2009 Selectman's Campaign Survey

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=WEB228UD6D2XYU

























Interestingly, only 27 people (as of this writing) have indicated support for Tim Soverino, but 43 people have indicated they think he has the best chance of winning. Most of these people appear to be Kopko supporters. All of the Willauer and Grant supporters appear to be complete in their confidence that their candidates will be victorious.

Native

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. Someone who is truly native to a place expects to always live there and treats it with respect making sure that nothing is wasted and living is sustainable.

And this got me to start thinking about Nantucket. A lot of people here make a big deal about the word “native.” But how many of us really treat the island as if we are native to it? As if we plan to be here for generations. How many of us make no impact on the island with regard to its resources? How many of us are willing to make changes to the island that are not sustainable?

Maybe its time we all became Native Nantucketers.

Incumbents

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 YACKon.com. This year is somewhat unusual in that we have two incumbent selectmen looking to be re-elected. Did you know that no selectman incumbent has won re-election since 2001? It’s true. But this year there’s a good chance one or both will win. Given this fact, I thought is would be a good idea to take a look at the records of Chadwick and Willauer so you can walk into the voting booth well informed.

Of course, I’m not telling you who to vote for, mind you. I’m just laying out the facts.

But first, a little history. Brian Chadwick won the selectman’s race three years ago in a tough field, and he did so by garnering the most selectman’s votes in Nantucket history. It is fair to say, that in 2005, the island was euphoric for Brian Chadwick (although it could have simply been the endorphin-inducing effects of the gazillion chocolate bars he passed out during his campaign). Either way, it’s safe to say that he started on the board with broad support. He could have done anything he wanted. Championed any cause. Put forth any initiatives. And the voters would have supported him. Whitey Willauer, on the other hand began his selectman’s career on slightly less sure footing. He had made a promise to recuse himself from Great-Harbor-Yacht-Club-related votes if he had been elected, and then he went back on the promise. A year later, when he took over as chair, many people called for him to step down. The initial meetings he ran were confusing and seemingly disorganized. People called him “befuddled.” Things were a mess. And the community was not quite sure about this Whitey guy.

But in the two years since that point in time, Whitey’s trajectory as a public figure has risen, while Brian’s has fallen like a beetle-infested black pine in a nor’easter.

Remember, I’m not telling you who to vote for, mind you. I’m just laying out the facts.

In August of 2006, a poll on YACKon.com revealed that Whitey and Brian were in a dead heat with regard to effectiveness. Last week, I took another poll and over 85 people rated the selectmen in seven categories for effectiveness: Performance in meetings, performance out of meetings, conduct as a selectman, promotion of programs and positive changes, working well with other selectmen, working to improve government and working on issues that the voter cares about. The results were pretty stunning. Chadwick got mostly low marks in all seven categories. Willauer got mostly high marks. And when you look at them head to head, Willauer outscores Chadwick in nearly every one of these categories by nearly two to one. You can take the poll yourselves. It’s still up on the YACKon.com home page.

And keep in mind, I’m not telling you who to vote for, mind you. I’m just laying out the facts.

So what’s the reason for this dramatic change in fortunes — Chadwick transitioning from universal support to nearly universal scorn, and Whitey just the opposite? Well, their records as selectmen might have something to do with it.



Chadwick has a well documented record of doing two things. One, wearing bow ties and tassel loafers. And two, voting against initiatives started by others (Like the Car Limitations legislation, SBPF ballot initiatives and the Nantucket Sewer Advisory Committee and Sewer Act, to name a few).

Whitey, on the other hand has been an active booster for a number of important changes in our government and the way our town’s daily business is managed. (Like professional development for town management, a smarter Waste Options contract, The Nantucket Sewer Act, Gasification, A budget with no operational Prop 2-1/2 override and Bulk Fuel Management.)
Just check out the sidebars here to compare the records of the two selectmen. I’m not telling you who to vote for, mind you. I’m just laying out the facts.

Brian’s record isn’t all bad, of course. He did engineer that nifty land swap with Mr. Reis. And he did attempt to get the town to buy the Island Spirits building for a transportation hub (an idea I did not agree with but I know a number of people did, just not enough to pass at the ballot).

And Whitey’s record is not all sweetness and light either. Some of his people skills lack refinement. To say the least. Whitey has a way of hammering down speakers in public meetings and cutting people off that is reminiscent of that old guy in my neighborhood growing up who used to yell at us kids to “Stay off my lawn, dammit!” That guy scared me. (Shudder.)

But when you ask yourself, who has gotten more “stuff” that benefits you and me accomplished on the BOS this year, Brian or Whitey, the nod has to go to Whitey. By a gigantic margin. In my opinion.

But hey, I’m not telling you who to vote for, mind you. I’m just laying out the facts.

Two Must-Attend Nantucket Community Events

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 weekend when the Shingles play at the Chicken Box for an all-ages show, Saturday the 26th from 4 to 6 pm. I was at the last Shingles show at the box and it was very well attended. It was nice to see kids running around the Chicken Box. “Got to start those kids out at the Box early,” one patron was heard to say.



The following weekend is the Nantucket Spelling Bee, which will take place on Saturday the 2nd with food served at 5:00 and the Bee starting at six. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s a chance to see your neighbors and be a part of the community.

How could it be done?

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 Management

In 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 also envision a weakening of control by labor unions as more and more department heads voluntarily leave the union in a desire to realize higher incomes through performance based pay. In twenty years, the fruits of this change will be very apparent as trust and respect for town government and what it does becomes common island-wide.

Steps to achieving this vision:

• BOS and voters: Create a town planning department with a planning director that answers to the town manager. (Our current planning department is a state construct that answers to the Planning Commission which only meets six times a year, but answers to the whim of the Planning Board which is a town board. A neat loophole. For the planning folks not the taxpayers.
• BOS and administration: Create and codify a system of performance based pay with strong incentives for town department heads to leave the union and become a part of the solution (and be fairly compensated for it).
• Voters: Continue to elect candidates who are serious about accountability and fiscal restraint. Support the idea of centralized authority and accountability in town government.

Fiscal Management

In ten years I see a finance depart that, having completed a stringent fiscal analysis of growth tied to current zoning five years previously, is working on a five-year update to the data and is using the information uncovered in this analysis to assess fees and taxes equitably and manage our finances with a keen eye on future costs and how to pay for them. Our taxes will be higher, due to costs already voted upon and ear-marked today, but still low enough to ensure that the added cost of living and working in an island does not create a disincentive to maintaining property here.

Steps to achieving this vision:

• BOS: Execute a complete fiscal analysis of costs tied to current zoning and updated every three years as zoning changes or open space inventory shifts.
• State legislature: pass the Nantucket Sewer Act.
• Voters: vote to create a new, elected or appointed Sewer Commission with a staff under the Town Manager.
• Voters: Become educated on true costs of growth and vote to require that growth pay it’s true cost to the island.
• Town department heads: seek and achieve fiscal responsibility and restraint.

Infrastructure

In ten years I see an island infrastructure of sewer lines, cobbled streets in the OHD and town owned buildings that is close to new or like-new. In twenty years, I see a focus on preventative maintenance and forethought employed by the town to ensure that the most cost effective methods for delivering infrastructure services is employed and infrastructure improvements are not put off until such time that they are more expensive than if they had been properly maintained in the first place.

