Barnstable County board elects Mark Forrest chair, names Bergstrom vice chair

Mark Forrest was elected chair of the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners during a roll-call vote at the board's Jan. 2 remote meeting; the board also named Commissioner Bergstrom as vice chair.

The board reorganized at the start of its first meeting of 2026. A commissioner nominated Forrest for chair; Forrest accepted. The board then moved and approved a separate nomination naming Commissioner Bergstrom as vice chair.

Forrest reviewed the slate of committee assignments and proposed adding County Administrator Michael Dutton as his alternate representative to the Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative (CVEC), citing schedule conflicts that make it difficult for him to attend some CVEC meetings and noting that dedicated staff participation tends to increase a municipality's engagement with CVEC.

A motion from Commissioner Bergstrom to adopt the 2026 slate of assignments, with Michael Dutton designated as the CVEC alternate, was seconded and carried on a roll-call vote. The board's recorded outcome on the motion was approval by the commissioners present.

The reorganization moves take effect immediately; the board will proceed this year with the committee assignments as presented and has signaled it may revisit assignment rotation policies at a future meeting.