With Incumbents Bowing Out, Select Board Race Heats Up

The two incumbents coming to the end of their terms on the Select Board this year - Malcolm MacNab and Tom Dixon - have both announced they will not be seeking reelection. And now the race for their two board seats is starting to heat up.

Joining Select Board candidate Amy Eldridge in the race this week are Finance Committee chair Jill Vieth, and perennial candidate Cliff Williams, who will be running for the 16th time.

Vieth, who owns a local design business, pulled nomination papers to run for Select Board last year, but ultimately withdrew from the race. But with another year of experience on the Finance Committee and the Capital Program Committee, Vieth said she is ready to take on the challenge of running for a seat on the town's lead policy-making body.

"As chair of both the Finance Committee and the Capital Program Committee, I have had the opportunity to review the town’s finances from the inside, evaluating capital projects, long-term planning, debt, and operating budgets that directly affect every resident, taxpayer, retiree, family, and business owner on the island," Vieth said in a statement to the Current. "Those roles have given me a clearer understanding of how municipal decisions are made and ripple through our community, from infrastructure and environmental stewardship to affordable housing, recreation and essential services. Through this rewarding work, I have come to believe that thoughtful financial stewardship and long-term planning are imperative to preserving what makes Nantucket such a special place to live."

At Wednesday's Select Board meeting, Williams said perhaps this would be the year he breaks through after more than a dozen attempts at earning a seat on the board. Williams finished third in a five-person race for two seats on the Select Board in 2025, earning 687 votes, well behind Matt Fee and Brooke Mohr. In his prior runs, Williams, who works as a technician for the FAA at Nantucket Memorial Airport, has emphasized potential deals the town could seize upon to create additional affordable housing opportunities and said the town should focus on the fundamentals: fixing potholes, fixing the landfill, and fixing Our Island Home. 

Here is a breakdown of the various town government seats up for grabs in this year's election on Tuesday, May 19: 

As of Thursday morning, here is the list of candidates who have pulled papers to run for those seats: