To the Editor:
The artificial turf/natural grass court battle between the Oak Bluffs Planning Board and the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Committee is a waste of taxpayer monies. Even though the high school committee doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of fiduciary responsibility, it doesn’t matter because neither of these political bodies sufficiently represent island voters.
Sure, the Oak Bluffs Planning Board is directly elected by the voters of Oak Bluffs. If the Oak Bluffs’ voters don’t agree with the board’s policy decisions, they can vote in new membership. But the O.B. planning board is a parochial entity that is only accountable to the political interests of the citizens of Oak Bluffs. In this natural grass/artificial turf battle, the voters of the other 5 towns are not represented on the O.B. planning board.
The high school committee is even worse. They are an utterly unelected body. They represent no one. Sure, each member stands for election in local school board elections. But here is why that fact is meaningless. Voters, when voting in local school committee elections, vote for the candidates that they believe will best manage their local school. The voters have no idea which of the candidates will end up on the high school committee. Neither do the candidates. Issues pertaining to the high school are not part of the debate. The members of the high school committee are never directly held accountable by the voters for their actions. Thus, the committee members can’t credibly assert that they represent the voter’s will.
So why not let democracy decide directly?
Put the athletic field question on every ballot on the island.
Not a referendum — where the wording of the question is manipulated to favor one idea over another.
Rather, have it be as if there are two candidates running for office: One named “A. Turf”; the other named “N. Grass”; running for the office of “High School Athletic Field”. A coin flip jointly supervised by the O.B. planning board and the high school committee could decide which candidate’s name is first. The election would be on next year’s April town ballots. That leaves plenty of time for the two candidates (and their supporters) to get their message to the voters. And, with all the appeals that the current suit will spawn, it will be fast, cheap and decisive.
In the meantime, the O.B. planning board and the high school committee could mutually agree to stop the suit and devote their time and money to more productive endeavors.
Trust democracy. Let the voters decide.
Brian Hughes
Oak Bluffs