The Lighthouse Keeper
WHO RUNS NANTUCKET?
BY DANIEL W. DRAKE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
When trying to balance a glass of iced tea and eat finger sandwiches at a reception following a funeral more than 200 miles away from Nantucket, one isn't really expecting the $64 million question. But, with my mouth full of chicken salad, I got it.

"Who runs Nantucket?" was the question put to me. "Who really runs Nantucket?"

My questioner - one of the pioneers of the private equity business - summers here and, with his wife - an asker of intelligent questions in her own right - and their Brant Point neighbors, is involved in the current imbroglio over the Point Breeze expansion. Like most islanders and virtually all non-resident taxpayers, this gentleman was perplexed - no, baffled - by the roles of various governmental bodies: the Planning Board, the Conservation Commission, the HDC and the Board of Selectman, to name a few. He was totally stumped by the apparent lack of coordination between them.

As I choked on the remains of the chicken salad and reached deliberately for the iced tea that I had parked precariously on a too-narrow windowsill, I thought to myself, "What a great question. Why didn't I think of that myself?" My mind struggled for a response. Where was Hawkeye when I needed him? I knew that the questioner was expecting an answer - he does not ask idle questions - and I had to say something intelligent.

It took a couple of extra gulps of iced tea, but the answer finally came to me. I don't think I came out with it sounding as intelligent as I would have liked, but it, without doubt, is the right answer.

"No one runs Nantucket! A lot of people like to think they do," I said.

There are those who run parts of Nantucket. The town administrator, for example, overseas the town departments and has employment authority over those staffing elected boards and commissions. But, the Town Administrator does not run Nantucket. The Board of Selectman doesn't either; it theoretically sets policy and gives the administrator guidance, and its members frequently involve themselves (sometimes synonymous with "meddle") in town affairs. Finances are subject to the review of the Finance Committee. Planning and zoning are outside the purview of both the Board of Selectmen and the administrator, as are the schools, the airport and the water department. In some cases, the selectmen appoint the members of the boards overseeing these independent functions and, in some cases, they are elected by the people.

Take the Point Breeze situation for example. There are at least four separate functions within the town involved in the permitting and/or oversight of the project. The Planning Board, an elected body, has jurisdiction because it is a major commercial development and must comply with certain requirements. The Historic District Commission, also an elected body, has responsibility for insuring that the exterior design meets architectural standards. The Conservation Commission, whose members are appointed by the Board of Selectmen, is involved because of wetlands issues. Finally, Town Administration has responsibility, through the Building Department, to enforce the town's building code and to insure that the final result is in compliance with everyone's requirements.

When one looks at this mish-mash of regulatory oversight, one cannot help but ask, "Who is in charge?" Again, the answer, simply, is no one. Each entity has its own sphere of influence over the venture, but there is no way, at the official level at least, of coordinating their activities to insure that the ultimate outcome works in everybody's best interests.

Some would argue that this decentralization of authority is good. One would like to think it provides the necessary checks and balances to insure that a project isn't rammed through the approvals process as the result of influence or cronyism. It also involves a wide spectrum of people in the permitting process.

There is some merit to this point of view, but it also has some significant downside. It is a bit naive, in that people are sometimes able to get things done because of who they know. Also, the current approach is expensive and extraordinarily time consuming. It may mean that the developer has to fight several fires at the same time. However, over time developers learn to work within the existing system, as difficult as it may be.

On the other hand, those who have concerns about a project may have to make their case to several different boards. There is no one place they can go to air their grievances; no central authority or even ombudsman. The present system encourages a divide-and-conquer approach.

Decentralization carries through to other aspects of how the town functions. We have recently seen two proposals - the Dreamland and Island Liquor purchases - go down in flames because each of two selectmen adopted them as his own and worked the system to get them in front of the voters without so much as a consensus as to whether either project really made sense long before it got to the Town Meeting floor.

These are only two of numerous and recurring examples of how Nantucket's present system of government lacks the vesting of the necessary leadership and authority to enable a holistic approach to issues confronting the town. On a more basic level, it is easy to understand why people are bewildered about who is in charge.

Of course that suits some people just fine. It enables them to go off on tangents without real accountability. And most importantly, it keeps everyone - particularly those gullible non-resident taxpayers - guessing so that they have difficulty mobilizing, should something bother them.

There are people who think they have been anointed to run Nantucket and even when they learn that it isn't so easy, resist change because they are comfortable in whatever authority they can exercise, especially when they discover a vacuum in leadership. This is the political way. Nantucket is not unique. Nantucket is also not unique in facing issues which are much more complex than was ever contemplated when the current system of rule was established, with the cobbling together of additional pieces as new needs were perceived.

Unfortunately, it will be a few more years before the Town Government Study Committee reconvenes and, even then, it is anyone's guess whether there is the political will for the significant change that is needed. In the meantime, people will keep asking, "Who runs Nantucket? Who is in charge?" The answer, regrettably, will continue to be, "Everyone

and no one." I

The "Lighthouse Keeper" reflects the views of the author and does not necessarily represent the editorial position of The Nantucket Independent. Please send any ideas or comments to drake@nantucketindependent. com.