Questions For The Nantucket Select Board Candidates

In the lead-up to Tuesday’s annual elections, hear more from the candidates for Select Board on key questions:

Did you support Article 11 at the Annual Town Meeting - the appropriation for the new Our Island Home skilled nursing facility - and will you vote in favor of Question 1 on the town election ballot to ratify the Town Meeting vote? Why or why not?

Bob DeCosta
Town Meeting voted to move the Island Home forward. My concern is that the operating costs will outpace the Proposition 2 ½ increases in the future. I believe that everyone’s vote is personal. I will be voting the same way that I did at Town Meeting.

Jill Vieth
I believe that Nantucket has a social responsibility to provide care and dignity for islanders who need assisted nursing support. Our Island Home is an important part of this community and I support a thoughtful and financially sustainable plan to modernize elder services for Nantucket residents.

I also respect the diversity of views on this important decision. It has also been one of the hardest issues I have considered as chairperson of the Finance Committee and Capital Program Committee because it asks all of us to consider an important question: what can we do to care for our most vulnerable residents requiring assisted nursing care and how can we continue to meet those obligations for years to come? Ultimately, this is a decision for Nantucket voters to make.

However, I struggle to support this version of a new OIH facility because the long-term financial risks and unknowns of this specific proposal are simply too great. The proposed $119 million borrowing does not tell the whole story. Once debt payments and operating deficits are taken into account, the total taxpayer obligation of this single project approaches $350 million over 20 years. To put that into perspective, Nantucket’s current outstanding municipal debt is approximately $345 million. Further to that, the town has put forward a Capital Improvement Plan totaling $1 billion in the next 10 years.

I was disappointed there was very little rethinking of the plan after voters rejected this proposal last year. Unfortunately, voters were told that if this exact project was not approved, OIH would face imminent closure and that no other replacement plans would be pursued.

I do not believe this should be viewed as an all-or-nothing decision when there may still be more creative and financially sustainable paths forward. My concern is not whether seniors deserve care — they absolutely do. If Question 1 does not pass, I believe the Town has a responsibility to return to the table and work collaboratively toward a more fiscally responsible solution. In my experience, there is almost always a way forward when people are willing to keep working to find one.

Clifford Williams
I did vote for the Island Home and it is a tragedy, as Matt Fee stated, we should have built it 10 years ago when I was on the Island Home Committee for $30 or $40 million, but town administration and most of the Select Board were opposed to it! We have lost our way with members of the board over the years, but they come and they go and we end up living with their mistakes. I will vote for it, but then try my best to change some of the regulations imposed by the state, like giving the architect 20 percent of the cost of construction, just because.

After the defeat of Article 73, the license for the expansion of the geotubes, at Town Meeting earlier this month, what do you see as the path forward and next steps for the town in dealing with erosion along the Sconset Bluff and Baxter Road?

Bob DeCosta
I imagine that the town will bring this back to the next Town Meeting. In the meantime, the town needs to secure the easement for a future road where Baxter Road fails, and SBPF needs to clean up the mess at the bottom of the bluff. The last thing we need is pieces of the geotubes breaking free and floating around the island.

Jill Vieth
The defeat of Article 73 does not change the fact that erosion along the Sconset Bluff and Baxter Road remains a serious issue that affects the entire community. This is not a problem that simply goes away because one proposal failed. Baxter Road is critical public infrastructure, and the long-term protection of the bluff impacts residents, taxpayers, public safety, and future town spending.

I believe the path forward is for stakeholders to come back to the table and work together toward a practical solution. We need less division and more alignment. There are clearly strong opinions on all sides, but this issue is too important for the community to remain at a standstill. The town, homeowners, engineers, and knowledgeable parties need to continue discussions, evaluate options carefully, and determine a financially and environmentally responsible way forward that protects both the coastline and the public interest.

Clifford Williams
The debate over geotubes has been going on for years. Town Meeting voted against moving forward, so we will see the results. Not if, but when the road falls into the ocean, we will be required to provide access for the homes that are left. Unfortunately, the cost will be in the tens of millions of dollars. I have always been confused by the coastal resilience plan, as pointed out by Sconset residents at Town Meeting, we have armored the shoreline along parts of Dionis, but are against it on the Sconset Bluff. We built a bulkhead on Easy Street four feet high and then the Land Bank extended it, but only built it two or three feet high. What kind of plan is that? I could go on about other projects that are similar, but per the rules I only have so many words to use.

One of the Select Board’s primary duties is to evaluate the performance of the town manager. As an outsider looking in, give us your appraisal of the town manager and her administration - what is working, and what needs improvement?

Bob DeCosta
I think that they have done a good job. There are a lot of moving parts to running the town. It’s impossible to judge performance looking from the outside without knowing all the facts. If elected, I plan on working closely with the town manager to streamline government and keep spending under control.

Jill Vieth
The Town Manager has devoted her life to Nantucket and to public service, and much of what she does goes unseen. In many ways, that is the mark of a true leader — making an incredibly difficult job look easy.

One of the Town Manager’s greatest strengths has been her ability to recruit and retain talented people who care deeply about this community. As Chair of the Finance and Capital Program Committees, I have worked closely with many town employees over the years, and without hesitation, I can say the quality of our staff is exceptional.

That leadership has also translated into measurable financial success for the town. Nantucket’s bond rating once stood at AA2 and is now AAA, thanks to building a strong financial team, recruiting a top-tier CFO, and maintaining the town’s sound financial position.

In recent years, the town’s communication and responsiveness have improved dramatically, making information more accessible and town employees far more available to the public. That progress was especially evident leading up to and during this year’s Town Meeting, where department heads were prepared with detailed information and ready to answer questions on the Articles before voters.

The Town Manager ultimately relies on many people to help run the island effectively, and she has built a team that reflects professionalism, responsiveness, and genuine care for Nantucket. Her historical and institutional knowledge is unmatched — something critically important in a community with Nantucket’s deep history, geographic isolation, and the logistical challenges that come with managing a small island blending a year-round and seasonal population.

I am personally grateful for her years of service and steadfast commitment to this island and its residents.

Clifford Williams
I believe we need a fresh start. The relationship with the town administration and Select Board with the voters has become toxic! On Monday, the board is meeting to address the firing of the police dispatcher. I see the handling of this situation not much different than the way they have handled the African Meeting House investigation. The voters are being ignored, and that all starts with town administration. I don't believe, at this point, after years of the same old behaviors, that this type of leadership can continue.