Moving on from a ‘tempest’ in Tisbury

An Oct. 29 article describes a “tempest” in Tisbury Town Hall. I served on the planning board for seven years, including one as chair, and know how much commitment the work requires. When I joined, Tisbury had no master plan — like building a house without drawings. With then–Town Manager Jay Grande’s help securing funding, the board selected a consultant and assembled a steering committee. Together, while managing a full agenda, we produced a workable master plan that was enthusiastically adopted. That took teamwork. Later, I saw the board move away from neutrality and respectful collaboration. Despite raising those concerns, I saw no change, and resigned. I told the planning board, select board and town administrator then what I believe now: Tisbury needs a professional town planner. Our volunteer board members devote enormous time to the town, but we need a trained employee responsible for coordinating planning, pursuing grants, monitoring projects, and reporting progress annually.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.