Steps to achieving this vision:

• BOS: adopt a policy of addressing (and directing department heads to address) infrastructure needs as they occur and not when they become a crisis.
• Voters: become educated on the real cost of modern infrastructure and services and vote accordingly.

Ground Water and Coastal Resources

In twenty years I see the beginnings of a reversal of water resources problems. In twenty, I envision Nantucket’s Harbors, ponds, estuaries and beaches to be cleaner than they have been in six decades.

Steps to achieving this vision:

• BOS and voters: promote and adopt the harbor plan.
• (Future) Sewer Commission: Adopt a fee structure to ensure that new growth pays for water resource reclamation.
• (Future) Sewer Commission: Develop a workable solution to Madaket solid waste situation that involves strengthening of septic rules, testing and enforcement and up-zoning to reduce growth there, or down-zoning to increase growth and make a Madaket sewer system economically feasible.

Quality of Life

I see an island that is safer than today in ten years. I see a return of a time when we could leave our doors unlocked. When our kids could jump on a bike and ride to a friend’s house without worry or danger. I see a life that is still more expensive that the mainland but not onerously so. I envision a year-round population that consider itself immensely fortunate to have conserved open spaces and free, universally accessed beaches. Yes, it will still be busy here in the summer. This is how most of the island will earn its keep. Tourism is not going to end if we maintain the island and keep the locals happy and prosperous. We will continue to be a Mecca for the leisure class and we will continue to offer world-class food, shopping and water-dependent activities.

Steps to achieving this vision:

• Promote the economic viability of the community.
a. Exercise municipal fiscal restraint.
i. BOS, Finance Department: Get the town’s economic house in order by doing the financial analysis to better understand how growth impacts taxes and costs.
ii. Administration, BOS: Develop a plan to wean ourselves off of dependency on overrides.
iii. Administration, BOS: Institute performance based compensation for department heads.
iv. Administration: Reign in the cost of benefits.
b. Chamber of commerce, consumers: Foster a positive cash flow to the island not away from it.
i. Chamber of commerce, consumers: Promote local businesses over all others. Make it more difficult for off-island concerns to dominate the island economy.
ii. Chamber of commerce, NP&EDC: Promote the growth of a new class of knowledge worker and service jobs as the economy of the island changes from a building economy to a sustaining economy.
iii. Community leaders, consumers: Maintain traditional industries. Scalloping. Expert carpentry and trades. Retail. Inn keeping. Tourism/ecotourism. Seasonal service industries.

• 2. Continuous improvement of the schools.
a. School administration: Strive for high test scores and achievement
b. School administration, NPD: Keep schools safe.
c. School administration: Minimize churn among teachers and administrators
d. School administration: Promote home-growth teachers and staff.
e. Parents and teachers: Manage the well being of students carefully.
f. School administration: Develop alliances with care providers off-island to develop satellite facilities on island for severe needs special ed students in order to reduce the need for off-island placements.
g. School administration: Develop a specialized education approach for children of transient workforce.

• 3. Preserve and celebrate community character and traditions.
a. Chamber, consumers: Agriculture.
b. Chamber, consumers: Fishing/Shellfishing
c. Chamber, consumers: Community celebrations/traditions old and new
d. Community leaders: Maintain ways we can come together and be a community
e. Media: Improve communication within the community.
f. Voters: Maintain town meeting and our citizen-led form of government.

• 4. Maintain the safety of the community.
a. BOS, Administration: Strengthen the police force and give them the tools they need to keep us safe. Simultaneously improve the image of the police force as a crucial part of making the island livable.
b. Administration, NPD, NFD: Work on ways to reduce the impact of illegal drugs within the community.
c. Community leaders: Establish neighborhood building practices that bring neighbors closer to one another and help send a message to those who would harm the community that they are in the minority. And that we are vigilant.
d. Planning Board, NP&EDC, Planning Staff: Promote slowness and caution in traffic patterns and lifestyle.
e. BOS, Administration: Develop an island-wide healthcare initiative to keep us safe and healthy.
f. Employers, consumers, Town officials: Maintain the viability of our year-round healthcare professionals. Doctors, nurses, EMTs.

• 5. Work to reduce community turnover or churn.
a. Housing office/Commission, Administration: Continue work on affordability issues in the areas of housing and daily costs.
b. Various: Make improvements in the above four crucial areas in order to maintain Nantucket as a place where people want to be:
i. Various: Maintain economic viability of the community.
ii. School administration, teachers and parents: Continuously improve schools to take away a major reason people leave here.
iii. Community leaders: Celebrate community.
iv. Administration, NPD, NFD: Keep the island safe.

Housing

In ten years I see a housing crisis that can see the light at the end of the tunnel thanks to the housing bank, the housing office, an expansion of the housing needs covenant to include rental covenants, an ernest attempt at creating more affordble houses in established neighborhoods with a dozen or more “pocket 40B developments” underway, and housing stock owned by the town that makes it possible for the town to hire and house the people it needs in key positions. In twenty years, I envision time when there is no affordable housing problem to speak of. Not everyone will be able to afford market-value homes at this time as home values will remain high. But the available rentals and covenant homes will take up the slack. With regard to other housing, I see, in twenty years, a Baxter Road with 90% fewer homes on the eastern side of the street.

Steps to achieving this vision:

• State Legislature: Apprive the housing bank legislation.
• BOS, Voters: Continue to fund town housing initiatives.
• Housing office: Keep up the good work.

Manage Growth

In ten years I see the result of a community tapping the brakes for several years to bring growth to a manageable pace. I see growth that pays its own way thanks to the town conducting fiscal analysis tied to current zoning. This information will inform the Finance Department as to how much each bedroom in each home built costs the town in services and infrastructure. Individuals who are building their own year-round homes will receive a sizeable reduction in these fees which will be paid by new growth of seasonal homes and subdivisions. In twenty years I envision growth that is fully managed and pays its own way. The number of lots available for subdivision would be very small — with many of the available lots of today either built upon or preserved — and there would be a sizeable financial disincentive to build rather than renovate or maintain private property.

Steps to achieving this vision:

• BOS and Administration: Deploy fiscal analysis tied to zoning.
• BOS and Administration: Adjust fee schedules to make growth pay for itself and to provide for reclamation of natural resources
• Voters: Continue to support candidates with pro-fiscal restraint policies.
• BOS, Administration and voters: Support measures to exempt the building of year-round homes for islanders from above fee schedules.

One man's vision for Nantucket.

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 familiar with he term “vision statement,” it is essentially a snapshot of where we want to be. It includes a time period. Usually five or ten or twenty years. And it is often an internal document used as reminder to management of an organization where it should be headed. The idea, basically, is to write a vision statement and then hold it up against all of the organizations tactics to see if what the organization is doing is furthering it’s goal to achieve that vision. I write these for clients all of the time. Simple.

One man's vision statement for Nantucket in ten years and twenty years.

In ten years and even twenty, I envision an island that is, in many ways, very similar to today. And in other ways very different. I see an island that has held onto its community character and maintains a vibrant, close-knit local community with a mix of newcomers and those whose families have been here some time. I envision a societal structure that is similar to today’s structure with seasonal workers, year-rounders and visitors playing important roles. I see an island that is, for the most part, physically unchanged from today with a community that values maintenance of rural dirt roads and historic structures.

