Nantucket work group to draft RFP seeking independent review of African Meeting House investigation

The first meeting of the African Meeting House Investigation Procurement Work Group opened at 10 a.m., where members agreed to draft a request for proposals to hire an independent investigator to review the police response to the March 11 vandalism at the African Meeting House.

The work group, chaired by Malcolm McNabb, a select person and the committee chair, agreed the investigator should be independent of persons and organizations involved in the original inquiry, possess demonstrable experience with criminal-investigation practices and be prepared to produce a public report and presentation of findings. "Our essential goal is essentially to find an organization to do an independent review of the investigation of the African Meeting House vandalism," McNabb said at the meeting.

The group's discussion centered on three interlocking topics: how to define "independent," what minimum qualifications to require, and how the town should structure procurement. Dr. Noelle Trent, president and CEO of the Museum of African American History, said the work group should seek candidates who "do not have ties to any of the individuals or parties that would be investigated." Members discussed using a standard conflict-of-interest disclosure in the application and listing entities (for example, the Nantucket Police Department and the town) that would trigger a conflict review.

Members agreed the investigator should have prior experience conducting or overseeing criminal investigations or reviews of investigations, including familiarity with law-enforcement standards and ethics. The group discussed requesting references, interviewable examples of previous work and a description of investigative methodology in proposals. "We want someone to have a demonstrable level of experience conducting investigations at this level," a work-group member said during the meeting.

The finance office will guide the procurement mechanics. The group asked Brian Turbot, identified in the meeting as the town's director of finance, to brief the committee on how the RFP and bid window would be structured; members discussed typical bid windows of 30, 60 or 90 days as examples. The finance director is scheduled to attend a future meeting to lay out the legal and procedural steps for issuing an RFP and receiving proposals.

The group also clarified the legal limits of a privately hired investigator: the contractor would not have police powers or the authority to compel testimony or carry out arrests. McNabb said the investigator "would not have the legal power to do a further investigation" and could only recommend that public authorities pursue additional action; any law-enforcement follow-up would be the responsibility of the district attorney or local police.

Members considered an existing draft scope of work prepared earlier by town staff, including a version attributed in discussion to the police chief. The committee viewed that draft as a starting point but agreed it should be reviewed and revised to reinforce independence and to focus payor resources on the March 11 incident. The group agreed the investigator may identify related incidents, but that the town will pay the contractor specifically to investigate the March 11 matter; any separate follow-up would be a new engagement or an authorization for additional work by public authorities.

On transparency, members supported requiring a public presentation of the investigator's findings in addition to a written report. "I think that's an excellent idea," one member said of a public presentation, noting it would improve transparency.

The committee set a recurring meeting cadence and logistics: members agreed to meet in a hybrid format, with in-person meetings at MPEDC Room B and Zoom available; the group tentatively settled on 5:30 p.m. meeting times (with adjustments to avoid other standing town meetings) and agreed to schedule Brian Turbot for the next meeting to cover procurement details. The work group also decided to include a period for public comment at the start of the next meeting.

Next steps: the committee will draft the RFP and a short conflict-of-interest questionnaire for applicants, invite the finance director to present procurement mechanics, and plan interviews of shortlisted proposers. The work group emphasized that proposals should explicitly disclose any previous work with Nantucket entities and that the committee will evaluate such ties when assessing independence.