tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340757362011-04-21T17:22:25.437-04:00You've reached Nantucket First. If you have a question or a comment, please use the comment link below each blog entry. Or email me directly: grant@yackon.com. There's also plenty of excellent chatter and info at yackon.com. Click this button to get there: <br> <a href="HTTP://www.yackon.com"><img src="http://www.yackon.com/images/xj1.jpg" align="center"></a>Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.comBlogger571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-44299755320817050062009-02-21T12:33:00.003-05:002009-02-21T12:47:45.463-05:00

We have over 125 surveys completed as of this writing. These graphs will change as more people take the survy so tell your friends to take it here:http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228UD6D2XYUOnline Surveys - Zoomerang.comOnline Surveys - Zoomerang.comOnline Surveys - Zoomerang.comOnline Surveys - Zoomerang.comOnline Surveys - Zoomerang.comOnline Surveys - Zoomerang.comOnline Surveys -

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-54944042990307870992009-02-05T08:53:00.001-05:002009-02-05T08:55:13.666-05:00

I was recently reading (and right after, immediately re-reading) a book called Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough & Michael Braungart, and one of the points the authors make is that Mankind often treats the earth as if we were not native to it. As if we have the ability to use up all of our resources and then get in a big spaceship and head off to Mars or the moon to consume what’s there.

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-25917549581969678842008-04-11T10:14:00.004-04:002008-04-11T10:30:18.811-04:00

Okay, folks, we are down to the wire. The Selectman’s race outcome is anyone’s guess. Rick Atherton, Brian Chadwick and Whitey Willauer seem to be in a statistical dead heat (with Rick out front by a nose), according to my recent polling. And David Gray, who is a wonderful guy whose service to the island is unending, is making an impressive run with lots of yard signs and buttons and posts on

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-89679176474011584182008-01-24T13:37:00.000-05:002008-01-24T13:39:34.076-05:00

I tend to go on and on about community and the importance of keeping it strong. For me, it’s the crux of the matter here on Nantucket. Without a strong community, we an be rudderless and alone on an island that can often seem to care more about dollars than people. One of the great ways to shore up and maintain the community is to participate in community events. One such event is this coming

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-19417763259961542542008-01-14T19:57:00.000-05:002008-01-14T20:00:55.876-05:00

I may have left something out, but I believe that this could be the path to the vision I outlined in last week's blog post. Any thoughts?Administrative ManagementIn ten years I envision the emergence of a management system that is clearly aligned, from top to bottom, under the direction of the town manager. Every department head answers to the manager and is compensated based on performance. I

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-52475982582450793262008-01-10T13:42:00.000-05:002008-12-10T18:35:29.018-05:00

How far can you see into the future? The Board of Selectmen of Nantucket recently went through the exercise of writing vision statements and comparing them before the TV audience. I was not able to attend the meeting nor watch it on TV but I thought I would take the time to write my own vision statement for the island — aligned with the Board’s main goal and objective themes. For those not

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-78937857026310898782008-01-06T12:37:00.001-05:002008-01-06T12:41:38.966-05:00

Here are a few interesting stats regarding YACKon.com for the new year. I posted these on the site the other day. Let's see where we are in a year's time, shall we?In the past 30 days, well over 75 people have posted to the site (and those are just those who included the word "Nantucket" in their post — the system will not allow me to search for all posters on all subjects, but the word Nantucket

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-58661756370155420582007-12-29T13:00:00.001-05:002007-12-29T13:08:01.566-05:00

Some would try to make Nantucket a resort first and a community second. I think we ought to be a community first. Here's my blueprint for maintaining a strong community.But what is a community? I define it as the group of residents who are here on Nantucket because of the people and the place first and the paycheck second.I also like Nat Lowell's definition of community:"Community to me is waving

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-57228568958768479532007-08-16T12:09:00.000-04:002008-01-10T15:11:41.534-05:00

There's a rumor going around that Congdon's Pharmacy on Main will soon close to make way for a high-end jewelry store. I'm not certain if this is true, but I do know one thing. Any loss of a local business is bad for this island. The Vineyard, as a community, decided to purchase a general store that was in danger of being re-developed. Can we, or should we try to do the same? There is some talk

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-19849574463876943532007-05-25T10:54:00.000-04:002007-05-25T10:59:53.397-04:00

Here's a great way to put Nantucket First! Join the Clean Team this Saturday, the 26th, at 8 am to help clean up Jetties Beach. Bags and gloves provided. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Soon the new Clean Team T-shirts will arrive! FYI!)