On the other hand, I envision changes that truly benefit the island in many ways. I see an evolution of the building trades from being an industry of demolition and new construction to being one of renovation, preservation and maintenance. I see the emergence of new service industry businesses that utilize technology to reach a larger audience off island and drive dollars to the local economy instead of away from it. I see a school system that is the envy of surrounding communities for its ability to produce strong-minded individual with the tools to succeed and attend top colleges. I see an island where locally owned businesses thrive and are valued. I see a reversal of years of ecological abuse of the island and a return to healthy bodies of water, harbors and beaches.

Administrative Management

In 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 also envision a weakening of control by labor unions as more and more department heads voluntarily leave the union in a desire to realize higher incomes through performance based pay. In twenty years, the fruits of this change will be very apparent as trust and respect for town government and what it does becomes common island-wide.

Fiscal Management

In ten years I see a finance depart that, having completed a stringent fiscal analysis of growth tied to current zoning five years previously, is working on a five-year update to the data and is using the information uncovered in this analysis to assess fees and taxes equitably and manage our finances with a keen eye on future costs and how to pay for them. Our taxes will be higher, due to costs already voted upon and ear-marked today, but still low enough to ensure that the added cost of living and working in an island does not create a disincentive to maintaining property here.

Infrastructure

In ten years I see an island infrastructure of sewer lines, cobbled streets in the OHD and town owned buildings that is close to new or like-new. In twenty years, I see a focus on preventative maintenance and forethought employed by the town to ensure that the most cost effective methods for delivering infrastructure services is employed and infrastructure improvements are not put off until such time that they are more expensive than if they had been properly maintained in the first place.

Ground Water and Coastal Resources

In twenty years I see the beginnings of a reversal of water resources problems. In twenty, I envision Nantucket’s Harbors, ponds, estuaries and beaches to be cleaner than they have been in six decades.

Quality of Life

I see an island that is safer than today in ten years. I see a return of a time when we could leave our doors unlocked. When our kids could jump on a bike and ride to a friend’s house without worry or danger. I see a life that is still more expensive that the mainland but not onerously so. I envision a year-round population that consider itself immensely fortunate to have conserved open spaces and free, universally accessed beaches. Yes, it will still be busy here in the summer. This is how most of the island will earn its keep. Tourism is not going to end if we maintain the island and keep the locals happy and prosperous. We will continue to be a Mecca for the leisure class and we will continue to offer world-class food, shopping and water-dependent activities.

Housing

In ten years I see a housing crisis that can see the light at the end of the tunnel thanks to the housing bank, the housing office, an expansion of the housing needs covenant to include rental covenants, an ernest attempt at creating more ffordble houses in established neighborhoods with a dozen or more “pocket 40B developments” underway, and housing stock owned by the town that makes it possible for the town to hire and house the people it needs in key positions. In twenty years, I envision time when there is no affordable housing problem to speak of. Not everyone will be able to afford market-value homes at this time as home values will remain high. But the available rentals and covenant homes will take up the slack. With regard to other housing, I see, in twenty years, a Baxter Road with 90% fewer homes on the eastern side of the street.

Manage Growth

In ten years I see the result of a community tapping the brakes for several years to bring growth to a manageable pace. I see growth that pays its own way thanks to the town conducting fiscal analysis tied to current zoning. This information will inform the Finance Department as to how much each bedroom in each home built costs the town in services and infrastructure. Individuals who are building their own year-round homes will receive a sizeable reduction in these fees which will be paid by new growth of seasonal homes and subdivisions. In twenty years I envision growth that is fully managed and pays its own way. The number of lots available for subdivision would be very small — with many of the available lots of today either built upon or preserved — and there would be a sizeable financial disincentive to build rather than renovate or maintain private property.

Does anyone share my vision?

Nantucket First.

YACKon.com stats for January 2008

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 is the best search term I can think of).

Last month people came to the site from 9,874 separate server addresses. We averaged 3,500 visits per day last month. This month we are averaging over 4,000. Total visits in December equalled 109,595. With well over half a million pages viewed.

(How many readers does it take for the I&M to have half a million of its pages viewed?)

Exactly 514 people have posted to YACKon.com in the past two years, 249 people have 10 posts or more. 101 People have over 100 posts.

In 2007, yackon.com had just under 6 million page views. Give or take a few.

We currently have 1298 registered members. Non-registered users outnumber registered users by approximately five to one.

Maintaining a community.

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 to people you don't even know, having casual conversations in Stop @ Shop , walking into either post office and still knowing half the people in line, still being able to knock on someones door and poke your head in and say "hello" and the best one for me is when a person comes up to me and starts talking to me and I haven't a clue who they are."

So here's my handy blueprint for maintaining community on Nantucket. I'd welcome any comments and additions.

1. Promote the economic viability of the community.
a. Exercise municipal fiscal restraint.
i. Get the town’s economic house in order by doing the financial analysis to better understand how growth impacts taxes and costs.
ii. Develop a plan to wean ourselves off of dependency on overrides.
iii. Institute performance based compensation for department heads.
iv. Reign in the cost of benefits.
b. Foster a positive cash flow to the island not away from it.
i. Promote local businesses over all others. Make it more difficult for off-island concerns to dominate the island economy.
ii. Promote the growth of a new class of knowledge worker and service jobs as the economy of the island changes from a building economy to a sustaining economy.
iii. Maintain traditional industries. Scalloping. Expert carpentry and trades. Retail. Inn keeping. Tourism/ecotourism. Seasonal service industries.

2. Continuous improvement of the schools.
a. Strive for high test scores and achievement
b. Keep schools safe.
c. Minimize churn among teachers and administrators
d. Promote home-growth teachers and staff.
e. Manage the well being of students carefully.
f. Develop alliances with care providers off-island to develop satellite facilities on island for severe needs special ed students in order to reduce the need for off-island placements.
g. Develop a specialized education approach for children of transient workforce.

3. Preserve and celebrate community character and traditions.
a. Agriculture.
b. Fishing/Shellfishing
c. Community celebrations/traditions old and new
d. Maintain ways we can come together and be a community
e. Improve communication within the community.
f. Maintain town meeting and our citizen-led form of government.

4. Maintain the safety of the community.
a. Strengthen the police force and give them the tools they need to keep us safe. Simultaneously improve the image of the police force as a crucial part of making the island livable.
b. Work on ways to reduce the impact of illegal drugs within the community.
c. Establish neighborhood building practices that bring neighbors closer to one another and help send a message to those who would harm the community that they are in the minority. And that we are vigilant.
d. Promote slowness and caution in traffic patterns and lifestyle.
e. Develop an island-wide healthcare initiative to keep us safe and healthy.
f. Maintain the viability of our year-round healthcare professionals. Doctors, nurses, EMTs.

5. Work to reduce community turnover or churn.
a. Continue work on affordability issues in the areas of housing and daily costs.
b. Make improvements in the above four crucial areas in order to maintain Nantucket as a place where people want to be:
i. Maintain economic viability of the community.
ii. Continuously improve schools to take away a major reason people leave here.
iii. Celebrate community.
iv. Keep the island safe.

Is Congdon's Pharmacy gone? What does it mean?

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 in preservationists and sustainability circles about a retail property bank to mirror the Land Bank. This seems like a laudable idea, and here's why:

[Long story alert. But worth reading]

I spent a little time in Avon, CT this week. Very pretty town. Just outside Avon, there is a new outdoor mall (in Clinton, I thnk?) and that Mall brings people in to brands like Barnes and Noble, Panera (free wifi!) Starbucks, Blue Tulip, Talbots, Pier One, and the like.

