Wild World of Vineyard Haven Politics

An eventful spring in our corner of the world. On Tuesday, beer and wine passed by a healthy margin, making Vineyard Haven a “wet” town for the first time in 180 years. Tristan Israel – prominent in the Island music scene – was reelected as selectman, despite some opposition.

In another notable race, Kenneth Garde was unseated from the Tisbury board of health by Michael Loberg in a landslide. Mr. Garde has been in the news frequently over the past couple years: a handful of his Siberian Huskies have been banned from town and his three adult children were arrested for trafficking heroin out of his home. (The ringleader pled guilty.)

Mr. Garde has one year remaining of his three year term as public works commissioner.

Last month, a member of the Tisbury town planning board and a registered sex offender was arrested on charges of “rape and assault and battery of a retarded person”. Apparently, he cannot be removed from the town planning board before his term ends.

On Wednesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that the controversial Cape Wind project – 130 turbines in Vineyard Sound – would proceed. Details, such as the cost of the project and its effect on local energy prices, have not been ironed out, according to NPR. Meanwhile, environmentalists debate the pros and cons of the project. Opponents promise legal challenges.