, in a landslide. He was reelected handily in 2016.
The Nantucket County Sheriff’s office is something of an oddity. It is by far the smallest sheriff’s office in the state, and the only one in Massachusetts that does not operate a jail or correctional facility. The island’s sheriff office has a small staff of three full-time employees and some part-time staffers, and its primary duty is transporting prisoners to and from the Barnstable County Correctional Facility.
The Nantucket sheriff is also responsible for serving civil process such as eviction notices and court-ordered child support, resolving landlord-tenant disputes, and handling sheriff sales of real estate in foreclosure cases. The fees collected for civil process – roughly $10,000 to $12,000 annually – are distributed back into the community by Perelman through grants to nonprofits like A Safe Place and Fairwinds Counseling Center.
2022 State Election Results for Nantucket
Of Nantucket's 9,522 registered voters, 4,927 cast ballots on Tuesday, a 51.7 percent turnout. In other notable races on Tuesday, the Nantucket votes broke down as follows:
Massachusetts Governor
- Geoff Diehl: 1,542
- Maura Healey: 3,246 ✅
Cape & Islands District Attorney
- Robert Galibois: 2,917 ✅
- Dan Higgins: 1,844
Representative in Congress
- Bill Keating: 3,415 ✅
- Jesse Brown: 1,389
State Senator
- Julian Cyr: 3,344 ✅
- Christopher Lauzon: 1,462
Question 1: Millionaires Tax
- Yes: 2,120
- No: 2,371
Question 2: Regulation of Dental Insurance
- Yes: 3,149
- No: 1,289
Question 3: Expansion of Availability of Sale of Alcoholic Beverage Licenses
- Yes: 1,602
- No: 2,807
Question 4: Eligibility For Driver's Licenses Regardless Of Legal Status
- Yes: 2,543
- No: 1,970