I went to this place with an art director friend (we work in Panera and Starbucks because his office is under construction) and I asked him how the town liked this mall. He said it has been very popular.

[Math alert. Don't skip the numbers here. They are compelling]

Then I explained to him that, according to a couple of comprehensive economic studies I have read, a dollar spent at a place Like Starbucks or Panera returns around $0.15 to the community in which the chain is located. But a dollar spent at a local independent coffee shop returns, on average, three times as much to the local economy : $0.45.

Apply that formula to Nantucket. Every time a local business like Congdons is eclipsed by a store owned by some off-island concern, we lose 2/3rds of the cash that that retail space puts back into the economy.

In a $1.5-billion market (excluding real estate) such as Nantucket, that means that if 75% of our businesses are locally owned and operated, there is $565.5 million returned to the island economy.

If 50% is locally owned, there is $450 million put back into our local economy.

And if only 25% is locally owned, $337.5 million goes back into our local economy.

I'm not certain what percentage of the businesses here are locally owned. But I am certain of one thing. A Nantucket with $565.5 million recirculating in our local economy is far more likely to survive and thrive and sustain itself than a local economy with $337.5 million in it.

This is why I think an important anchor property like the Dreamland needs to be locally owned and controlled, even if it is by the town, using tax dollars to do it. It's an economic certainty that off-island ownership will harm us more than help us.

And anyone who says there's no harm in Ralph Lauren or Lily Pulitzer is just wrong. Those business are siphoning big bucks away from our economy, sending them off-island and weakening us as a community.

15 cents on the dollar is not enough to offset the loss of community buying power. This is why we need to continue to buy local and protect our local businesses. This is why places like Congdons and Bartlett's and Slozeks and Island Lumber need to survive.

[Big, dramatic conclusion alert.]

This is a message that both year-round and seasonal residents and visitors need to take into account. If you love this island, you need to feed it!

When one buys from a local person, even if you are paying more, you are paying to keep the island economically sustainable for hundreds of your neighbors.

Folks.

That's what its all about. Folks.

G.

Clean Team: Jetties this Saturday

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!)

The Real Folly of the 'Sconset Beach Preservation Fund Project.

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 salient point:

It may work.

It may save the beach and the homes on the bluff. It may make it possible for the town to rebuild the 'Sconset footpath. It may not harm fishing. It may not cost the taxpayers a pile of money.

I'm not saying it will, I'm saying that it may. And I have to say, calling it folly, is rather premature.

Another thing the "I'm against it" crowd is missing is the fact that if you push someone, especially people with money, they push back. Money talks. So do votes. So do favors. So does political clout.

If the "I'm against it" people think that holding a few meetings and signing a petition or even having a ceremonial and rather non-binding vote at town meting is going to keep a bunch of billionaires who are used to having things their own way from having things their own way, they are just plain delusional.

These people have lawyers and pockets so deep they can reach into them and practically burn their hands on the Earth's molten core.

It might be smarter to actually talk to these people and find a way that everyone can win. It might be better to collaboratively problem solve. It might be better to be flexible in the face of possible inflexibility. Before one side pushes the other to the point of doing real harm to the island.

Think you can win against people with billions of dollars? Talk about folly.

Nantucket First.

New Selectman's Poll

Get Free Opinion Polls

Sewer Smackdown

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 difficult and antagonistic when she chaired the Sewer Advisory Committee and now that the Board has asked Town Counsel to create a sewer act based on the goals voted upon by the SAC, she turns around and pees on it.

The thing I think is most disingenuous is the fact that Nancy claims that people are using hyperbole and untruths to scare people into voting yes (citing, "We may have to run a sewer out to great point if Town Meeting says so.") and then she turns around and quotes an bigger untruth: "It's all a plot to control growth by regulating sewers!"

Growth will happen whether we regulate sewers or not. But unregulated sewers in the control of the state DEP and a unified group of neighbors at atm means a haphazard and unpredictable system and equally hard to nail down costs.

Please read both op eds and see if you don't agree.

Heady stuff.

Michael Glowacki's Process

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 is getting uncomfortably close to being an accomplished mission.

And that bothers him.

Just so we all remember, I’ll cover a bit of recent history that shows that the process of developing a cohesive and legal sewer policy is something that Glowacki has opposed through his actions and inactions for years. For his nearly three years on the Board he failed to produce a policy that states who can hook into the sewers, when and for what reason, nor had he developed a meaningful or equitable plan to pay for sewers. Back in June and July, after Michael Kopko came to the board and began to get the sewer gears in motion, Glowacki vehemently opposed the formation of a sewer advisory committee by claiming that the work had already been done — which is kind of like a child claiming that he did his homework, but the dog ate it. Where’s the policy, if the work has been done? He also stated, back in July, that special interests are trying to use the sewers to control growth. The board voted 3-2 to form the sewer advisory committee anyway. Two weeks later, Glowacki opposed the appointment process citing “the Rector rule,” a non-binding resolution of a former town meeting that asks that two weeks pass between a call for appointees and their actual appointment in order to allow for ample public vetting of the appointees. Clearly, the Rector Rule needed to be shelved in the interest of giving the Sewer Dwarves time to do the best job possible. But the best job is not something for which Glowacki has ever advocated.

The sewer advisory committee eventually went forward and after five months of demanding meetings, a few of which I attended (and I never saw Mr. Glowacki there), they developed a number of recommendations that were brought to the Board of Selectmen, which adopted some, discarded others on the advice of town counsel, and prepared warrant articles for Town meeting on several.

The hearing last night was on Article 60, the Nantucket Sewer Act, which is a home rule petition that seeks to codify many of the policies outlined in the Sewer Advisory Committee in addition to allowing the town to establish a board of sewer commissioners and a process by which people can be added to the system. And Mr. Glowacki criticized the board for bringing it forward late in the process and for allowing only a week for public inspection of the article’s text (The original text has been on YACKon.com for ten days as of this writing). He also implied, in a round-about and somewhat agitated way that this was once gain the work of special interests attempting to push this through and use the sewers to control growth.

Typical Glowacki. Without addressing a single word in the home rule petition, without offering any constructive suggestions, without doing a lick of work or attending the weeks of sewer advisory committee meetings, he falls back on the only thing he knows. The process. The process is all wrong. The process is corrupted by special interests. The process is too short. The process is unnecessary because the work has already been done. Process, process, process.

Mike Glowacki is like the kid on the playground who has no fun unless he’s telling others how to follow the playground rules. He’s not there to do anything, he’s there to discuss how things are done, and in the process of discussing the process, nothing gets done. Which has been, it appears, Glowacki’s goal all along.

In his two and a half years on the BOS he succeeded at not developing a sewer policy. Let’s hope his efforts fall short at town meeting and the island finally wins.

Take the selectman's Poll

Get Free Opinion Polls

Roggeveen Rancor Continues

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 bad-mouths the Board Of Selectman's current practice of appointing committees to dig deep into large and far-reaching issues.

The Sewer Advisory Committee, for example, in six months, came up with a strong, viable, executable sewer policy when the Board of Selectmen under the leadership of Mike Glowacki (Roggeveen's friend and advisor) either could not or would not after having the task in their in-box for well over two years.

Interestingly, when asked the same question as Roggeveen, the other four candidates talked about their priorities, their qualifications and their vision of the future and none of them bad mouthed anyone else.

