Select Board Picks From Crowded Field Of Candidates For Historical Commission Seats

The Select Board appointed Nantucket Preservation Trust executive committee member Barbara Halsted and local historian Betsy Tyler to the Nantucket Historical Commission (NHC) on Wednesday. They also voted to re-appoint Nantucket Planning and Economic Development chair Abby De Molina to her seat on the NHC.

With a total of seven candidates applying for three seats, Wednesday’s vote was one of the most heavily contested in the entire annual application process.

“This year, we've had the best slate of candidates we've ever had,” Select Board member Malcolm MacNab said.

The NHC advises the Select Board on historic preservation and works to protect Nantucket’s status as a National Historic Landmark, drawing up guidelines and plans for preservation on island. The NHC is separate from the Historic District Commission, but the two groups do work together on certain projects.

“I feel I provide a different perspective and represent a younger demographic and Spanish speakers on-island,” De Molina wrote in her application. “I try to provide helpful, pragmatic, data-based feedback and keep everyone informed and up-to-date.”

The Select Board held two separate votes, one for a vacant seat expiring in 2027 and one for the second vacant seat and De Molina’s seat, both of which expire in 2028.

In the vote for the 2027 seat, Tyler received votes from Select Board members Brooke Mohr, Tom Dixon and Malcolm MacNab, as well as vice chair Matt Fee. Capital Program Committee and Town Council Study Committee member Caroline Baltzer received a vote from chair Dawn Hill. The other candidates - attorney Lee Tesser and marketing and operating executive Amy Keohane - did not receive any votes.

Tyler emphasized her extensive experience with the Nantucket Historical Association (NHA), Nantucket Atheneum, and Preservation Institute Nantucket in her application. Baltzar spoke of her interest in Nantucket’s history and her doctoral degree, Tesser focused on his legal experience, and Keohane wrote about her efforts to block pools on Mariner Way.

In the vote for the 2028 seats, De Molina and Halsted each received four votes. De Molina’s votes came from Hill, Dixon, MacNab and Mohr, while Halsted’s votes came from Dixon, MacNab, Mohr and Fee. Fee also cast a vote for Keohane, and Hill voted for former Historic District Commission member Linda Williams.

Halsted is a long-time member of the Nantucket Preservation Trust board and executive committee, and has a degree in architectural history. Williams has served on a wide variety of local boards, often drawing attention for her blunt and confrontational style. She is currently the vice chair of the Conservation Commission.

In 2022, the NHC drew significant public attention when the Select Board voted out former chair Hillary Hedges Rayport, who now serves as an elected member of the Planning Board. At the time, Rayport was the NHC chair. Her replacement on the NHC was De Molina. The two now serve together on both the Planning Board and the Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission.