Amid the many important measures on the 63-article warrant for Saturday's annual town meeting in Chatham are four that bring to a head controversies that have been engulfing the town for several years. Two deal with Chatham Municipal Airport, a hot-button issue for nearly a decade now, and two address the future of town-owned open space off Middle Road. Groups both pro and con have conducted slick and extensive c...

We're sorry to see Chatham Select Board member and current chair Peter Cocolis step down. He has been a moderate, level-headed influence on the board. In the May 19 annual town election, we support returning incumbent Jeffrey Dykens, whose long history in town, financial expertise and – like Cocolis – level-headed approach to issues is much needed in town right now. For the open seat, we endorse J. Michael Schell...

Harwich voters will go to the polls on May 17 to select a new town clerk. Jannell Brown, Shelagh Delaney and Emily Mitchell are vying for the job. Each of the candidates has experience in town government and is capable of performing the tasks of town clerk. However, in our view, one candidate stands out as the person who would be the exemplary keeper of the records for the town: current Council On Aging Director ...

Monomoy After Prom Thanks Community Supporters Editor: The Monomoy Regional High School After Prom Committee wants to thank the many businesses, organizations, and individuals that contributed to a successful After Prom event for the MRHS Class of 2022. This event allowed students to continue celebrating in a safe manner following their senior prom on April 14. Many thanks to the following for donating fo...

Voters at next week’s annual and special town meetings in Orleans are staring down an 83 article warrant. That’s not a misprint. The count makes the spring session one of the most voluminous the town has seen in years, and according to Select Board Chair Mefford Runyon, there’s valid reason for it. Over the past two years, Orleans and other towns across the Cape and Islands have put forward truncated town meet...

This week perhaps more than most, we’re aware of the “big picture” issues that capture the attention and energy of political leaders like Sen. Elizabeth Warren. We thank the senator for visiting Chatham last weekend, and urge her to devote a little energy to an issue of local importance: reversing the downgraded surf rescue status of Coast Guard Station Chatham. When summer arrives, boaters of all kinds will b...

Support School Equity Editor: The following is an open letter to Chatham and Harwich taxpayers and voters, being published at the request of elected officials. After a decade of regionalization, it’s time for our school district to revisit the original regional agreement and make appropriate updates. At annual town meetings in both Chatham and Harwich this year, attendees will be asked to vote on propo...

At the invitation of the Chatham Community Housing Partnership, a joint meeting was held with the open space committee. The CCHP proposed a compromise, Article 62, that would put 15 of the 19 acres on Middle Road into conservation and the remaining four acres, the closest to the road, would be developed for housing. The OS chair announced he would resign if his committee endorsed such a compromise. Another member...

Harwich voters will face a 58-article annual town meeting warrant on Monday in which there are a few weighty issues, including some that are of great import to the town’s young people. Voters wills see a request for a 6.3 percent increase in the town services side of the budget, with a 2.5 percent increase in the Monomoy Regional School District budget. School budget increases are often a thorny issue in Harwi...

Support School Equity The following is an open letter to Chatham and Harwich taxpayers and voters, being published at the request of elected officials. After a decade of regionalization, it’s time for our school district to revisit the original Regional Agreement and make appropriate updates. At Annual Town Meeting in both Chatham and Harwich this year, attendees will be asked to vote on proposed changes ...

In the coming weeks, local communities will be holding town meetings and elections, the annual rites of spring when residents gather to conduct the business necessary to keep a town functioning. While there's been a lot of chatter about a lack of participation – Orleans is considering lowering its town meeting quorum so meetings don't have to be canceled due to low attendance – local residents are generally quite...

Dismayed That Path Blocked Editor: One sunny afternoon at low tide two friends and I set out on a shoreline walk from the end of Tonset Road in Orleans. We turned left following a lovely well-trodden path that I must have walked hundreds of times in my 40-odd years living in this town, but no more! In no time we came bang up to a barrier fence with its warning sign: Private Property – No Trespassing – Vi...