In a recent YACK poll it was shown that the vast majority of voters think the current Board of Selectmen are doing a good or excellent job. So I think Ms. Roggeveen would do well not to criticize the current board and, in the process, alienate those voters.

Nantucket First.

Hacked!

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.net

I'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...

Grant

Nantucket First!

A New Hope.

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, I could not see anyone coming foreword to run for the seat Catherine Stover will vacate in April.

Happily, we now have several excellent candidates who have pulled their papers, two of which are perhaps the most qualified people to run for the office (Besides Catherine Stover, who is not running this time because of shake-up in the clerk's office that requires her full attention).

Rick Atherton has decades of experience in the financial industry and for the past five years has been putting that experience to work on the Finance Committee. Rick has been co-chair of the Civic League and has also served on the sewer advisory committee. Few people understand the brass tacks of Nantucket issues like Rick. He's head for figures could come in handy as we head into this era of rising government costs.

Allen Reinhard has been a part of Nantucket for decades and he moved here full time sixteen years ago. His background in conservation and protecting Nantucket's natural spaces are extremely valuable and will help inform the Board with regard to beach access, conservation, erosion, ConCom appointments and harbor water quality.

David Gray is running for a third time. David is one of the most decent and caring men to ever seek the office. The island is where he grew up and his insight and long view of local history would be a valuable asset to the board. To say nothing of his knowledge of the island infrastructure and his service on the ConCom.

Gene Mahon is another good guy in the community. A former owner of Nantucket Television, Gene attends nearly every event on the island and is a booster of both art and culture here.

All of these men are true gentlemen. Soft spoken, kind and giving public servants. Just what we need, in my opinion.

Hopefully the voters of Nantucket will see the opportunity that Rick and Allen and David and Gene offer the community. (I don't know Neville Richen and I hope to learn more about him as the campaign progresses.)

This should be good.

The Doug Show

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 its finest.

The subject of last night’s Doug Show: meetings. It seems Mr. Bennett is upset that so many meetings are being conducted during the day when many people, including him, are working.

His argument is that it is hard for members of the public to attend such meetings because working class people have to work. He has a point. He said that the Selectmen should give the Town Administrator more responsibility which would help to reduce the number of meeting for the Board of Selectmen. That’s a good point, too.

What Mr. Bennett is painfully ignorant of is just how much work it takes to be an effective selectman — even after nearly three years on the job! From talking to people involved in selectman’s business, Doug does the least amount of work of the five members. He routinely gets his packet on his way into the Wednesday night meetings, and as a result he is unprepared to do anything but shoot from the hip. He sits on no other committees (Mr. Kopko, in contrast, has been appointed to the NP&EDC, the audit committee, the budget work group, the Sewer Advisory committee, and several others). And it is important to remember that in addition to being a sitting selectman, Mr. Bennett also ran a state senate race this year during which he was frequently off-island and absent from more than a few meetings.

Mr. Bennett has said in the past he feels that the Board of Selectmen are like judges. That their job is to listen and vote yes or no. I would argue that a Selectman’s job is more than that. A lot more.

The town of Nantucket spends over $80 million a year. The business of running a town is complex and time consuming. Some former selectmen have told me that they spent an average of 20 to 30 hours a week doing the town’s work. And, yes, they do get paid, but it’s only $265 a month. These are just the facts. This is a major reason why many people, me included, do not run for the office. Is there any way around this? Not unless we radically change the way we run the town. And those changes are not on the horizon any time soon.

Yes, we need to get more citizens involved in the business of the town. I feel that we can make some simple changes to how meetings are delivered and do just that. But technology is not going to make being a selectman any easier. Or less time consuming. The selectmen must, I’m afraid, slog through the people’s business like GI’s crawling through the mud under barbed wire and enemy fire. It’s just the way it is. Messy. Onerous. Sometimes painful.

God help us if we go back to an era not too long ago when the chair “ran a good meeting” that was short and free of discordance (or discourse for that matter) but nothing got done. I have a feeling Doug wishes for those days. A return to the Glowacki era and “process” trumping “progress.”

I like Doug. I get a kick out of talking to him. I feel he’s got a good attitude and a lot of chutzpah. But, I have to say, as a selectman, Doug has turned out to be an empty suit. And in some cases he has acted in a manner that is unbecoming the office. To say the least.

Last Fall, Doug announced that he would not run for re-election, but recently, he has stepped up “the Doug Show” in a way which suggests he will run again. I don’t see how he can win. The voters are not about to re-elect a selectman who has acted erratically, who does not want to do the job before him and who cannot be relied upon to vote in an consistent manner.

I’ll miss the Doug Show. Perhaps PlumTV can put together a “Best of The Doug Show” reel and re-run it from time to time. Other than that, I don’t see much future for Doug on the Board. His show is all but cancelled, I’m afraid. Perhaps he can use his free time to work on “Doug, the Movie” Hmmm….

Nantucket First.

Smear.

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 selectmen were part of an evil conspiracy with a clandestine, member-supported, non-profit organization that is purported to be a front for evil “special interests.” “Special interests” is a great phrase if you want to smear someone because you don’t really have to be any more specific. If they’re “special interests” they must be bad. Even if their only interest is to make the island more livable for everyone.

Still another selectman has attempted to smear his fellow BOS members by calling for “voluntary” random drug testing. This is a “when did you stop beating your wife” kind of Catch-22 smear campaign where any objection is seen, ultimately, as guilt.

We’ve seen candidates attempt to smear other candidates and election officials in recount situations.

Recently, on YACKon.com, I was smeared when one of these local political operatives compared me, unfavorably, to Hitler (I’m not sure if it’s possible to compare anyone favorably to Hitler, but I make the distinction anyway). Last time I checked, I have not invaded Poland or attempted to wipe out an entire race of people. Funny how my whole YACKon.com schtick is about fostering free speech and public expression, and Hitler was into burning books. That smear was not nice at all. (But, happily, I have thick skin.)

One of the biggest smear campaigns of the year, however, comes form our local Planning Board who voted to send a very public letter to the three Selectmen-appointed alternates, Charity Benz, Jason Flanagan and John Wagley, in which they accused them of tardiness, sleepiness, messiness, drunkenness, in-meeting industriousness and racial biasedness. And that they hum during meetings. These nasty accusations have the ability to follow at least one of the alternates throughout his career and hurt his chances for employment and his ability to serve on other boards. So, as smear campaigns go, it has been partly successful. Except for the humming part. I just have one thing to say to our Planning Board about their efforts:

You’re doing it all wrong, guys!

I know about these things. I’ve been in the ad business long enough to know what a successful smear campaign looks like and your attempts, Planning Board, are just plain weak. Guys. If you’re going to smear someone, don’t go halfway. Give it your all.

For example, if you’re going to accuse someone of being a racists, don’t just pussy-foot around with carefully worded weasel-phrases like “racial biasing.” What you need are photographs. Pictures of Planning Board alternates burning crosses, egging school busses, attending Klan rallies or having a beer with David Duke. If the pictures don’t exist, or the alternates are not actually Klan members, you can always doctor some photos. Think creatively! That’s why Photoshop was invented!

