Miles Grant is running for Fairhaven Select Board in the 6/9/26 election. Submitted photo.
Press Release
Our town needs fresh voices, new ideas, and leadership that makes smart choices today to secure our future. I’m running for Select Board because I want to help make sure the decisions we face are debated thoroughly, collaboratively, and civilly, and are guided by a vision for sustaining Fairhaven as a vibrant community and wonderful place to raise a family.
I am so happy to call Fairhaven home. Just last week, my increasingly low-riding 2011 Toyota Camry got caught on a snow pile at Route 6 and Adams Street, and before I could even get a back-and-forth rock going, two people had jumped out of their cars with shovels to help dig out. I was so glad my kids were in the back seat to see what our community is all about.
I’ve worked hard to give back. I currently serve on the Fairhaven Planning Board, I’m a liaison to the Economic Development Committee, and I’m a member of the Livable Streets Committee. I’m a founding member of Southcoast Places for People, a cause that’s taken on increased urgency with a wave of people killed on Route 6 over the last year. I’ve also volunteered on the New Bedford Science Café’s steering committee, as a trail steward with Buzzards Bay Coalition, as an event volunteer with the South Coast LGBTQ+ Network, and as a coach with Mariner Soccer. And I’m currently communications director at Partners In Democracy, a Boston-based nonprofit working across party lines to make sure everyone is heard, our government is responsive, and our representatives are accountable.
It’s a time of hope for Fairhaven. Brand new commuter rail service right across the harbor saw ridership surge 33% in its second year. We’ve had a new series of outdoor events draw thousands of people to town center. Restaurants like Hanami Tea House, Saffron by the Sea, Sail House Tavern, and SoCo Tavern have opened their doors. And just over the horizon, Big Y could bring a new, locally-owned grocery store.
But we also face challenges, the biggest being our town budget. To ensure long-term sustainability, we need to loosen some of the regulations that have hurt our growth. Can you believe Fairhaven is actually home to fewer people now than it was in 1970? Thanks to unnecessarily big lot sizes, frontages, setbacks, and other onerous restrictions on growth, much of our town center would be illegal to build today. We should reform our bylaws to encourage new housing and small businesses that fit with the historic character of our existing neighborhoods.
In the coming months, I’ll be out asking for your vote on June 9, holding events and joining meetings in every corner of Fairhaven, and I hope you’ll come say hello. To get the details, follow my campaign on Facebook — just search Miles Grant for Select Board.
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