Can’t have it your way
The Massachusetts Public Records Law is clear. All government records are presumed to be public, but cities and towns are allowed to withhold certain documents based on exemptions. Personnel records, for example, can often...
Reforming the Supreme Court?
A little-noticed action by the Biden administration, but one with potentially sweeping consequences, was the formation last April of a 36-member bipartisan commission to study the Supreme Court.
Disgruntled Democrats led the effort after President...
Be kinder than necessary
We have a reminder for everyone: Use your manners.
A story in the New York Times about a Cape Cod restaurant that closed down for a “day of kindness” for its employees got a lot...
The unvaccinated find themselves increasingly isolated
This past week I spent time coaxing a neighbor into going to the emergency department because he was having trouble breathing, and felt like he was dying. I assumed COVID, given his symptoms and...
Abuse of power
Hours after The Times reported about an incident involving Tisbury select board chair Jeff Kristal allegedly ordering a traffic officer to target a business owner and his customers, he was at a select board...
Joyful noise
There are folks on Twitter who call them the “fun police” — those people who seem to complain when someone proposes something different and enjoyable in a town.
Last week, the fun police came to arrest...
Journalist integrity, thy name is Fox!
The George Foster Peabody Award is broadcasting’s highest honor, and so, when the Peabody Committee announced the creation of a Peabody Award for Journalistic Integrity, I naturally assumed that it would go to either...
What to make of the heat
In New England back in the day, driving around in summertime with the windows down, the air was cool despite a hot sun. Maybe the temperature would reach the low 90s, but meteorologists always...
SSA transparency is lacking
The Steamship Authority is coming off a difficult month. On June 2, the SSA was the target of a ransomware attack that affected its website, its reservation system, and its electronic ticketing at SSA...
Balance or bounce? The great out-of-office debate
One CEO of a major financial institution was recently quoted as saying, “If you can go out to eat dinner with others, you can come back into the office.” As the U.S. hits 150...
On the rebound
Ferry reservations are full. There’s not a short-term rental to be had. The roads have slowed to a crawl in the typical spots (the Triangle and Five Corners, among them). And the sidewalks are...
Celebrate Juneteenth? I don’t get it
This week President Biden made Juneteenth an official national holiday. That means you get the day off from work, the Post Offices are closed, and so are the schools.
It means that it is a...
Restore trust
The revelations that there were problems with the applications for community preservation funds in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs and that accompanying documents were altered by Vineyard Trust is deeply concerning.
In Edgartown, the issues with...
Who owns history?
As a Harvard professor of moral philosophy in the early 20th century, George Santayana memorably noted, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (“Reason in Common Sense,” 1905). In other...
A difficult no vote
No one questions the need for a better learning environment for the students of Tisbury. Let’s make that clear from the outset.
We understand the problems with lead and asbestos in the school building. We’ve...
A few things to think about
The recent behavior of Maciel and Sons, the Vineyard Haven septic company, can only be described as outrageous.
Within weeks of the firm being fined $500 in Edgartown and having their license in that town...
An on-Island labor shortage could delay that lobster roll
In recent weeks, “help wanted” signs have become ubiquitous: gas stations, garden centers, grocery stores, and corner shops all need help. A booming housing market and tight constraints on the supply side (zoning) have...
A promising start
The Coalition to Create a Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank recently held two listening sessions. That alone sets it apart from the failed venture to create a housing bank several years ago.
We’ve been impressed by...
This must be the place: Martha’s Vineyard
If there were a song for your 2021 Martha’s Vineyard playlist, a contender would be “This Must Be the Place” by the Talking Heads.
With the benefit of hindsight, reflective gratitude, financial considerations, and a...
More immigration — now
The United States needs more people. Here’s why.
In early May, President Biden increased the refugee admissions cap to 62,500 from the historically low Trump era of 15,000. But that is not enough, and the...