Council on Aging excludes some nominees as it selects Senior Volunteer Woman and Man of the Year

The Nantucket Council on Aging on May 6 discussed eligibility questions for its Senior Volunteer Woman and Man of the Year awards and selected winners after a ranked voting process. Members agreed to exclude at least one prior winner and to consider whether nominees who are paid town employees fit the form's volunteer requirement.

The issue was raised by Kelsey, who said, “I'd like to suggest that some of these nominees do not meet our requirements,” noting one male nominee had previously won the award in 2023 and two nominees appeared to be paid employees whose nominations described job duties. Jericho and other members pointed to precedent: past winners are not eligible and nominees must be volunteers and not compensated for the work cited on the nomination form.

Council members reviewed the nominations and confirmed that a prior winner (identified during the review as M6) should be removed from consideration and that F4 and M4 raised questions because their activities appeared tied to paid positions. Robert, presiding as chair, and others agreed the nomination form should be clarified and suggested emphasizing in bold that nominees must be volunteers.

To decide winners the group used a ranked scoring method (3 points for first place, 2 for second, 1 for third). After tabulation the council selected F1 as Senior Volunteer Woman of the Year and M5 as Senior Volunteer Man of the Year; the council kept runners‑up on record (F7 and M2) in case a first‑choice declines. Jericho said he would notify the winners and finalize arrangements.

The council also directed staff to consider revising the nomination form language to make the volunteer requirement clearer for future cycles. The council did not take any formal legislative action beyond the selection and agreed to keep awardee names confidential until both have accepted.

The council moved on to other agenda items after confirming the award selections.