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-6511194791803631292007-05-08T12:11:00.000-04:002007-05-08T13:54:29.479-04:00

You know, I'm pretty much against folly. As a rule. But, even after spending a whole lot of time reading about this project, I'm not fully convinced that it actually meets the definition of the word. There are, obviously, a number of very big unanswered questions. Questions that have far-reaching ramifications. But I think a lot of the knee-jerk, "I'm against it," people are discounting one

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-71601494425174980302007-04-05T21:14:00.001-04:002007-04-05T21:14:47.297-04:00

Get Free Opinion Polls

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-31252272408277025112007-04-05T21:06:00.001-04:002007-04-05T21:06:36.371-04:00

Did anyone read the dueling op ed pieces in the Inky today? I think it's kind of funny that Whitey was able to explain the whole sewer act in around 700 words and make it sound pretty reasonable and intelligent while Nancy went on to bash the thing saying it was hard to explain and without goals and objectives and her bloated prose had to run onto the next page. She gained a reputation of being

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-48311720225521430032007-03-29T11:13:00.000-04:002007-03-29T11:16:22.508-04:00

Last night at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting we got an opportunity to hear former Selectman, Mike Glowacki, address the board on the subject of Article 60, the Nantucket Sewer Act. His comments were typical, classic Glowacki. A rambling cascade of politics, fear, innuendo and whining. The upshot of which was this: for Glowacki, creating a policy for sewering or not sewering parts of Nantucket

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-6822812912273427262007-03-21T13:23:00.001-04:002007-03-21T14:00:58.602-04:00

Get Free Opinion Polls

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-7306935576690766102007-03-03T11:54:00.000-05:002007-03-03T12:23:18.715-05:00

Each week the I&M asks candidates for the BOS a question. This week it was about the priorities each candidate has if elected. In her response, Patty Roggeveen takes a subtle swipe at one of the candidates running against her and against the current Board of Selectmen. First, she criticizes the Finance Committee (Rick Atherton is the current chair) for actually balancing the budget, and then she

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-40187017965333031092007-02-23T15:50:00.000-05:002007-02-23T15:52:52.131-05:00

Yes, YACKon.com is down. I just got a call from Suzanne Daub. The YACK server was hacked along with several other major Nantucket domains. Including Nantucket.netI'll post info here when I know more. Pass it along through your email lists (if you have a non nantucket.net email account)YACK will rise again. Rest assured...GrantNantucket First!

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-89057637582441945022007-02-08T07:49:00.000-05:002007-02-08T23:14:12.997-05:00

In the battle of good and evil, light and dark, it appears that there is some hope on the horizon. With rumors of Smear Squad members Mike Glowacki and Patty Roggeveen running as a bloc for two seats, it was looking pretty bleak for people who, like me, value government that gets things done and put progress before process. I had, in fact, made a dire prediction, that we were "hosed." At the time

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-15813866921132396022007-01-25T10:31:00.000-05:002007-01-25T13:38:03.948-05:00

Last night at the Board of Selectman’s meeting, Doug Bennett went on a mini-rant. He took the spotlight, raised his voice and took a stand on a specific issue. I call this kind of behavior “The Doug Show.” “The Doug Show” always features a lot of light, but very little heat. A great deal of spark, but no flame. Lots of ketchup and relish and mustard, but the meat is AWOL. It’s governtainment at

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-55504705305087925612007-01-17T13:33:00.000-05:002007-01-17T13:51:44.678-05:00

