Nantucket Planning Chief Arrested After White Claw Cans Found in Jeep

On Nantucket, where billionaire compounds stand near historic cottages and one planning call can shift property values by millions, few local officials carry as much sway as Leslie Woodson Snell.

Snell, 47, serves as the island’s Planning Director, overseeing what can be built, which projects move forward and how the town navigates the competing needs of affluent seasonal visitors and full-time residents. She lives on the island with her husband, Eli, and their daughter in a home valued at about $2.5 million.

Earlier this year, however, Snell became the subject of a legal controversy after Cape Cod police arrested her in connection with an alleged DUI, according to an arrest report.

Body camera video obtained by the Daily Mail showed Snell appearing unsteady and having difficulty speaking clearly. Officers also reported seeing a case of White Claw in the passenger seat of her silver Jeep, open cans in the center console and an open bottle of vodka in the rear of the vehicle.

Even after the incident, Snell’s town contract, worth about $200,000 a year, was renewed with little public fanfare — a decision that angered critics who have accused her of favoritism and meddling in permitting matters.

Nantucket resident Brook Gibbs told the Daily Mail that Snell’s decision-making in office “is based on how loyal you are to their agenda, and not to public service or the general public’s best interests.”

A second resident, who works in real estate and requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation, claimed that personal connections often appear to play a role in how construction permits are handled.

“You just get rubber stamped if you’re in with the right people,” the resident said, adding that “Leslie can literally make or break people in the business.”

Stephen Butler, who spent seven years as a building inspector prior to his 2018 retirement, claimed Snell pressured him to issue permits even when businesses were non-compliant.

‘When it came time to issue certifications of occupancy for businesses there was a general pro-business attitude,’ Butler told the Daily Mail. ‘Whether they were done technically or not, they were going to open for the spring. We had a few confrontations when things weren’t exactly finished.’

After questioning Snell’s process, Butler said he was threatened with disciplinary action.

Butler claimed he was eventually forced out and replaced with a ‘toady’ inspector.

Gibbs, a year-round Nantucket resident, caretaker and plumber who ran unsuccessfully for the town’s Select Board in 2025, said he was not remotely surprised by Snell’s reappointment.

‘Loyalty to them – the town administration – is more important than personal integrity and good judgement,’ Gibbs told the Daily Mail. 

He alleged that some residents feel increasingly disconnected from decision-makers on the island, claiming: ‘They allow developers to exploit the local community for their own personal financial gain.’

On April 20, officers from Yarmouth Police Department were called just before dusk after Snell crashed her Jeep SUV into a pole while driving on a busy thoroughfare.

According to an arrest report obtained by the Daily Mail, officer Samantha Voltolini arrived to find that Snell had ‘glassy blood-shot eyes’ and a ‘strong odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from her breath.’

Officers found an open bottle of vodka in the back seat of her vehicle, alcohol nips in her purse and open cans of White Claw seltzer in the center console and passenger seat, according to the report.

Snell told police she had consumed two drinks at a nearby restaurant about an hour earlier, but officers said she struggled to provide consistent answers about where she lived and appeared unsure of her location, according to the arrest report. 

Bodycam footage obtained by the Daily Mail showed Snell during the roadside encounter slurring her speech, repeatedly swearing and failing to follow verbal instructions during field sobriety testing.

Snell allegedly refused to take a breath test at the police station and was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol and possessing an open container in a motor vehicle. She pleaded not guilty to both charges at an arraignment hearing at Barnstable District Court on April 21.

A week later, she accepted a plea agreement in which the DUI charge was continued without a finding for one year. She was required to surrender her license for 45 days, complete an alcohol education course and pay fees of around $600. If all conditions are met, the charge is expected to be dismissed at the end of the one-year continuance.

Her arrest was not publicly reported until more than a month after it occurred. Two months later, her contract was renewed, including a one-time cost-of-living payment of $7,820, bumping her pay package to over $200,000 this year.

‘I deeply regret the event that occurred off-island on April 20 while I was attending to personal commitments,’ Snell said in a statement to The Inquirer and Mirror at the time. ‘I accept full responsibility for my actions and the matter has been resolved.’

Snell has not responded to the Daily Mail’s requests for comment. 

When asked about Snell’s arrest and her contract renewal by the Daily Mail, the town of Nantucket declined to comment on ‘any internal personal matter regarding Mrs Snell’s employment,’ citing state law and town practice.

Toby Brown, chairman of the Nantucket Republican Party, said he shared broader concerns about town spending and bureaucracy, but did not believe Snell’s arrest alone justified removing her.

‘There’s a lot of things that go on here that I disagree with,’ he said.

‘But you tend to get a lot of jealousy from people on the island who dislike those who make more money than they do.’   

Even before Snell’s run-in with the law, town locals have complained over the years that Snell has played favorites, exacted retribution on enemies, and manipulated her role to ‘appease’ people she chose.

Snell was elevated from deputy planning director in 2023 to replace her longtime boss, Andrew Vorce, after his retirement. Her elevation to the role was criticized by critics who argued it bypassed an open and competitive candidate search. 

The controversy deepened after it emerged that the Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission (NP&EDC) had negotiated Snell’s promotion and contract during executive sessions before publicly announcing the appointment. 

A Massachusetts Attorney General’s investigation later found the commission had violated the state’s Open Meeting Law, ruling that the process gave the appearance of a ‘fait accompli’ created behind closed doors.

Several commission members who ultimately voted to ratify Snell’s appointment were accused of conflicts of interest over business interests that were often brought before the island’s planning and land use services department, according to the Nantucket Current.

The appointment controversy exploded back into public view when Karla Butler, Stephen Butler’s wife, accused Snell in an open letter to town management and local media of creating a toxic working environment and interfering with permitting decisions.

Karla claimed Snell’s style was prone to favoritism, retribution and abuse of power.

‘The interference, contempt and attempted manipulation to move permits to the top of (the) pile of people she wanted to appease was constant,’ she wrote.

Snell strongly denied the allegations. She told the Nantucket Current that criticism of her appointment was unwarranted, and had become ‘personal.’

‘It’s part of an ongoing public attack orchestrated by a few people attempting to discredit my professional reputation, as well documented by multiple sources,’ Snell said.  

Nantucket, a 30-mile-long island located off Cape Cod, has just 14,000 year-round residents, but swells dramatically during summer, when tens of thousands of visitors arrive.

It is also one of the country’s most valuable real estate markets, and has become a playground for Wall Street billionaires, Silicon Valley tech moguls and America’s old-money dynasties.