Similarly, instead of accusing alternates of leaving the meeting rooms messy, you should go one further and hint that perhaps the alternates are leaving radioactive materials lying around that might be used in the making of a dirty bomb. Now that’s messy! And the humming thing? Be more specific. Instead of just accusing them of humming, produce a recording of them humming a tune like “Billy, Don’t be a Hero” or “MacArthur Park.” People hate those songs, especially when they can’t get them out of their heads! And, by extension, they would hate the hummer. Again, it does not matter that you don’t have an actual recording of an alternate humming. Anyone with a Mac and a couple hours can pull together a reasonable sounding tape. (I myself have edited recordings of school committee members doctored to make it sound as though they want to tear down the schools and build a Kmart. I’ll be releasing that one when the time is right.) Keep in mind: It does not have to be truthful! It’s a smear campaign, remember? Go nuts!

Come to think of it, the truth is out of the question, now isn’t it? I know all three alternates and I have never met a finer or kinder group of people. They are volunteers for goodness sake. Giving up every other Monday to serve the town for no pay. There isn’t a racists bone in any of their bodies. Nor are they drunk or messy or particularly sleepy. And if you compare their attendance record to that of your Chair, Don Visco, who takes a few months off in the winter and goes to Florida, they look positively exemplary. They deserve gold stars!

No, the truth of the matter is, the truth is utterly useless in this effort. These alternates are good people who are doing a good job for the community. So my advice to you is to continue to manufacture lies. And big ones. The public, after all, will believe anything you feed them, as long as you make it interesting and get the press to print your version first.

By and large, I expect this trend toward local political smearing to continue. Because, frankly, it works. People are more interested in sensationalism and innuendo than they are in facts. And the handful of people who have been doing the smearing aren’t going away any time soon. Funny thing, that. The smearers all appear to be the same small group of six or seven people involved in town politics. You can often see them together at a local watering hole, each of them hunched over their white wines and martinis, plotting their next stink bomb attack.

I’m not sure these are the people we want leading the community. They’re not very nice. Or neighborly. Or even productive. But I’ll say one thing for them: They sure do give us columnists plenty of juicy stuff to write about. Thanks, guys.
YACK on.

Grant Sanders is the host of YACK, The Nantucket Online Community at www.yachom.com and like Adolph Hitler, he is a frustrated, hack artist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the Nantucket Independent. Or his wife (who is a wonderful, kind and peace-loving person).

Sorry.

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 would simply take a page out of the George Bush playbook and admit their mistakes so we could all move on.

The Planning Board and staff, and in particular, Chairman Don Visco and Planning Director, Andrew Vorce are a prime examples. They sent a letter to the alternates that should never have been sent. They put some accusations on paper and sent that letter to the Board of Selectmen, the appointing body for the alternates, making it part of the public record.

You can read the letter here.

Accusing three people of being drunk, asleep, awol from important meetings and racist, without the specificity of who did what and when is bad enough. This was done in public. In mean-spirited way. When I owned an ad agency in Boston and I had a problem with one of my employees’ performance, I would sit down with them behind closed doors and talk to them about it. I would not put it in a memo and distribute it to everyone in the Boston ad community limiting their ability to find a job if they ever wanted to go elsewhere (which is essentially what the Planning Board has done in at least one alternate’s situation).

To add insult to injury, Chairman Visco and other members have been sarcastic, insulting, loud, rude and threatening to the alternates in at least two public meetings. Is this the kind of behavior we want from our elected officials and their staff?

The interesting thing is, having discussed this with two of the three alternates, it’s clear to me that the Planning Board could make this whole sad episode disappear if they would do one thing.

Apologize.

If the Planning Board publicly apologized everything would be fine. The alternate’s names could be cleared. And we could all move on.

People make mistakes. People say and do things out of anger. I’ve done it myself. But when I’m wrong, and I realize it, I say so. I apologize and try to make things better.

Now, consider the possibility that the Planning Board perhaps does not want to make things better. Maybe their aim is to create a poo storm of invective and lay it at the Board of Selectman’s doorstep because they feel the BOS has been treading on their turf. Maybe they have some larger plan in mind to get these alternates to quit or spend a pile of money on legal fees.

If that’s true, they should be ashamed of themselves for their behavior, for taking time away from the business at hand (like, uh, the 41-81d master plan, a draft of which has been promised now for over a year) and for the financial and legal liability to which they have exposed the town. Ultimately, it is we, the taxpayers, who will pay the lawyer bills and any settlement costs that result in the event the Planning Board does get sued.

“We’re sorry,” could solve a lot of problems here. “We’re sorry,” could save some money and keep the town out of court. “We’re sorry,” could save the Planning Board members from being sued as individuals in addition to the town being sued. “We’re sorry,” could make it possible for the town to continue on with its valuable work. “We’re sorry,” might even make it possible for Visco to be re-elected to his seat this spring.

The thing is, “we’re sorry,” does not appear to be forthcoming any time soon. I guess some people have a hard time putting Nantucket First.

The BOS Report Card for 2006

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 24% considered the performance of the BOS worthy of the labels “good” or “exceptional.”

This past week, I duplicated the poll and the results were equally interesting.



As you can see, the situation has turned completely around. 45% feel the BOS is doing a good or exceptional job and 17% feel the BOS is doing a poor or awful job.

Clearly many people on YACKon.com are feeling better about the latest iteration of the Board of Selectmen. It appears that many issues — sewers, growth, traffic, and harbor management — are being addressed under this administration and that the government is making some progress.

But the BOS is not exactly a cohesive body. The five members (in the case of 2006, six members) are not equal in their contributions or their actions on the board. Here, therefore, is my report card for the BOS members for 2006.

Michael Kopko: A
When Mr. Kopko was elected in April, he promised to “kick some ass” and get town government to do the work they are supposed to do. So far, he has made good on that promise by pushing forward initiatives like the Sewer Advisory Committee, prodding the Planning Board to complete the 41-81D master plan, maintaining a family atmosphere at the Jetties Beach concession, promoting a community arts center and getting growth management on the agenda for the board. His participation on YACKon.com earns him extra credit points for being willing to listen and discuss important issues with islanders of all stripes.

Chairman Whitey Willauer: B+
As Chair, whitey has not been as vocal as Mr. Kopko in meetings, but the progress and high marks of the current board could not be achieved without his leadership and cooperation. The meetings he runs are not as streamlined and flawless as those chaired by his predecessor, Mike Glowacki, but a great deal more is getting done. The proof is in the pudding. Chairman Willauer’s only low marks are for his performance with regard to the Great Harbor Yacht Club. Whether his conflicts are real or merely the perception of conflict is immaterial. He promised to recuse himself from GHYC votes if elected two years ago and not keeping that promise means that many voters feel they cannot trust him.

Doug Bennett: C
With a race for state senate that took up much of Doug’s time in 2006, a great deal of work that could have gotten done did not get done. Doug’s only committee appointment, the Mid Island Area Work Group did not meet in 2006 and many of the mid-day and morning workshops and meetings that the BOS held were not attended by Doug. In addition, he exhibited some rather rude and untoward behavior in the past 12 months that was in no way befitting the office of the Board of Selectmen. Still, Doug was the swing vote on many critical policy decisions and appointments, so one cannot give him a failing grade. If he runs for Selectman again when his seat is up in 2007, it is doubtful that he will win, but one hopes he continues to play a role in local politics. We need more young people in the game. And he does have an undeniable charm and energy that is often missing from the political scene.

