Harbored View
Chris

Perry


It is clear our attention is scattered

all over the place. Between bomb scares downtown, high-risk sex offenders moving to our island, traffic congestion hitting an all-time high,

sky-rocketing real

estate prices, a

power struggle

with Sheriff

Bretschneider, the selectmen's dubious appointments and a less than stellar start to our summer season, it’s been a hell of few weeks.

But just under the radar screen and right under our noses, the Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission is at a crossroads. With so much going on around the island, it is easy to lose track of their actions. Lately, that might be a blessing in disguise for them. Nevertheless, I am concerned the NP&EDC is heading down an all too familiar road that I experienced several years ago while serving on Nantucket's School Committee.

From the outside, it would appear to be difficult to draw any similarities between the NP&EDC and the School Committee. One deals with economic growth while the other obviously handles the island’s public education. One is a non-regulatory organization while the other deals almost exclusively with setting policy and procedure. One has a board of 12 while the other has five elected members. So where do they come together?

Committees develop over time. They go through cycles and experience highs and lows. Committees take on personalities. During their reigns, it is inevitable that committees will deal with stressful topics. They will field difficult questions. Generally, this is what defines their existence. And when they face these hardships, the true colors of the individual members and of the committees themselves ultimately come through.

Right now, the NP&EDC is struggling.

The committee is searching for an identity. They are divided. They are panicking. They are not acting professionally.

Is all lost? Certainly not. However, veteran, experienced leadership needs to step forward and calm the waters before it gets out of hand.

I remember similar situations as a member of the School Committee. During my nine-year stint as an elected official roughly 10 or 15 years ago, there were occasions when it appeared the five-member board was incapable of working together. The Education Reform Act. Long block scheduling. Hirings and firings. Budget problems. Standardized testing.

Housing concerns. All highly volatile issues.

It wasn’t always easy. There were times when members of the School Committee allowed personal feelings toward fellow committee members to negatively influence their decisions. I was guilty. We were all guilty at one time or another. But thankfully, before the School Committee ventured too far off the track, experienced, veteran leadership flexed their muscles and put the train back on track. The Ambassador Macombers and MaryBeth Splaines and the Tim Lepores of the world and of the School Committee refused to allow the committee to flounder like a sinking ship stuck on a shoal.

Sometimes, it was what these School Committee leaders said. Sometimes, it was how these School Committee leaders said it. But in the end, we generally snapped back and remembered why we were there in the first place and committed to getting it right.

Lately, it has been a tough stretch for the NP&EDC. Their less than stellar performance has included several gaffs that have even the most objective islanders questioning the NP&EDC’s viability. In no particular order, their recent lowlights have included: the lowering of professional standards, which allowed Andrew Vorce to take over for John Pagini last month as the new Planning Director; the back door maneuvering associated with the election of the chairperson; the public bickering over appointments and at-large seats; and recently, the oversight regarding the swearing in of new members.

What is done is done. So now, the NP&EDC needs to ask itself: Where do we go from here? Are “we” going to allow this behavior to continue? Are “we” going to let our personal feelings toward fellow committee members continue to influence our decision making process? Instead of recommending plans for economic development and population growth and developing a comprehensive plan, are “we” going to focus on our personal agendas?

Only time will tell. But right now, it is looking more and more like Nantucket’s version of the Keystone Cops. This committee desperately needs an “Ambassador Macomber” to step forward and lead. Maybe Chairperson Rector can rally the troops. Perhaps incoming designee Brian Chadwick or Jack Gardner can tap into their experiences as successful politicians. Maybe Jeff Willet will calm the waters. Or perhaps it is time for newcomer Aaron Marcavitch to rise above the fray and shine.

If the committee does not reverse course in due time, they may find the Nantucket population refocusing their attentions quicker than you can say, “affordable housing.” Sometimes, it is nice to be in the limelight. But in this case, not for all the wrong reasons.

I