L E T T E R S
COMMITTEE RESPONDS

To the editor:

I am writing to comment on Dan Drake's Lighthouse Keeper column last week regarding the work of the Town Government Study Committee. First, thank you for the positive comments and suggestions regarding the unfinished business and opportunity our committee has to address key structural issues relating to Town government on Nantucket. Our final report, due March 14, will include discussion of the fifty-two recommendations our committee will bring forth.

Dan refers to the nine items in the "Needs Further Study" section of our final report, and then claims our forty-three other recommendations "address the margins, not the heart of the problem." After nearly two years of study, the focus of our recommendations is to make the present, deeply rooted system of Town government, work better. We did consider the issues Dan discusses, specifically replacing our Town Meeting with some sort of representative council and replacing the Board of Selectmen with an elected mayor who would run the whole show, essentially making Nantucket a city rather than a town. We felt such a radical change in the structure of our local government needed much more study, explanation and community discussion of the issues, impacts and effects on our community before bringing such a warrant article to the floor of Town Meeting for debate. Our aim was not to bring forth "palatable" suggestions, but to study Town government, report our findings and make specific recommendations to improve government decision-making and administration. We feel we will have successfully met our mission with delivery of our final report. Many of our early issues and recommendations are already in the process of being implemented.

Dan is right in stating that an opportunity lies in what next role our committee might take on. Our committee will make recommendations as to what role we could assume after Town Meeting voters have their say on the warrant articles we are proposing. Our committee has examined local government on Nantucket and has identified areas of strength, and made recommendations in areas we feel can be improved. We have also tried to identify problems with our present system and offer possible ways these problems might be approached. We are not anxious to be a self-perpetuating, standing committee. One of our strengths has been our independence and the specificity of our mission. However, the opportunity exists to continue our work in some way. We may find a new mission; this is one of our recommendations needing further study. Time, and fate will tell what role we might assume, and we thank Dan for his suggestions.

- Allen B. Reinhard,

Chairman Town Government Study Committee