Brian Chadwick: C-
Elected with the highest number of votes in Selectman History two years ago, Brian Chadwick continues to be lackluster performer on the job, choosing instead to police the actions of others (The Rector Rule, the open meeting law, reading from the town charter), remove valuable and instructional links to YACKon.com from town web pages, and obstruct programs that are obviously good and valuable (The Sewer Advisory Committee for one) spurred by motivations that can only be described as “questionable.” His only redeeming quality is that he shows up and attends meetings and appears to grasp the material and issues before him. But all in all, unless he is able to champion some positive programs and ideas for 2007, the name Brian Chadwick will be synonymous with disappointment and squandered potential and the likelihood that he will serve a second term is small.

Mike Glowacki: D
As the former chair of the BOS, the poor showing of last year falls squarely on Mike’s shoulders. As chair, his accomplishments were abysmally few. In addition, his performance on the Board in 2006 was punctuated by rancor, ill will and several long rants that berated the work of so-called special interests such as Sustainable Nantucket — an organization whose only “agenda” is to make the island a better place to live. Glowacki’s tenure on the board was underscored by the worst brand of local politics. Obstructionist. Status quo. Destructive. Negative. Cronyism-filled. Only after he resigned from the board in August, due to health reasons, did the tenor of the board change and become more productive and positive. Personally, I hope Mike Glowacki’s health improves and he lives a long and prosperous life. But by the same token, I hope he steers clear of island politics as his involvement has been disastrous for the island and he seems to bring out the worst in everyone around him.

Catherine Stover: Incomplete
With only one month on the job, it is difficult to gauge Catherine’s performance. But if her exemplary conduct during her election to the interim seat and her even-keel approach to the emotionally-charged recount process are any indication, she could prove to be one of our most valuable BOS assets. Her motto, “Kindness Counts,” is clearly evident in her words and actions. Plus, she, like Mr. Kopko, is a regular participant on YACKon.com which means she is open to both listening and talking to the people of this island.

YACK on: Gifts

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 gifts that we at YACKon.com would give out if we had not spent all our available cash on Red Bull and iTunes downloads. (Since we have no money, we can make the gifts we would have given as extravagant as we want!)

First, let’s start with the Board of Selectmen. To Chairman Whitey Willauer we would give a pair of really nice running shoes so that he can continue to keep up the incredible pace he has set for the Board in 2006. Many of us on YACKon.com are stunned at all that this board has been able to achieve this year. It hasn’t always been pretty, but it’s been very, very effective. Kind of like the New England Patriots. Well done.

For Selectman and Innkeeper, Michael Kopko, we would give a new pair of boots so he can continue to kick some posterior in town government, which was something he promised to do on the evening he was elected last spring. So far, so good, Citizen Kopko.

For Catherine Flanagan Stover, we give a genuine jewel-encrusted throne to replace the ejector seat which apparently has lost all of its evil powers (perhaps the BOS took my advice and hired a voodoo priest to exercise the evil spirits from that seat).

Doug Bennett receives a new suit, a new tie and a new sheet of 4 x 8 plywood for any future campaigning he may do. Doug got 3,000 votes in his Senate race this year without spending a whole lot of money. Well done, sir! Anyone counting him out of politics in the future is placing a sucker bet.

For Brian Chadwick we have the entire, unabridged works of Keats, Shelly and Wadsworth to go the rather professorial, be-speckled, bow-tied look he’s been sporting lately. Plus it will give him something to read besides the town charter.

For the Sewer Advisory Committee members (a.k.a., the Sewer Dwarves) and the town government study committee members (a.k.a., the Government Elves) and the Car Limit Advisory Committee (a.k.a. the poor suffering bastards who can't win either way) we wish we had the cash to buy everyone a three-week, all-expense-paid trip to some remote and beautiful tropical island. Your hard work has been a wonderful gift to this island. You deserve a vacation!

For Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director of the U-Mass Field Station, and a member of the Conservation Commission and a Clean Team Co-captain we would give a $200,000 trip on Richard Branson’s "Virgin Galactic" spaceliner charter scheduled to begin in 2008, so she can look down on the earth and see all of the good work she’s been doing in one glance. (We would give the same gift to all of the wonderful folks at thee Maria Mitchell Association, the Land Council, the Land Bank, Conservation Foundation and everyone else who works hard to ensure that Nantucket remains a wondrous ecological jewel. If we had the money.)

Captain Blair Perkins receives a full degree in meteorology. He deserves it given all of the incredibly accurate weather reports he’s been sharing with the yackon.com readers this year.

For selectman candidate, Patty Roggeveen, we give a copy of Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Note that there is no chapter on the best method for accusing the Town Clerk’s office or the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen of malfeasance and vote tampering when requesting a recount.

For traffic planner, Mike Burns, we give a restored 1975 Chrysler Cordoba (with rich, Corinthian leather seats), in which he can do donuts around the new Sparks Avenue roundabout late at night when no one is looking.

For Planning Board Alternates, Charity Benz, John Wagley and Jason Flanagan, we would hire the services of top legal mind Alan Dershowitz, who will work on their behalf to sue the Planning Board for defamation of character, a violation of their civil and trampling upon their constitutional rights. Or settle for a huge undisclosed sum. Or a public apology.

For Planning Board chairman Donald Visco, we would give him (secretly) a whoopee cushion so that the next time he gets out of his chair to raise his voice and point at an alternate, he can sit down and make a noise that befits his recent service on the board.

For town Administrator, Libby Gibson, we would give a gift card so that she can go shopping for a whole new wardrobe. Not that her current style isn’t very smart and attractive. But if she is going to get a new title of Town Manager, it might be a good idea for her to have a whole new wardrobe to go with it. And let’s throw in a new car while we’re at it. And a spa weekend. (And, Libby, if you can think of anything else, let me know.)

Aaron Marcavitch, the New Housing Office Director would receive a home of his very own so that he and his wife, who are wonderful assets for the community, can stay here forever and raise a family. We at YACKon.com feel that it is rather ironic that Aaron will be working hard to find housing for others while still renting himself.

To my fellow columnist, Dan Drake, the Lighthouse keeper, I would give a gift certificate to the pet store in the Cape Cod Mall so that he can purchase several more animals with which to converse in his columns. It is thought that perhaps he may be missing the goldfish perspective in town politics and the ferret voice is woefully underrepresented.

And, finally, to Dreamland owner and developer Hiram Zahavi we would give a Day-Timer® scheduler and planner, so that he can actually have a snowball’s chance in hell of opening the Dreamland Theater for the summer of 2007.

To everyone else, we wish happiness and joy this holiday season as well as a prosperous and healthy new year.

YACK on.

Grant Sanders is the Host of YACK, The Nantucket Online Community at yackon.com and he hopes he receives a new, shiny, black MacBook laptop for Christmas. And one of those huge chocolate bars from Trader Joe’s in Hyannis. And peace on earth. His views are his own and may not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of The Nantucket Independent. Except the peace on earth bit.

The Positives and the Negatives on Nantucket

“Pessimism leads to weakness. Optimism leads to power.”
— William James

I’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 optimism or pessimism.

I’m reminded of our recent discussion on yackon.com of Sustainable Nantucket and the Housing Office and the Shellfish Association and how some people on the island think that these organizations are wrong or bad or “foolish.” In one case, a poster said they felt that one of the above groups participates in “borderline criminal activity.”

Holy disconnect, Batman.

