There’s a line in “It’s a Wonderful Life” when a young and restless George Bailey, having already graduated from Bedford Falls High School, says he’s “shakin' the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I'm gonna see the world.” Expressing a sentiment felt by many new graduates eager to leave their hometowns, that line comes to mind each time we cover a high school commencement ceremony. It conjures im...

Repurpose Underutilized Facilities Editor: The following letter was addressed to the Chatham Select Board: The saddest part of town meeting is that the COA vote has managed to divide the town with an issue that, at its core, nobody is against! COVID changed the game; nonresident home ownership has grown significantly along with inflation and interest rates. The days of ostentatious government spending sh...

It’s about time the Harwich Affordable Housing Trust began seriously examining development of the 13-acre Marceline property, which it purchased in July 2021 for $800,000. With housing the most serious problem to confront not only Harwich but the entire Cape community in decades, the last two years of inaction are inexcusable. While trust members have bickered among themselves, the private sector has moved ...

Growing Debt A Concern Editor: I voted against the COA project for the following reason: Page 24 of the 2023 Chatham warrant shows debt service (yearly interest payments on money borrowed) as the second largest yearly expense at $7,148,305. By comparison public safety is the largest expense at $7.8 million per year. The town of Chatham’s interest payments are estimated to be $7,600,000 in 2024, an i...

Anyone who ever doubted that their vote counts need only look at local elections held over the past few weeks. At Chatham’s annual town meeting and elections in Harwich and Brewster, key issues and races were decided by just a few votes — in the case of the proposal to build a new center for active living for the council on aging, the margin was one vote. That vote was taken twice, both times with the same res...

Hidden Up Side Of Vote Editor: It was admirable to see all the voters at the town meeting even though it might not have gone as some might have hoped, but the people have spoken twice. The generous gift of Bill Marsh was not the right place and even the over $10.5 million didn’t fly. All is not lost. Maybe it is a blessing in disguise. The band of seniors should not be isolated but should be right in the...

Questions Airport Tree Trimming Editor: At last weekend's town meeting, much discussion was made about keeping our airport safe in Chatham. As Huntley Harrison, chair of the airport commission, went to the podium to request funding for clearing trees from 21 properties adjacent to the airport, he neglected to mention that the reason those trees need to be removed is because of the “new” approach approv...

Articles have failed at Chatham Town Meeting in the past only to turn up again on a subsequent warrant. But failing twice in the same meeting? And by one vote? That’s unprecedented. Equally unprecedented is the ruling that the ballot question exempting from Proposition 2½ $10.6 million for a new center for active living at 1610 Main St. — the very article that failed twice at the May 6 annual town meeting —...

Despite the Wing Island debacle, the Brewster Select Board generally functions well, working with town staff and residents to keep the wheels of government spinning efficiently. With an emphasis on working through the future of the former Cape Cod Sea Camps properties, we see no major reason to make a change on the board at this time. In his first term, incumbent Ned Chatelain has shown an ability and willingness...

When voters go to the polls on Tuesday in Harwich they will be faced with one contested race for the two seats on the board of selectmen. Longtime Selectman Larry Ballantine has decided not to seek another term. Another long-time board member, Donald Howell, is running for reelection. He is facing a challenge from Jeffrey Handler and former selectman Peter Piekarski. Handler is fairly new to town politics. He ...

Two-thirds Majority Problematic Editor: The people have spoken. All 295 of them. That’s all it took in this town of nearly 6,500 to defeat a proposal to replace a senior center that is as obsolete as Chatham’s so-called democratic process. Almost everything has changed since Chatham was incorporated in 1712, but not the town meeting process. It has become as outmoded as the Electoral College. Attendin...

On Monday, the Orleans Select Board will come back to town meeting voters with a revised rental registration bylaw, this time applying to all rental properties in town, both short-term and year round. The board is also approaching the bylaw with a renewed focus on safety. Earlier this year, a fatal apartment fire on Route 6A served as a sobering reminder of what is at stake when apartments and other housing un...