Exclusive | Goldman Sachs president John Waldron clashes with Marthas Vineyard officials in tree-chopping fracas

The president of Goldman Sachs has roused the ire of local officials on Martha’s Vineyard after he allegedly flouted a town order and chopped down 19 trees that were blocking views at his lavish waterfront vacation home, The Post has learned.John Waldron — the Wall Street giant’s No.2 executive who is seen as the likely successor to CEO David Solomon — sparked a fracas last spring when the alleged violation was discovered on their sprawling four-acre estate near Katama Bay, the quaint maritime enclave where Steven Spielberg filmed his 1975 blockbuster “Jaws.”The 56-year-old Waldron and his wife, Amanda, bought the vacant Edgartown lot in 2020 for over $11 million.

They built a four-bedroom summer home two years later on the Massachusetts island getaway for the East Coast elite; the spread is now valued at more than $30 million.But last spring, local officials discovered that the deep-pocketed investment banker had apparently chopped down 19 cedars and pitch pines — some of them 60 years old and as much as 60 feet high — that were blocking the mansion’s water view, according to filings lodged with the Edgartown conservation commission.That was after the town in 2022 had approved construction plans allowing 11 trees to be cut down, but explicitly barred the removal of those 19 cedars and pines, sources said.“On a recent site inspection, April 9, 2025, it came to the attention of this office that almost every tree that was to remain unaltered between the dwelling and the water has been removed,” Edgartown conservation officer Kara Shemeth wrote in an August cease-and-desist letter to Waldron obtained by The Post.Edgartown officials allege Waldron’s illegal landscaping occurred in a protected wetlands zone, potentially harming local wildlife and setting a dangerous precedent.“This is in violation of the permit granted and the plans on file,” she added, demanding an explanation via his lawyer and citing breaches of the Wetlands Act and local ...