The Lighthouse Keeper
BY DANIEL W. DRAKE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
This column was started a few days before Christmas, with a 1,600-mile road trip ahead and lots of things to do before we left. Admittedly, Santa was a bit grumpy.

In addition, the last few days seemed very quiet. Notwithstanding that downtown parking spaces have been at something of a premium for the past few days, there is certainly a sense that winter is settling in over the island. The annual holiday exodus added to the feeling that the pace had slowed.

I wrote most of the column about watching the selectmen's meeting last Wednesday, the first I have viewed in a while. My inattention to that process has been due partly because of other demands on my time; partly because, after starting Wednesdays unloading newspapers at 5 a.m., it is not the way I want to end my day; and, partly because the person with whom I watch television has a low threshold of boredom with matters politic - at least as exemplified by those meetings.

This week, however, we were drawn to watch by the news account of Brian Chadwick's remarkable surgery to deal with the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Not having seen him in person, we thought it would be nice to get an electronic view. From what we could see, both Chadwick and his doctors get an A+. Well done! (We will be eternally grateful that our friends at Plum TV did not move the camera in for a close-up of the scar.)

We didn't give the same grade to the board. For an hour and a half, we watched the selectmen deal with the most trivial of issues. The agenda items discussed ranged from accepting the gift of a dishwasher for Our Island Home to conservation restrictions to liquor (in several different guises) to street openings to the review of a "fuel charge subsidy" (sic) for taxis. Most of what the board discussed and voted on is statutorily prescribed, but, to beat a dead horse once again, that the town's senior policy-making body spends that kind of time on the equivalent of rescuing cats in trees is a travesty.

It is no wonder the board can't see the forest for the trees! The trees are full of stray cats, broken branches and ridiculously arcane - and archaic - liquor laws.

It's the Christmas season and, if I am not careful, I will be reminded that it is the time of year to be nice; to overlook people's foibles and to celebrate the joys of family and friends. Thus, I will make only three quick points and move on:

• For the benefit of those watching the meetings in person or on television, as well as the selectmen themselves, a very brief description of any relevant background material would be helpful at the outset of each discussion. This might avoid the mischaracterization of facts

• If Nantucket, in fact, has a town manager, as we are told, and as the individual holding the position is now called, why don't the selectmen ask for the Town Manager's opinion on these matters which are, in any event, more properly dealt with by someone involved in the day-to-day oversight of town affairs?

• It is wonderful to be nice and to apply common sense to a particular situation, as the board did by permitting a road opening to put in a new sewer connection before the old one gives out. However, the town bylaw is very clear that road openings are not to occur between November 15 and April 15, except in an "emergency." In this instance, the board's decision to overrule the DPW director's decision not to allow the permit was just another example of the widely held perception that many laws and regulations are enforced selectively, if at all. (It was also interesting, that no one asked on what basis the board could overrule the DPW's decision.)

After all those matters were behind them, the board did start to deal with the proposed FY 2009 budget and both the tone one of the discussions and the usefulness of the process improved considerably.

That is behind us and, now that the outbound portion of the road trip is over, I am in a much better frame of mind.

One of my Christmas presents, given in advance of the trip, was a GPS system for the car. (A daughter noted that such a present for a person living on Nantucket is a "new low" in gift giving, but test runs did get me successfully from the house to the laundry - although not without an unusual detour.) While I didn't agree 100 percent with the routes the machine prescribed, it proved remarkably reliable. If we digressed by turning off or taking a different road, it went into the "recalculating" mode and soon found its (and our) way again.

Remarkably, we arrived at our destination when the little gadget said we would. It cheated though. As we sat in heavy traffic south of Washington, D.C. for about two hours, we watched the clock move ahead, like a taxi meter, adjusting for our failure to maintain speed. So, instead of being two hours late, we arrived right on time! (That's what the current infatuation with "reality" is all about.)

Along the way, we passed the time listening to the "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency," a tale about Botswana, which was interesting in its descriptions of the local people and countryside as it was lacking in real mystery. How did we survive long trips in the "old days" without that kind of diversion?

Upon arrival, at first one house, then the other, we were greeted by happy faces and cheery voices. Young children change so much in even four months.

A baby has become a little person.

A reticent two-and-one-half year old has staked out her place in the family. She has found music as a significant form of selfexpression and couldn't wait to entertain us by belting (yes, belting is the right word) out songs in rapid-fire order.

The trees are up, the decorations all in place and the stockings are all hung by the chimney with care. Christmas is coming. Santa is actually excited! I intend to have a

great one. I hope you did, too. 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.