Islanders are close to finding out who will be representing them on the Steamship Authority board for at least the next three years after Jim Malkin, longtime representative, decided to not pursue another term.
The Dukes County Commissioners, who appoint the board representative, announced on Tuesday afternoon that the public interviews of the three finalists will be conducted in a special hybrid meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 4 pm at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven.
Following a review of 14 applications by a nomination committee, three candidates have been selected to be interviewed by the full commission: Gail Barmakian, Cameron Naron, and Ted Gavin.
Each candidate brings a different set of experiences to the table. Barmakian, a lawyer, currently chairs the Oak Bluffs Wastewater Commission, and previously served five terms on the town’s select board. Naron is the director of the federal Office of Maritime Security and previously served in the U.S. Coast Guard, retiring with the rank of captain. Gavin is a certified turnaround professional, a role that helps stabilize troubled companies. He also serves on the boards of several nonprofits, including the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association, and as treasurer of the Hebrew Center.
This is also the first time that candidates will be interviewed in public. Screenings of the candidates were completed in executive sessions before the finalists were chosen. Don Leopold, chair of the nomination committee, previously told The Times that at least one candidate wanted to be left anonymous unless they were a finalist, so applicants’ names were kept secret until the final rounds as the committee didn’t want to discourage applications.
The public is invited to attend, and the interviews can also be watched from Zoom, the link for which can be found on the Dukes County website.
According to the press release from the commissioners, the meeting will be for “interviews by commissioners and possible deliberations only.” A public comment period is not planned to be held.
The commissioners are also accepting suggestions for questions until Feb. 24 at noon. Suggestions can be sent to questions@dukescounty.org.