L E T T E R S
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BOARD ALTERNATES RESPOND

The following letter was originally sent to Planning Board Chairman Donald Visco and is reprinted here at the authors' request.

Dear Mr. Visco:

As you may be aware, the attached letter to Mr. Spriggs, dated November 10 in reply to his October 23, 2006 [letter], has yet to receive the courtesy of a reply, although we do know that Mr. Spriggs has been absent for the last two meetings on personal business.

Having now read in both island papers that you are planning to discuss and/or consider at the December 11 meeting the hearing suggested to Board of Selectmen Chairman Whitey Willauer by Town Counsel DeRensis, it is critical to the alternates' deliberations, as Mr. Wagley pointed out in his reply to Mr. DeRensis, that we have a timely reply to my letter and that we be made aware of the individual charges against us and the specific details of each charge. Otherwise, we will be unable to prepare for a hearing and essentially be in the hands of a "kangaroo court."

In the November 10 letter, as you can see, numerous important questions and issues were raised about the manner in which this matter was presented to the board, the lack of dates and specificity as to which of us is being accused of each infraction mentioned, the violation of our privacy rights, particularly in the absence of any notice of discussion with us prior to the September 25 meeting, and, of course, the lack of due process.

Moreover, it appears that because letters were sent to us via registered mail, the press may have received copies of the letters before the alternates. Having now heard the tapes and read the transcripts of that meeting, the alternates are even more troubled than before, particularly with the joking manner in which members of the board and staff discussed the matter, at times bordering on the frivolous.

It is noted from the tape that the October 23 letter had been planned for your signature, but you were not the signatory. Nevertheless, I am addressing this letter to you in your capacity as Chairman of the Board, with a copy to Mr. Spriggs, so that you may be aware of our concern at having had no reply of any kind in answer to the questions and concerns posed in my letter of November 10. I am also awaiting the records I requested, copy attached, for which I have been charged and paid, in advance, more than $300.

In the absence of a reply, and having listened to the tapes and read the transcripts of the September 25 and October 12 meetings, the only matter which is appropriate for discussion at this time is time and attendance. We are fully prepared to address that. Please be aware that given the transcripts of the tapes, we are seriously concerned about prejudice of the board regarding any other matters pertaining to the alternates and, once again, the failure of the board to provide due process prior to the September 25 meeting. Sincerely,

- Charity I. Benz

- Jason D. Flanagan

- John Wagley

WHAT TRAIN WRECK?

To the editor:

Agovernmental train wreck here on Nantucket? After some months of studying local government, I do not share Dan Drake's vision of local government as a train wreck with the engine lying on its side in the sand, wheels spinning helplessly while it struggles against the tide eroding the edges of its infrastructure. A strong image, but not town government as I have found it to be.

Yes, the tracks that past Town Meetings and former political regimes have laid for residents and taxpayers today need to be examined, strengthened or replaced where necessary. Like a well-run railway system we need to look at the best interests of our customers and stockholders, island residents and taxpayers, to see how things can be better run.

The nine warrant articles, submitted as citizen's petitions, represent only a small portion of the recommendations from our study of Town and County government. We did study many of the recommendations touched upon by Dan in his column such as a mayor/council form of government and a representative legislature that could convene semi-monthly to act quickly on costly infrastructure decisions. We felt much more groundwork needed to be done before considering such major changes. Throwing out a system that has such deep cultural roots to plant an experimental hybrid seemed an unproductive way to proceed.

Our Final Report, due in March, will contain our complete list of recommendations to improve or streamline the delivery of town services. It will also contain the pros and cons we considered on each side of issues we covered.

I thank Dan for his thoughts and comments, and for stirring interest and focusing attention on the continuing work of our committee. I look forward to the Final Report of the TGSC this March to see what condition the old tracks are in, and what needs to be done to strengthen or redirect them. I will do my part to be sure the train stays on the track while we search for a vision of Nantucket we want future generations to inherit.

The TGSC is working hard to make sure the process is open and transparent. We feel we are examining the system we now have, tied to an understanding of how we arrived at the present. When our Final Report is presented, citizens and voters will have an opportunity to debate our work. We are still deliberating what recommendations we will make.