Here's my column from last week's Nantucket Independent.There’s a movement afoot in Nantucket politics lately. (Or perhaps it’s been going on longer than I think and I just noticed) In the last six months, we’ve witnessed a unified group of local politicians deploy a very simple tactic. The smear campaign. Have you noticed it? I have. Often. For example, we’ve had some selectmen imply that other

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-44717537660782285342007-01-11T15:13:00.000-05:002007-01-11T15:28:05.783-05:00

I’m not a fan of George Bush’s, but I will say this about him. It took some guts yesterday to take responsibility for the mistakes made in the Iraq conflict. It takes a big man to publicly own up to a mistake. It shows a level of character that I never though George Bush had. On Nantucket, we have a number of people who have been wrong, and they could help heal the problems on this island if they

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-57657532176508529082006-12-30T12:26:00.000-05:002006-12-30T17:07:26.926-05:00

Back in March of 2006, I conducted the following poll on YACKon.com asking people how they felt the BOS at the time was doing. As you’ll recall, the BOS at the time was composed of Bruce Watts, Brian Chadwick, Doug Bennett, Whitey Willauer and Chairman Mike Glowacki. The results were pretty telling. As you can see, 44% thought the former board was doing either a “poor” job or an “awful” job and

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-76594755570086371092006-12-26T10:35:00.000-05:002006-12-26T11:19:18.392-05:00

Here's my column from last week's Nantucket Independent. Edited slightly. :-)It’s that time of year again. The season of giving. There are so many people on the YACK gift list. In fact, the YACKon.com Santa (which is actually a relational database and artificial intelligence expert system written in PERL) has been making a list and checking it twice. In no particular order, here are the Christmas

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-47358295365775989282006-12-17T17:53:00.000-05:002006-12-17T17:56:53.902-05:00

“Pessimism leads to weakness. Optimism leads to power.” — William JamesI’ve been thinking about this quote by the late philosopher, William James lately. It applies to our community in a very important way. There are a number of politically active people on this island. People who volunteer, or contribute greatly. And how effective they are often depends upon whether they approach a problem with

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-13970668178673199252006-12-09T13:22:00.000-05:002006-12-09T13:31:28.580-05:00

The tiny town of Treasure Island Florida pays $80,000 a year (Around $7,000 a month when you throw in lunches and gasoline) to the lobbying firm, Alcalde & Fay, and last year, according to a recent NYTimes.com article, received $500,000 to fix a sewer plant, $625,000 to repair wooden walkways over the dunes, $450,000 for pedestrian crosswalks. This is a small resort community with 7,500

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-81948007460107890692006-12-05T20:09:00.000-05:002006-12-08T13:31:25.192-05:00

Maybe I’m just paranoid (everyone thinks so). But I sense that there is some kind of mysterious underlying force at work on Nantucket. A force with two sides, good and evil. The Light Side and the Dark Side. And those forces are in a tenuous balance. And we citizens are about to witness those two sides fight it out for the soul of the island. Call me crazy, but the political landscape on

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-38173323042337616342006-11-30T09:48:00.000-05:002006-11-30T10:26:49.462-05:00

In an election that has been, until now, essentially free from dirt, one candidate has decided to use the recount process to let loose some mud.Within her petition to request a recount, Patty Roggeveen makes some rather serious allegations against several good people. And in doing so she has shown, at least to this concerned citizen, that she is simply unfit to hold elected office on Nantucket.

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-6284680020902188812006-11-27T17:16:00.000-05:002006-11-27T17:22:47.906-05:00

Here are some interesting statistics given the impending recount of the special election to fill Mike Glowoacki’s seat. You will recall that Catherine Stover beat Patty Roggeveen for the seat by two whole votes. It would seem like a statistical piece of cake for Ms. Roggeveen to pick up three votes and beat Catherine in a recount. But of the close races on Nantucket over the past eleven years [

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1164050869041541652006-11-20T13:58:00.000-05:002006-11-20T14:30:15.520-05:00