Here are three organizations that actually stand for something. They stand for things that are good and important to us as a community, or at least should be. Sustainability. Affordable Housing. A viable shellfish industry. How can anyone be against these things? Yet, there are people who are. People who speak out, either in public, as is the case with one former selectman, or in private, over wings at the AC or scrambled eggs at the Downeyflake. They spread this pessimism like a virus and it infects our community in a very real way.

This brand of pessimism makes us weak as a community. Why? Because it divides us. Another quote from Winston Churchill explains why:

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Take for example the Westmoor opportunity the town has a few years back. In that situation, I got the feeling that a number of people refused to see the rose that was presented to the town and chose instead to concentrate only on the thorns. What a missed opportunity.

The greatest concentration of negativity and pessimism seems, at least to me, to be coming form “old guard” native Nantucketers. One was recently quoted by the above poster on YACK as saying, "I've been here all my life and I talked to loads of people about it. The only ones who have anything good to say are poorly informed gripers who liked my island so much they decided to move here and show me how to run it."

Not very neighborly. Not very positive. Not very understanding. I would say that if these "poorly informed gripeers" he talks about moved to Nantucket, then it must be their island too. And they have every right to have a say in how the community works and grows.

I recently got a response on my blog that, in part made the following statement:

“Something you will forever be unable to understand is the connection with Nantucket a native has in comparison to a ‘washashore’.”

Listen to the negativity and pessimism in that statement. This person — and I have no idea who it is — does not think very highly of me. And why? Not because I’m a bad person. (I’m not.) Not because I want to ruin Nantucket (I don’t.) But because I’m a washashore and can’t possibly understand having a connection to this place.

I find this laughable. First, how can this person measure my capacity to understand anything? What do they know about me? I’ll have them know that they greatly underestimate me. Second, I understand the connection to Nantucket as well as anyone, and perhaps better than some because I have lived other places. I have the gift of contrast to show me how special a place the island is. I participate in the community. I pay attention. I care enough to want to see Nantucket become a better place for its citizens.

This person finished their note to me by saying, “when it comes down to it...this is not your island to change.”

More negativity. Negativity and pessimism that weakens us as an island. This is my home. It is, in fact, my island. It belongs to us all.

I think we would be stronger as a community if long-standing islanders like this anonymous poster said to their washashore neighbors who care deeply about Nantucket, “Welcome. Let’s get to work creating a community we can be proud of.”

Nantucket First!

Nantucket needs to spend more to make more.

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 year-round residents. Hmmm… Know any other small resort communities?

At a recent Board of Selectman Meeting, two of our five elected BOS members, Brian Chadwick and Doug Bennett, bristled at the idea of hiring a lobbyist for $8,000 to help the housing office get vital home rule petition legislation through the statehouse. Brian called it, "A slippery slope." Am I the only person who feels this is rather short sighted? Yeah, uh, Brian, it's a slippery slope, alright. Fortunately, at the bottom of that slope is a massive pile of cash to cushion our fall!

Our legislative liaison, Tim Madden is a peach, but I’m sure he could use a little firepower in his efforts to protect Nantucket’s interests.

Some other ideas:

Hire a full-time grant writer. Such a person would pay for themselves in the long run by applying for and receiving grant money from any number of sources in order to help the town in the areas of human services, sanitation, education and more.

The town could also use a full-time PR person. Nothing would help the town’s situation with policy makers and legislators (not to mention the vacationing and spending public), like some targeted messages in the press. such as person could help increase participation in government by citizens, reduce the likelihood of lawsuits and policy wheel spinning and help the town get more work done more quickly by framing important issues and manufacturing consensus.

I think it’s time we looked at the ways other towns are fixing and avoiding the problems that Nantucket seems to struggle with constantly.

Nantucket First!

The Dark Side.

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 Nantucket has gotten more and more like the Star Wars movies every single day. It’s uncanny.

On the one side, you’ve got the old guard. The Empire. Seeking to take control of the forces of the island and wield them with an iron fist and a dark and sinister heart. On the other, the rebels. The voices of a new hope who seek to pull the process out into the light for all to see, and participate in, and enjoy.

Scary, isn’t it? The similarities continue. Listen.

There are the good guys, who are guided by the Light Side of the Force: There’s Catherine Stover who makes a dashing Luke Skywalker with her new shorter haircut. Michael Kopko is the brash upstart, Han Solo, who is constantly being perused by the ruthless privateer, Jabba the Hut. (Who could that be, I wonder?) Then there’s Doug Bennett, who plays the role of Chewbacca, the Wookie, who speaks often and loudly, but many people don’t always fully understand what he’s saying (Except Han and Luke. They understand completely). And then there’s Town Administrator, Libby Gibson in the role of Princess Lea. Just image her with a cinnamon roll on either side of her head. Can you see it? I can. And of course, the role of Yoda is well played by Whitey Willauer (many a Board of Selectmen’s meeting, I have gotten the urge to go behind the Selectman’s table to see if Frank Oz is back there with his hand up the back of White’s suit coat, helping him run the meeting). “Approve the minutes of the last meeting, we will…hmm?”

On the Dark side, the roles are equally well cast.

The evil and mysterious Emperor Palpatine is played by Mike Glowacki who, even though he works behind the scenes, the Dark Side of the force is extremely strong in him and he controls much of what happens within it. Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine’s young apprentice, is played ably by Patty Roggeveen. Her nearly identical vote count to Catherine Stover’s in the recent election to fill Glowacki’s empty seat shows that the forces of light and dark are well matched here and much hangs in the balance. Brian Chadwick plays the role of Grand Moff Tarkin, the powerful imperial governor who orders the total destruction of Princess Lea’s home planet, Alderaan, supposedly because it is technically in violation of the open meeting law.

Now many people might not think it is fair of me to paint these community members with light and dark brushes. But folks, I just call ‘em the way I see ‘em. There are two sides to Nantucket politics. One wants to get everything out in the open so we can discuss it and change it and make things better. The other wants to drive discussion and debate into the shadows. Look at this list of Dark Side actions over the last few years.

• Who drafted a set of rules for public comment, essentially outlining how and what a citizen cannot address in front of the board during public comment?
• Who wanted to suppress the formation of the sewer advisory committee, which, I think many of us can (or will) agree, has done great work.
• Who has referred to YACKon.com as a “cesspool of misinformation” and has actively bad-mouthed the site where important, far-reaching issues are discussed in the bright light of day?
• Who actively worked to limit mentions of YACKon.com and informational links to the site on several town web pages, essentially squeezing off the free-flow of information and ideas?
• Who has shown a distrust, dislike and general discouragement of Sustainable Nantucket, an organization that is dedicated to a community-wide, open dialog on the vital issues we face.
• Who has discouraged new voices in government by essentially saying, "keep quiet and wait your turn?"
• Who made allegations of wrong-doing against one of this island’s most honest and good and tireless public servants, Catherine Stover, and then tried to muzzle her in regard to the recount process?

These do not seem like the acts of anyone working for the Light Side of the Force, do they? Not to me. (Although I’m open to alternative viewpoints. Let’s hear them at yackon.com!)

The best part of this saga is, it’s not over. The ultimate battle for good and evil will happen on Saturday the 16th when the special election recount begins. Granted there will be no light sabers drawn, but there will certainly be sparks and movement and heat. And one side will win a small but symbolic victory that could plunge the galaxy into despair or signal a sense of new hope.

I’ll be there. Just look for the little round robot with the blinking lights and the laptop in the corner.