Selectmen appoint new committee members
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER
At its June 6 meeting, the Board of Selectmen named appointees to vacancies on various town boards, commissions and committees after having held a meeting with applicants in May to ask individual questions about their interests and qualifications. In making the selections, the board considered diversity and a mix of skills as well as exhibition of a cooperative spirit. There were 81 applicants for seats on 19 boards.

New applicants were asked about voluntary attendance at meetings, their interest in serving and ability to commit to the meeting schedule. Incumbents were asked about their level of attendance, how they have helped their board in reaching its mission and why they want to continue serving on their board. Though questioning of applicants took about four hours, the actual selection process went quickly. The new seats take effect on July 1.

The chosen members, and brief exerpts from forms submitted only by new, non-incumbent and contested applicants, are as follows:

+ Airport Commission, one seat: Finn Murphy.

Murphy wrote: "The Airport Commission has begun several very high profile and important projects which will mature over the next few years. First, is the Bulk Fuel project which is intended to address many of Nantucket's future energy needs in a fiscally and environmentally sustainable manner. Second, is the new terminal project, which will also shape Nantucket's future in one of our premier gateways for visitors and a lifeline for residents. Third, there are upcoming housing issues for airport management and staff which should be addressed before the situation becomes a crisis."

+ Cable TV Advisory Committee, one seat: Peter Sutro, uncontested.

+ Capital Program Committee, one atlarge seat: Frank Spriggs, an uncontested incumbent.

+ Commission on Disability, two seats ending 2010: Ellen Braginton-Smith and David Gray. Two seats ending 2008: Richard Moran, an incumbent, and Jeanette Topham.

Braginton-Smith wrote: "During my nursing career I specialized in orthopedics but also worked part-time in a nursing home. I have also, as a result of three severe auto accidents, spent more than two years of my life in a wheelchair or on crutches. I can personally appreciate the struggles endured just trying to get through a normal day."

Gray wrote: "I have a 16-year-old nephew who has spinal bifida and is unable to walk without crutches. He also uses an electric scooter. This has always been a concern of mine and now it's time to step up and do my part to make our home more accessible for our needs."

Topham wrote: "My husband is disabled and I have noticed many areas that are not in compliance with ADA (the federal Americans with Disability Act). Until Jack became disabled, I was totally oblivious to what was needed for people who have difficulty maneuvering around the island. I now have a new awareness to the subject."

+ Conservation Commission, three seats: Andrew Bennett, David Gray, an incumbent, and John Braginton- Smith.

Bennett wrote: "I am concerned with the fast growth in housing on island and its encroachment on the island's fragile habitats and the potential consequences to the island's aquifer, which directly relates to human health."

Braginton-Smith wrote: "[I am] a life-long conservationist and have managed family conservation land on the mainland, [besides] being general foreman at the Department of Public Works for seven years."

+ Contract Review Committee, one atlarge seat: Mary Wawro.

Wawro wrote: "As an attorney with the office of the Los Angeles County Counsel for 25 years, I provided advice to and assisted the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and many county departments on contracting issues. My activities on this committee, however,... would lend impartial and objective technical expertise pertaining to the town's co0ntracting and monitoring functions."

+ Council on Aging, three seats: Carol Barrett, an incumbent, Susan Bennett-Witte, an incumbent and Brenda Johnson.

Johnson wrote: "I am interested in serving on the Council on Aging because I have a concern for the elders in our community. I have many resources in this area and feel I can make a difference on this committee."

+ Council for Human Services, three seats ending 2010: Jacqueline McGrady, M. Gregory Mehringer and Eve Messing. Two seats ending 2008: Susan Marques and Nancy Sevrens, an incumbent.

McGrady wrote: "I have spent all of my professional life trying to make a difference in the areas the Council for Human Services addresses. As an ordained minister I have worked on issues of homelessness, hunger, alcohol and drug abuse, and financial crises of not being able to pay the rent, electric or fuel bills. Having spent approximately 15 years in other communities dealing with similar problems, I hope to bring fresh ideas and new insights."

