Meetings Ahead
Meetings are held remotely. Go to eastham-ma.gov/calendar-by-event-type/16 and click on a particular meeting to read its agenda. That document will provide information about how to view and take part remotely.
Monday, June 29
- Eastham 400 Commemorative Committee, 10:30 a.m.
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 30
- Nauset High School Building Committee, 10:30 a.m.
- Tee Time Development Committee, 5 p.m.
Conversation Starters
Covid-19 Update
As of June 22, the number of active cases in Eastham was 10. The number of cases has remained at 10 since June 4.
The Results Are In
It took longer than expected but town election was held on June 23 and the results are in.
Judy Lindahl and write-in candidate Ben Niggel won the two available seats on the Eastham Elementary School Committee, receiving 956 and 102 votes respectively.
Scott Kerry will be the town’s new moderator after running uncontested and receiving 989 votes; Cindy Nicholson will remain as town clerk after receiving 983 votes.
Aimée Eckman will remain chair of the select board, as she received 929 votes, and Art Autorino will become the newest member of the board with 907 votes.
Mary Shaw and Ignatious Alfano will remain on the board of library trustees after receiving 973 and 951 votes respectively.
Town Clerk Cindy Nicholson said a total of 1,043 people voted, including 907 early voter ballots and 30 absentee ballots.
Niggel, who is the son of Willy’s Gym owner Barbara Niggel, is a student at Harvard University and the latest example of younger members joining boards and committees.
The last time there was a contested race for the select board was in 2017, when Eckman and Martin McDonald beat Linda Burt and Al Cestaro for the two open seats.
But in 2018 Jamie Rivers was uncontested and Al Cestaro won a special election to fill former select board member John Knight’s seat.
In 2019 Cestaro and Jared Collins were uncontested.
Eckman, Cestaro, Rivers, and Collins all represent a trend uncommon among boards and committees on the Outer Cape — they are comparatively young. Lauren Barker, CEO of Cape Cod Young Professionals, joined the town’s planning board in 2019 and now serves as vice chair.
“I think it kind of started with the water issue,” Eckman told the Independent. She referred to the town water project that was finally approved at town meeting in 2014 after seven previous attempts had failed.
“I think they really saw that they could make a difference.”
The town has worked to make sure meetings are held at reasonable times. The board used to meet both on Mondays at 5 p.m. and on Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. but has removed the Wednesday meetings from its calendar.
Eastham is the only Outer Cape town with a standing search committee. Committee members keep an eye on openings, solicit potential members, review applications, interview candidates with a select board member and the chair of the relevant committee, and make a recommendation to the board.
In the last year the select board has also worked to update all of the town committee and board charges.
“We’ve tried to work with chairs of every board to come up with clear and short explanations of what these boards do,” Eckman said. “That’s opened the eyes of a lot of people.”
—Ryan Fitzgerald
