Who will be next in line to lead the Vineyard public schools and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission?

Searches are now underway for what are arguably the two top government posts on the Island.

Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss steps down at the end of June. Commission executive director Mark London plans to leave at the end of August.

Both men are retiring after long and distinguished careers in their profession.

And as happens naturally, the institutions that they have led so ably are ready for fresh ideas and new leadership.

The search for a school superintendent has moved at a brisk pace and is nearly at an end. Public interviews were held this week with the two finalists: assistant superintendent Matthew D’Andrea and Oak Bluffs principal Richard Smith. The all-Island school committee is expected to make a decision next week. With two strong candidates who already live on the Island, the committee will have a hard decision to make. But that’s the kind of problem every search committee should have.

Meanwhile, the search for the Martha’s Vineyard Commission executive director has just begun. A job posting was circulated this week in the quest to find a new person to lead the forty-year-old regional planning agency that is uniquely charged with protecting the Vineyard by guarding against over development and helping to promote sound local economies. The commission search will be aided by an executive search firm, and a wide net will be cast both on Island and all over the country. It is hoped that the search will attract a strong field.

Whenever high-profile positions turn over on the Island, discussion inevitably turns to what could be called the on-Island, off-Island conundrum. With the cost of real estate in the stratosphere, simply finding highly qualified candidates willing and able to work for government pay can be difficult. Surely there are advantages to hiring someone who is already acclimated to Vineyard life, but the pool of experienced professionals on-Island is limited by our size and geographic isolation. Bringing in someone with off-Island experiences and a different perspective has other advantages.

We credit the school committee for looking beyond our shores before deciding the best talent was right here.

And we’re equally glad to see the Martha’s Vineyard Commission cast the widest possible net for its next leader. Beyond the requisite professional qualifications, key qualities to look for are a sense of humor and a willingness to try new things. It is a truism that living and working on the Island demands flexibility, both on and off the job. It calls to mind a comment made by Steve Ewing, Islander, dockbuilder and poet who won the prestigious Creative Living Award last year.

“You have to be pretty creative to make a living here,” he said.

Amen to that and thanks also to the search committees who have taken on this important task of finding new leaders for their organizations. The outcome will shape the Vineyard of the future in the vital areas of public education and regional planning.