Editor:

"When biodiversity declines, those natural systems begin to break down, affecting everything from local wildlife to human health and safety.” 

Gov. Maura Healey made that statement last Thursday in Barnstable to announce the launching of a public-private biodiversity partnership, with Mass Audubon as the first partner.

She describes the loss of biodiversity and the results that would certainly follow from the plan for Pine Oaks Village 4 by stripping and altering over 30 acres of North Harwich’s native woodland and wetland and replace it with paved parking lots and roadways and 10 multistory apartment buildings that would sluice stormwater and wastewater into the Herring River watershed, which is already overloaded with nitrogen. 

We ask those who share our concerns to contact Gov. Healey. Copy your letter to Mass Audubon CEO David O'Neill and to Barnstable Commissioner Mark Forest, who both spoke to support biodiversity. Request that Gov.Healey follow her own mandate to preserve North Harwich’s biodiverse and sensitive land and protect our wildlife and native habitats and our personal health and safety. 

Paula Myles
North Harwich

Editor:

As a year-round member of the community and someone visible due to being active in fundraising for Chatham’s Orpheum Theater, I have been approached by three nonresidents in the past three days concerning the select board’s decision approving a residential tax exemption. I can only speak with knowledge about the Orpheum’s experience, but without the benefit of so-called “summer people” the theater would not exist. I’m speculating, but without these people who love Chatham as we voting residents do, many other charitable organizations as well as merchants would suffer greatly. Yes, if one were to claim primary residence in an enclosed community in Florida, for example, real estate taxes would be higher than outside that homogenous neighborhood. And our taxes are quite low compared to off-Cape. Still, coming at this time of year, just after the summer residents presentation, seems tin-eared and divisive. Our select board, which is largely home grown, needs to be more aware of the bigger picture in how they address issues. Fortunately, Mr. Nicastro did stand up for the greater community. He is to be commended for representing all of the people who make Chatham an extraordinary place.

Bill Storff
Chatham

Editor:

Voters have long viewed the GOP as more effective on crime. And U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in her opening statement for her confirmation hearings wrote, “If confirmed, I will work to restore confidence and integrity to the Department of Justice — and each of its components.” But today’s GOP has gone soft on crime, and the current administration throws our tax dollars away foolishly.

Under Bondi, the U.S. Department of Justice wastes resources. According to the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police, violent crime in Washington dropped 27 percent since last year, and crime in Washington is down 7 percent overall. Similarly, violent crime rates have been falling in Los Angeles and New York. Yet the DOJ under Bondi claimed that crime rates are up in these cities and flooded them with troops and federal agents. Meanwhile, criminals in other cities got a free pass. Memphis, Tenn., Indianapolis, Ind. and Lexington, Ken. have all seen dramatic increases in violent crime in recent years. But no national guard troops were sent to these cities.

The Trump administration deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other federal agents from the FBI and ATF in large numbers to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and North Texas. The U.S. now has more immigrants in detention than ever. According to the administration, these detainees are criminals — “the worst of the worst” — yet the libertarian CATO Institute, using the administration’s own data, reports that 65 percent of detainees have no criminal convictions, and over half of the remaining detainees were convicted of only minor infractions, mainly traffic infractions. Many had already had charges dismissed, but ICE detained them anyway. Only a tiny percentage of immigrant murderers and rapists have been taken into custody, according to NBC news.

Attorney General Bondi won’t make America safer by sending troops and federal agents to cities where crime rates are dropping. Nor will the Department of Homeland Security reduce crime rates by detaining, housing and deporting construction workers, line cooks, home care workers and meat packers who have only had minor charges against them, if any. These actions waste taxpayer money. Since the current administration took office it has gone on a spending spree, and despite their press releases, it’s gone soft on crime.

Matthew Brown
Harwich

Editor:

A 46-unit affordable housing complex is now under construction in Wellfleet on Lawrence Road across from the elementary school. Additionally, a planner has been hired for the 250-unit affordable housing complex to be constructed on the town-owned campground in South Wellfleet across from the Wellfleet Drive-In.

Since there isn't a municipal water system in South Wellfleet, the town of Eastham has agreed to provide that 250-unit complex with up to 50 million gallons of water per year from its municipal water system.

According to your article "Drought Deepens on Lower Cape," state officials have upgraded Barnstable County to "significant drought status." 

As a multitude of housing continues to be built annually on Cape Cod, in the future I imagine towns will have to construct a desalination plant. 

After all, as everyone knows, when you run out of water you're toast.

Mike Rice
South Wellfleet

Editor:

There is no starvation in Gaza, according to Prime Minister Netanyahu, despite continuous media coverage of Gazan men, women and children desperately risking their lives, and too often losing them, shot by Israeli soldiers as they seek food at the few distribution sites. This is the claim by the head of the Israeli government who faces arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity and who also faces a domestic trial on corruption charges.