Mehringer wrote: "I have operated several businesses on island for 25 years. I have an MBA (master's degree in business administration) with vast experiences in management, financials and strategic planning and business grant writing. I would like to bring the issues facing this community more into the public light."

Messing wrote: "Living on Nantucket since 1994, I've always been abreast of the happenings of the island. Having worked in the restaurant industry for so many years, however, never enabled me to get too involved beyond the patron level. That has changed, and I am now ready, willing and able to further my contributions and knowledge to Nantucket's community."

Marques wrote: "I am very familiar with the other half of people who live here on Nantucket (housing, health and nutritional needs) and services available to those who truly need it, and hopefully keeping an eye to the future by making it affordable to live here and comfortably - helping others to see what is available to them."

+ Cultural Council, two seats: David Provost and Marina Sutro.

Provost wrote: "I have been a working artist since 1986 and an educator since 1988. I am interested, particularly, in seeing the committee explore ways for individuals and organizations to collaborate in an effort to broaden cultural awareness and opportunity for the people of Nantucket."

Sutro wrote: "I am interested in helping small groups get government aid in pursuing their cultural goals. I have served on several boards on Nantucket interested in cultural events."

+ Energy Study Committee, five seats: Carl Borchert, Mike Burns, an incumbent, Barbara Gookin, an incumbent, Anne Miller and Alexandra Welsh, an incumbent.

Borchert wrote: "I have worked on off-shore wind power for four years and I have traveled and researched clean renewable energy extensively during that time. My objective on the energy committee would be to secure a 25 to 35 percent reduction of residential and commercial electric rates for every ratepayer on Nantucket through negotiated power contracts with power suppliers."

Miller wrote: "I hope that our committee is successful in promoting energy conservation tactics through education and outreach. I hope our committee will study the island's electricity usage patterns, obtaining a better understanding of our needs so we can take actions to reduce residential electric rates."

+ Finance Committee, three seats: Charity Benz, Peter Morrison and Michael Rosen, an incumbent.

Benz wrote: "The residents and taxpayers of Nantucket need to have confidence that appropriated funds are not only being spent carefully, but also that requests for additional funding are justified and truly appropriate within the hierarchy of priorities that are set by town officials...There are limits to what can be spent in the face of the community's appetite for more services, and the role of the Finance Committee is critical in trying to urge and strike a balance which is fair and appropriate during these times of growth and change."

Morrison wrote: "I was a senior social scientist at the Rand Corporation in California for over 25 years, conducting demographic and urban research on changing communities and regions. My continuing aims would be to provide impartial and objective advice to the Board of Selectmen and assist fellow committee members and the BOS with analyses of issues that lie within my areas of expertise."

+ Nantucket Historical Commission, two seats: Aaron Marcavitch and Mark Voigt, both incumbents.

+ Parks and Recreation Commission, one seat: Maureen Beck, an incumbent.

+ Planning Board Alternate, one seat:

Diane Coombs, uncontested.

+ Scholarship Committee, one seat:

Pamela Bartlett, uncontested.

+ Town & County Right of Way Committee, one seat: D. Anne Atherton.

Atherton wrote: "The objective to increase public access to the waterfront, under the [selectmen's] goal of enhancing the quality of life for residents and visitors, is one I heartily endorse. It seems to me that this committee, although low-key in profile, plays an important role in addressing this objective, thus my interest in serving on it."

+ Tree Advisory Committee, one seat:

Michael Misurelli.

Misurelli wrote: "My career is landscaping and I have an avid interest in trees. [I would like to] further the advisory mission of the tree committee and contribute to preservation of Nantucket trees."

+ Visitors Service and Information Advisory Committee, three seats ending 2010: Charles Balas, an incumbent, Diane Reis Flaherty and Gene Mahon, an incumbent. Two seats ending 2009: David Place and Louise Swift.

+ Zoning Board of Appeals, one seat, five years: Dale Waine, an incumbent. Alternate seat ending 2008: Lisa

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