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Collaborations across Artist Marthe Rowen captures the community B6 landscapes with pen B8

Thursday, May 14, 2026

THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD TIMES

Volume 43, Issue No. 19

2 Sections

Connie Alexander elected to Tisbury Select Board

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Voters also approved a $1 million override to fill a funding gap. BY EUNKI SEONWOO

NICHOLAS VUKOTA

he Tisbury Select Board has a new member on its roster: Constance (“Connie”) Alexander, who won in a decisive victory during the annual town election. Throughout Tuesday, Tisbury voters went to the town’s Emergency Services Facility on Spring Street to cast their ballots for 20 seats — although some positions had no candidates — as well as two ballot questions. During the annual town election, voters on the sidewalk waved campaign signs to support different candidates. Among the four contested races, the select board caught the most interest from voters, as could be seen by yard signs that supported either Alexander or John Greg Martino, the other select board candidate, on Tisbury lawns. Alexander was elected to a three-year term on the select board in a 443–224 vote. She replaces former board member Christina Colarusso. “I am extremely grateful for all the support I received from the very beginning to right this very minute,” Alexander said at the polls. “I promise to do everything I can to help this town move forward in the best and most efficient way possible.” Alexander first came to Tisbury in 1979, and was a science teacher in the Tisbury School for 22 years. She has also held various town positions, such as former chair of the planning board and member of the sewer advisory board. Alexander is currently a board member of Tisbury Waterways, Inc., a nonprofit that advocates for cleaner waterways in the town, and has served with various other organizations, including the Big Brother Big Sister Advisory Council and the Tisbury School Advisory Council. Supporting town employees and opening up more efficient communication and collaboration across Tisbury’s departments are Continued on A7

Summer is just around the corner, when sailboat regattas will be featured on Vineyard waters SAILING INTO SUMMER and boats line the harbors. The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) sailing team has cut through the blue waters of the Islands to take on opponents from across the region. Most recently on Tuesday, the team beat Nauset Regional High School 3-1 in Orleans. But you may be able to get a chance to see the Vineyard students sailing on a dazzlingly bright day in local seas, as is shown in our cover photo of when they beat Monomoy Regional High School 3-0 a week ago.

Once-elegant hotel now symbol of struggle Island House residents tell of bleak conditions in seasonal workforce housing. BY SARAH SHAW DAWSON

n the 1860s, ornate resort hotels were constructed in downtown Oak Bluffs to accommodate an influx of summer visitors. The Island was a budding attraction: Early sightseers promenaded in billowing gowns and sharp suits while attending religious camp meetings, and took in the beauty of the Island as a vacation hot spot. One of the first hotels built to house this new wave of tourism was called the Island House. Over 160 years later, the Island House still exists, but serves a totally different purpose. Just as the needs of the Martha’s Vineyard comContinued on A8

Teaching the trades CTE programs at the high school awarded state funds and could see another boost through building project. BY SARAH SHAW DAWSON

wenty-three-year-old Jackson (“Jackie”) Pizzano spends most of his days up in a tree, a hundred feet above the ground, often secured to a Tabor Tree bucket truck as he uses a chainsaw to prune, remove dangerous branches from, and propagate the health of the Island’s woods. For the past couple of years, he’s worked as a licensed arborist on the Island, but his roots in the outdoor industry started when he was a student in the high school’s horticulture program. Pizzano is one of many Island students who have returned to the Island to work in the local trades after higher education, and his attendance in one of the career technical education (CTE) programs introduced him to the industry. Horticulture is one of several of these programs offered at the high school, which also include automotive technology, building

trades, culinary arts, early childhood development, and health assisting. About a quarter of high schools in the state offer these career programs, including Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS). And there’s a push both from the state and locally to support them further. Not only were the programs recently awarded funds from the state governor’s administration for expansion, but the school building project, which awaits an Island-wide vote early next month, includes plans to bolster what is already a career push for many students. “I knew I hated being inside, and that’s why I chose horticulture,” Pizzano said. “I wasn’t going to work in an office.” Pizzano is a prime example of the success of a learning cycle that’s beneficial to both the Island economy and the Continued on A9

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