We invite constructive suggestions and encourage enthusiastic debate on the issues we have examined. If successful, our committee will have begun a process that will strengthen local government on Nantucket so that the island will be well run and financially sound for our children and grandchildren.

- Allen B. Reinhard, Chairman

Town Government Study Committee

KEEP DOWNTOWN VITAL

To the editor:

Downtown Nantucket survives because of activity. We've now lost the NP & EDC, the Planning Board and the ZBA offices to new locations - moved out and away from downtown. This when the Town Meeting in 1997 voted that "no offices presently within the downtown core district shall be located to any outside the downtown core district without a vote of Town Meeting." There was no such vote and downtown has lost part of the work force that kept it viable. We have been told by Libby Gibson that this move is "temporary".

The year-round core district to include law offices, insurance companies, drug stores, shops and the presence of the Town's various agencies is what preserves downtown. Nantucket Town is the historical center of activity on the island, a social center and meeting place for most year-round inhabitants. It serves a needed and important function. Let's keep it alive.

Let's give the Town Meeting its due; let's have a vote before moving government permanently out of the core. Downtown is in danger of becoming a ghost town with only seasonal shops for monied tourists.

People, Town offices, merchants, drug stores, offices, shops and the interchange of people and activity are a part of the historic nature and character of our Downtown. Let's not lose it to the sprawl of locating vital offices to more rural areas spawning still more automobile traffic.

There are plans for expanding the Town Building in the area of the Visitors' Services and the old Planning Board offices. Ms. Gibson has said that she hopes to bring these plans "off shelf, expand the existing Town Building and keep essential government services in Town." I hope that the public will support Ms. Gibson, endorse this thinking, and preserve the vitality of the Downtown.

I have written to the Board of Selectmen and they are going to review the use of the Fairgrounds Road property where several town offices are currently located. This will be discussed at their December 13 meeting. I urge those interested in this issue to attend. Thank you.

- Linda S. Holland QUESTIONS WORD CHOICE

To the editor,

Your otherwise excellent reporter Peter Brace used unfortunate wording by leading off his article (Independent, Nov 29, 2006, page 13, "Winds reveal more scallops...") with, "Last week's high winds did more than panic the Steamship Authority into canceling many of its vehicle and fast ferry trips."

There was no panic on the part of the SSA. Our captains are mindful at all times of public safety and convenience, and often must balance a decision to go or not to go between the winds, tides, waves, public necessity, and safety. When a captain encounters severe weather conditions in mid-transit across the Sound, he will advise our port captain that it would be better not to run the next trip going the other way.

Passengers have told me of uncomfortable trips when seasickness hit their children, if not themselves. Should that trip have been canceled? Should the SSA allow trucks and cars to rock into each other during a rough trip? Who will pay for that?

Management of the SSA has been very mindful of the ramifications of cancellations and often runs extra trips to catch up with the backlog of traffic waiting for safe transit after a storm. Believe me, the SSA does not "profit" when extra trips are operated.

I believe the SSA does a great job and Peter Brace owes our fine crews an apology for a poor choice of words. Panic is not a part of the equation.

- H. Flint Ranney Nantucket Member, SSA CELEBRATING ISLAND LIFE

To the editor:

On behalf of Sustainable Nantucket, I would like to express our thanks to everyone who made the fabulous fundraising dinner at Water Street on November 20 such a success. In particular, Jason Carroll, Robert Nelson, Mallary Alfano, and Amy Hauser of Water Street, Tim and Ruth Pitts of Centre Street Bistro, Tim Thacher- Renshaw of Cinco, and Mark and Eithne Yelle of Nantucket Catering Company were extremely giving of their talents and energy, and we are both honored and grateful for their efforts. Everyone present at the sell-out event agreed that it was an evening to remember, as it epitomized so many things we love about island life.

Our hope was to celebrate local business and food while drawing attention to our organization's focus on those important aspects of our community. The response was overwhelming. Now more than ever it seems Nantucketers recognize the value of supporting each other. We are currently working with several organizations on initiatives to promote local business and agriculture, and it was truly energizing to have so many talented businesspeople recognize the value of what we at SN are trying to do. What a gift to us this holiday season!

Cheers,

- Wendy Hudson Chair, Sustainable Nantucket