Where Grant goes out on a limb and predicts the outcome of the race, putting his political cred on the line.At this point, it's anyone's guess. But here's how I handicap the race. It's a prediction. But I do not guarantee the result. The upshot is, I feel it's too close to call. One thing I can say with complete certainty: anyone who is elected will do a fine job for the four months they will

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1163773799756642022006-11-17T09:00:00.000-05:002006-11-18T08:11:28.600-05:00

I attended the Sewer Advisory Committee meeting last night and I have to say that I have a huge amount of respect, admiration and thanks for every person on that committee:Nancy Wheatly, Chair, at large Michael Kopko, Vice Chair, BOS rep Jeff Willett, DPW Andrew Vorce, Planning Office Rick Atherton, FinCom Charity Benz, at largeRitchie O’Neil, at large Barbara Gookin, at large Finn Murphy, at

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1163717305059476322006-11-16T17:35:00.000-05:002006-11-21T04:44:29.130-05:00

The Nantucket police like to park their cruisers in the parking lot outside the building which houses the island’s alleged paper of record at night so they can be on the lookout for people who may be driving a little erratically. It’s a sure sign that the operator is under the influence of something. Perhaps, however, Nantucket’s Finest should get a warrant and enter the I&M in search of illegal

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1163541785947481392006-11-14T16:44:00.000-05:002006-11-14T17:03:05.963-05:00

Here's my column from this week's Nantucket Independent.It’s been in the news lately that our Superintendent of schools is looking for public input on the future of the Nantucket Community School. We’ve been talking about it a great deal on YACK, the Nantucket Online Community at yakon.com, and the general consensus is, there are lots and lots of questions about the Community School and not a

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1162665531250856182006-11-04T13:33:00.000-05:002006-11-04T13:38:51.266-05:00

Here's my column from this week's Nantucket Independent.This week, YACK On is being written by two columnists. The usual writer, Grant Sanders, and Detective Steve Tornovish of the Nantucket Police Department. The subject: The events of a cool evening on October over a week ago. Grant: A week ago on Saturday, at 9 pm, I got into a green Ford Expedition, and went for a ride. A friend of mine,

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1162401026565105532006-11-01T11:30:00.000-05:002006-11-02T10:24:41.940-05:00

What do you call a planning board that does not believe in planning? What do you call a planning board that continually goes against the wishes of the island to slow growth and curb development? What do you call a Planning Board with several members who have and will benefit financially from development? What do you call a planning board that appears to be attempting to turn Nantucket into

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1162042028159571062006-10-28T09:25:00.000-04:002006-10-28T09:28:35.870-04:00

Here's my column from The Nantucket Independent this week.I’ve been going to a number of Board of Selectman meetings lately. I find it more interesting and more fun than watching it on TV. And slightly better for my health. That’s because unlike the place I normally watch TV, there’s no refrigerator in the town building filled with cheese and beer and leftover fried chicken legs. (That I know of.

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1161608904368954552006-10-23T09:03:00.000-04:002006-10-23T18:44:31.123-04:00

Here's my column from The Nantucket Independent last week.My head is spinning. And the reason is simple. It’s that new roundabout that they are building at the intersection of Sparks Avenue and Hooper Farm Road. We’ve been talking about it a great deal on YACKon.com and it seems as though everyone has a strong opinion about it. Some people love it. Some people hate it. And some people were taken

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1161004096364105052006-10-16T09:00:00.000-04:002006-10-16T09:08:16.376-04:00

Interestingly, we have divergent views in the town and often people disagree about specific issues. It seems the issues that divide us are often the ones that we spend the most effort talking about, but I often wonder if we forget which issues are the most important, as a community. I've created an online survey here: here. It contains 30 quick multiple choice questions to gauge the importance of

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1160942766859430282006-10-15T15:56:00.000-04:002006-10-31T19:24:49.770-05:00

Hey:I've opened up a little CafePress store to make Nantucket First gear available. Right now there are only shirts and stickers. But if you see an item that CafePress offes and customizes and want the Nantucket First oval on it, let me know and I will add that item to the store. You van get your Nantucket first geat by going to: http://www.cafepress.com/ackfirstPlease note that I do not collect

