To the Editor:
As the season on the Island slowly shifts to the fall, it is time to spend a bit of effort while everyone is basically around to hear from all the stakeholders. Next year is the 50th anniversary of the release of “Jaws.” It was a blockbuster and historic movie that was made on Martha’s Vineyard. Not many people remember the chaos and antagonism that almost killed the production of it. I do. I worked on it the whole time. I lived on the Island decades ago for 20 years, in all six island towns. I know how things work, or don’t.
On Facebook there are a number of “Jaws” pages. The number of people who follow them is in excess of 200,000. There are so far no official events actually planned. There are a couple of Island organizations looking into having an event or two. No dates have been benchmarked, although rumor has it that June 20th would be a logical weekend to bookend with events. I have noticed a number of international visitors from England, Australia, Canada, and Europe are planning trips. It will be in the national and international news cycle, and of course “Shark Week.”
Now would be a good time to pull all the local leadership together and make a concerted effort to achieve consensus on this historic opportunity to build the Island’s reputation. We are inside of the one-year mark, and everyone knows some people are pro and some people are con. These visitors are going to be coming anyway, and the people on-Island who are quietly planning their own event, business, or party are not really central-planning aficionados. So be it.
As the calendar winds along, there will be a number of things that can, and should, be planned. Will they? Are the people at the SSA even aware of it? Are fire and police going to be ready? Are there towns that want to do absolutely nothing? Are there towns that want to do three or four things over the course of the season? Rather than run the reputational risk of pulling a Mayor Vaughn, might now be a good time to bring ALL the stakeholders to the table, and make this a wonderful and prosperous event for the people who wish to participate? The people who don’t want to participate can also be heard and considered.
Doing nothing, or waiting until the last minute and then trying to balance clashing priorities and inventory expenses, is not the best strategy. My point is that this is an opportunity for everyone to enjoy a bit of history in the community. We all know that it can go either way, but what is best for the people and Island of Martha’s Vineyard?
Amity means friendship.
Marty Milner
Tallahassee, Fla.
