L E T T E R S
A VOTE TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM

To the editor:

First, I would like to thank every single one of the 1,237 people who voted for me in my quest for a seat on the HDC. I truly appreciate your confidence in me and hope that at some point in the near future I can sit on the commission and do what I can to better the new and protect the historic structures on this very special island we call home. Thank you.

There are 8,013 registered voters on Nantucket. Four hundred sixty nine came to Town Meeting's Monday night session. Nantucket's blessed, sacred, Town Meeting. The second night I was one of 366 voters attending and was sitting mid-section on the right side of the auditorium (as you face the stage). I wanted to speak for the article regarding Historic District Commission (HDC) appointments. It wasn't that Mme. Moderator couldn't see over in my section, as others had been called to speak on other articles.

But on this article, only one person from this section was recognized to speak.

I kept raising my hand, half standing up to be noticed. At least eight or nine people had spoken against the article. Only two others had spoken for the article, one of those being a member of the study committee that had drafted the article. I kept moving in the row closer to the center isle. At one point I even got up and asked the microphone monitor how I could gain the moderator's attention. He just shrugged his shoulders. I continued to wave my hand. She called on the same people, those mostly sitting in the upper and lower section directly in front of her. Many of these people had already spoken several times over the evening and were again chosen to speak. Those currently on the HDC were allowed to speak, some even being given extra time.

On this night, I had something to say on this one article, from a different viewpoint than most of those recognized. But I was not given the opportunity to speak. Besides eliminating all of the people that can't spend at least four hours, three nights in a row - the elderly, those who work in the evening, those who are uncomfortable talking and voting in public (confidential voting is part of this country's democratic process), those with small children at home - it seems you can have made the effort and time commitment to be sitting in the audience and be equally disenfranchised.

Town Meeting is not a fair and democratic process. It eliminates the participation of too many people. You can only "make a difference" if recognized by the moderator. If someone "calls the question," the debate ends, whether or not both sides of the issue have been fairly heard, and no matter how many hands are still raised.

What I wanted to say that night was this: The HDC should not have one political cell in its being. By needing to go through a campaign and election process, the end result is political. And politics and the HDC don't mix. The HDC should be filled with those whose expertise is in buildings, houses and architecture. Creative professionals who can fairly, unemotionally, and with equal respect for every applicant, make decisions and suggestions on a presentation whether the applicant is friend or foe, for the good of Nantucket as a whole, and for the preservation of our treasured, limited, and valuable historic housing stock. The election process doesn't necessarily bring design professionals out of the woodwork, as people working in the design field are generally not politicians.

To appoint instead of elect does not mean you are losing your right to vote.

If wisely chosen, voters should have faith in their choice of Selectmen to appoint people best qualified and suited for the HDC, not those who will feel pressure to do what others "want." There are excellent candidates out there who are not being tapped. The new HDC associate Aaron Marcovitch, "elected" with 52 write-in votes, happened to be a good choice. But a poor and/or inappropriate write-in candidate could as easily have been "elected."

The fact that a candidate for an appointment to a commission might not know a lot of people is not a bad thing, has no effect on how well that person can perform, as exemplified by the appointed Finance Commission. Who or how many you know should have nothing to do with this process. The system, as it is, allows a very small percentage of voters to choose commission members, a small percentage of voters who, themselves, have not been elected to perform this task.

"New" is sometimes perceived in a fearful way as it is an unknown. But staying with the old way is somewhat like staying in a bad relationship: it may not be good, but at least you know what you are getting; it is familiar.

While breaking free from a bad relationship can be uncomfortable and downright scary, it is the only way to move forward to a better place. For that forward movement, a leap of faith is needed. And putting your fear in your back pocket.

The HDC's task is to protect historical structures and guide new structures to best fit in on this island. One HDC member, who isn't as critical of the end result of 105 Main Street as others, thinks that the house, when weathered, will fit right in with the character of the neighborhood. This is missing the point of the Historic District Commission. It shows that the system, as it exists, failed miserably. There is not a historic nail, brick or board left of the original 105 Main Street structure, which dated back to the 1600s. That valuable and precious history is lost to all of us.

Nantucket needs to deal with the myriad of problems facing this island.

Natives and long-timers working alongside washashores and newcomers, recognizing that to do what is right for the island now may not be what feels comfortable and familiar. The time is ripe. And the first step is the hardest.

But once in motion, I am convinced it will benefit Nantucket, before the goodness of the island sinks in mire, goodness that at this point still radiates to all who live here and visit, but a goodness that is getting

blurry. We need to start now. I

- Deborah Timmermann

Editor's Note: We regret misquoting Mrs. Timmermann in the Voter's Guide, and for the sentences that were erroneously attributed to her, which changed the feeling of what she said. Timmermann did not call herself an oxymoron. She is in favor of appointing HDC members. Some of her qualifications were also omitted.