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1160324605477645112006-10-08T12:18:00.000-04:002006-10-09T17:08:06.656-04:00

This week, a political hand grenade lobbed, feebly, by selectman Brian Chadwick went off. The intended targets are unscathed. But the voters caught a big piece of shrapnel in the neck. During the selectman’s comments period at a recent Board of Selectman meeting, Brian brought up the fact that there was a small button and a link to YACKon.com on the website for the Town Government Study

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1159458908765706462006-09-28T11:50:00.001-04:002006-09-28T12:27:11.866-04:00

The Board of Selectmen here yesterday ended their meeting with a discussion of the Sconset Beach Preservation Fund project (heretofore known as "The Scheme") and heard discussions from both proponents and those with concerns. I stood and spoke on this matter mostly because The Scheme is not terribly well formed or thought out. There's data missing. There are assumptions made where a reasonable

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1159275569309666852006-09-26T08:57:00.000-04:002006-09-26T08:59:29.323-04:00

For personal, professional and political reasons, I’ve decided not to run for Selectman. The personal reasons are, well, personal. The professional reasons are that I have recently gained a few new clients and new clients often want me to work off island, at least for the first part of the relationship. After a while clients become more conformable with me working via email and the web. But we

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1158864081647481812006-09-21T14:15:00.000-04:002006-09-21T15:00:33.070-04:00

Last night's Board of Selectman's meeting went rather smoothly, I would say. The taxi regulations issue was on the agenda and the board got through the discussion of meters, the List and license ownership with a couple dozen concerned taxi drivers in the room without a single person raising their voice. They approved all of the warrants for the special town election with only one long-ish

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1158670202836416032006-09-19T08:47:00.000-04:002006-09-19T08:50:02.846-04:00

Get out there and vote, folks! Vote for the best ideas. Vote for change. Or vote your wallet. Or your conscience. Or your future. Polls close at 8 pm. Results on the YACKon.com home page shortly thereafter. Nantucket first!

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1158550354286805432006-09-17T23:19:00.000-04:002006-09-18T02:44:53.273-04:00

I don’t know about you, but I have a pretty full schedule. There’s work. There’s family. There’s fun. There’s obligations. I have a calendar on my computer and I add little notes and reminders to it and they blink and beep at me and tell me where to go and who to meet and what to buy and who to call. Sometimes I forget to put a little reminder on my calendar and I miss an event. (Like the clean

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1158500826208524712006-09-17T09:46:00.000-04:002006-09-18T00:20:27.153-04:00

People on Nantucket really don’t like change that much. (Uh, you think?) We rail against new developments and the closing of long-standing businesses. We bemoan the loss of “the good old days.” It’s a knee-jerk reaction, mostly. If it’s different, it’s guilty, until proven innocent. But the thing is, there’s a long list of things about this island that really do need to change, now. Here are

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1158440196455973412006-09-16T16:41:00.000-04:002006-09-16T16:56:36.556-04:00

Last Spring I asked a few of the selectman candidates in an interview a very pointed question: "what would you fight like hell to preserve or protect about Nantucket?" Here's what I would fight to hold onto. The quality of the water in our harbors. Traditions.The scalloping industry.Beach access and recreation. Locally owned small businesses. (And locally owned large ones for that matter.)

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1158354938264354322006-09-15T17:08:00.000-04:002006-09-16T08:06:25.076-04:00

Here are some common questions surrounding the Second Chance program. If you have any others, please use the comments button at the bottom of this post and I’ll do my best to answer them. Cheers. --GrantQ. What is the goal of the Second Chance program?A: There are two goals. One, to reduce the ultimate number of homes to be built on the island. Two, to add to our stock of affordable housing.