This is the insecure leader who is responsible for more than 64,000 Gaza civilian deaths, who is determined to remain in power and who is calling up as many as 100,000 military reservists to occupy and destroy Gaza City, a decision roundly condemned by most of the international community, the United Nations, his own citizens and hostage families who fear this could lead to the execution of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. This is the person who has approved blockading of routes to get food, fuel and medical supplies into starving Gazans. This is the person who has approved construction of as many as 20,000 additional settlement units in the West Bank on land credibly claimed by Palestine, another decision generally condemned by the international community and which, if completed, will likely torpedo the possibility of a two-state solution.

It is outrageous that this contemptible conduct is not condemned by the Trump administration. In fact, President Trump has declared Netanyahu a war hero, even as Trump claims the same title based on his ordering the questionably successful attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. In fact Trump has offered tacit support, saying it is "up to Israel" to act as it sees fit. Despite the leaders of many countries calling for recognition of Palestine as a country, Trump refuses to do so, nor will he condemn the proposed illegal settlements. Instead, as it has done in domestic cases, the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court.

As Trump has generally aligned himself with dictators such as Russia's president Vladimir Putin and Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban, I suppose we should not be surprised that he apparently supports Netanyahu's abominable treatment of Gaza, and I am not, but I heartily condemn Trump's refusal to join other world leaders in their efforts to contain Netanyahu's abhorrent and immoral behavior. 

Ralph W. Smith
Harwich Port

Editor:

Chatham must get its affordable housing act together and quickly. Pennrose, a national developer with no prior experience in Chatham, took advantage of Chatham in its proposals for Main Street and Meetinghouse Road. 

Who’s to blame? Start with the affordable housing trust board. Density concerns were expressed at every one of the three town forums. Townspeople overwhelmingly opposed the trust board’s RFPs with no upper limit on density. The board dismissed that opposition in the interest of building as many units as possible as quickly as possible regardless of density. That resulted in unit densities at both Main Street (16.27 an acre) and Meetinghouse Road (16.8 a buildable acre) far exceeding typical densities of similar Cape Cod and other Pennrose affordable housing developments. 

Density at Pennrose’s Nauset Green is 5.8 an acre, Swift’s Landing in Wareham 5.8 an acre, Lenox MA 4.9 an acre; other nearby developments at Brewster Woods are at 4.2 per acre and Dennis Village at 10 per acre. Even Pennrose’s national president of development belatedly acknowledged to the zoning board of appeals that the Main Street site is “very, very, very tight” for 48 dwelling units and an outsized community center, unfortunately, to the detriment of adjacent homeowners.

Because Chatham’s zoning bylaw is outdated with respect to large 40B affordable housing developments — one provision the ZBA chair rightly called Chatham’s “measly 15 foot setback” — Pennrose was able to locate all its tall, two-story buildings 20 feet or less from property lines of abutting single-family homes without waivers.

With a reorganized board and new chair and hopefully chastened by the controversial outcomes at both Main Street and Meetinghouse Road, the affordable housing trust board will listen to townspeople.

George Myers
Venice, Fla.

Editor:

I’d like to correct the record concerning your recent coverage of the residential exemption which was passed by a supermajority of the select board on Aug. 19. 

Contrary to your article, I did not tell the board that there had recently been an increase in the tax “dedication”; I said that the State and Local Tax (SALT) “deduction” had been increased from $10,000 to $40,000, and that any taxpayer who itemizes deductions on their federal returns just got an additional $30,000 that they can use to reduce their (federal) taxes.

In addition, you quote Chairman Nicastro as stating that “he opposed the exemption in the past, and hadn’t heard anything to change his view.” In fact, Mr. Nicastro supported Citizen Petition article 59, which appeared on the 2022 annual town meeting warrant, and spoke favorably of the exemption at the time. 

Practically speaking, a non-qualifying property owner who owns a $5 million dollar home in Chatham will now, with the 35 percent residential exemption, owe $20,500 in property taxes. At the previous mil rate, their bill would be $17,350, so the increase is $3,150. Unfortunately, I’d have to have a person’s tax return before me to tell you the benefit they’d receive from the additional $30,000 of the SALT deduction, but I’m comfortable saying that the benefit will greatly outstrip the additional $3,150 they will now be paying to the town of Chatham, as it will still leave them with an additional $26,850 in deductions they did not previously have. It’s also worth noting that many of our “second home” owners have declared their residences in tax haven states, like Florida, which has no state income tax and offers a residential property exemption as well. 

Seth Taylor
Chatham