When school committee members start to worry about the lack of housing impacting the ability to hire teachers, it's a signal that housing has become a crisis that threatens the very institutions that we rely on as a society. And it isn't limited to schools, although members of the Monomoy Regional School Committee expressed similar concerns when discussing giving up school property along Stepping Stones Road i...

Backs Moderator's Decisions Editor: If the list of warrant articles to be voted on altogether is taken out of the very capable hands of the town moderator, by anyone, I will stand up and say no to each and every article. Betsy Abreu Chatham   Voters Listened To Debate Editor: Thanks to all the voters at Chatham Town Meeting for participating in and listening to the long debates on two importa...

The most disappointing development at Chatham's annual town meeting Saturday was the failure of two affordable housing-related articles. And what's even more maddening is that both had a majority vote but not the two-thirds required by what seems more and more like an outdated state statute. The proposal to use four acres of town land along Middle Road for housing and put a perpetual conservation easement on t...

Nature Needs Small Steps Editor: Mary Richmond’s “Giving Nature a Chance” column (May 5) is sound advice for seasoned gardeners and rookie planters alike. She is right about the importance of recognizing the potentially dilatory effects of “endless poisons and fertilizers” on our front lawns, shrubs and bushes. It’s understandable that we don’t realize the collective impact of chemicals which we routinel...

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...