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1158245656141789882006-09-14T10:49:00.000-04:002006-09-14T11:17:48.476-04:00

The Second Chance program is so named because it gives year-rounders a second chance at staying on the island. It gives them affordable options. It is also a chance to create several affordable housing units per year and add to the year-round affordable housing stock. Plus, it gives us all a fighting chance to curb growth in a very meaningful way. It’s also called second chance because this idea

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1158167375971726582006-09-13T12:53:00.000-04:002006-09-13T13:24:44.696-04:00

Many people are confused about second dwellings and what they mean to Nantucket. Here are some stats and facts that the island really needs to come to grips with when they approach the issue of growth. Some second dwelling facts you may not know:• 75% of all future buildout is comprised of second dwellings. (NP&EDC)• Second dwelling build-out has sharply increased. 22% of all existing second

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1158094658502265572006-09-12T16:42:00.000-04:002006-09-21T15:03:40.910-04:00

As you may know, I write a humor column for the Independent. Here's one from last October.How many Selectmen does it take to screw in a light bulb?Seven. Two to propose screwing in the light bulb, and then to work very hard setting up the ladder and researching the correct light bulbs and the optimum wattage and the various techniques for screwing in a light bulb and whether the town can actually

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1158022654071899832006-09-11T20:07:00.000-04:002006-09-13T13:15:22.893-04:00

I say it's a right. I think in a society like ours where there is so much prosperity that we have no other moral choice but to spread the wealth around and deliver a decent, basic, minimum amount of healthcare to everyone in our community. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know. Zap me a note via the comments link at the bottom of this post. Or email me: grant@yackon.comSend MailI know what you're

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1157976974893081192006-09-11T08:14:00.000-04:002006-09-13T13:16:32.933-04:00

When my campaign begins, I will not be handing out bumper sticker with my name on them. Why? Because a campaign for Selectman is fleeting. Especially this one. And often times, stickers for a campaign will stick around long after the contest has been won or lost, and sometimes even beyond the campaigner’s term. (When was the last time you saw a “Don’t be risky, vote for Isky” sticker? I saw a

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1157900104083006702006-09-10T10:49:00.000-04:002006-09-13T13:17:04.783-04:00

In case you did not know, I'm an avid supported of wind energy and Cape Wind. I originally posted this on the old YACK to answer many of the misconceptions and bits of misinformation that the opponents of the Cape Wind project have spouted over the last couple of years. If this changes one person's mind about wind power, I'll be happy. What follows are the top 21 objections I've heard about the

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1157898110402768452006-09-10T10:18:00.000-04:002006-09-17T12:20:14.173-04:00

(This was originally written on yackon.com in February of 2005, so it is a little dated. But there are some interesting points in it. And the ultimate conclusions are still true.)Bruce Watts said at the BOS meeting the other night with regard to second dwellings: “People on Nantucket who have second lots have them for their kids, for their parents, for income when they get old,” he said. “To take

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1157897234714624452006-09-10T10:05:00.000-04:002006-09-13T13:28:05.860-04:00

On yackon.com, a YACKer, asked a question regarding a voting bloc I objected to during last year's election. Last year i objected to a possible three-way bloc and this year I could be part of one. What gives? Here's my answer:It's not the bloc I objected to last April, it was the policies of said bloc. I see Kopko and Willauer doing some pretty good work. Last year, I saw Glowacki, Watts and

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1157800077113839062006-09-09T07:03:00.000-04:002006-09-13T13:18:42.186-04:00

Most candidates are talking about the problems the island faces and saying that these issues need to be addressed. But do they have any fresh ideas that go to the heart of the problem? Here is a list of real projects that represent real solutions for the challenges the island faces. These are a few projects that, if I were elected selectman, I would work hard to make a priority in my first 100

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34075736.post-1157734759165551002006-09-08T12:47:00.000-04:002006-09-13T13:20:54.940-04:00

Yes, the rumors are true.I've pulled my papers for Board of Selectman on Nantucket. I have a great deal of respect for anyone who offers himself or herself up for public service and public scrutiny. I have become an avid student of town politics, reading and writing about Nantucket every day on my website, yackon.com and in my column in the Nantucket Independent. My views and ideas about this

Grant Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504435185328796306noreply@blogger.com6