Commentary
A 2011 commentary by Peter Simon inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement.
I have often wondered what a town meeting would be like if the purpose was to educate the voters so that we can make good decisions. Now, after the Oak Bluffs special town meeting held on Nov. 8, I know.
There were 10 articles before us, the most important of which was number two — a budget reduction in the amount of $303,861. Given an overall town budget of $25.3 million, it seemed a small thing. But it was a teachable event and Bob Whritenour, our interim town administrator, took the best possible advantage of it.
On Sunday, Nov. 13, there was a gathering at the Aquinnah town hall to thank Walter Delaney for his 17 years of service as the town’s fire chief. Fire chiefs and public safety officials from the various Island towns were present, as was tribal chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais and numerous town officials and residents. Letters of appreciation were read from members of the legislature and Congressman Keating.
Nature is the best therapy I know. Land conservation enables us to experience nature. I have had the good fortune to explore much of the remote wilderness in the western U.S. I spent time floating down rivers in Utah and Colorado, climbing mountaintops and hiking lonely desert canyons, many in which I found myself startled to hear only the sound of my breathing. These experiences have reminded me of my frailty as a human and encouraged me to acknowledge my strengths.
From Gazette editions of November 1986:
The Seaview Hotel building was purchased Monday by Albert Siner Jr. of Warwick, R.I., for $1,050,000 from Loretta A. Balla.
I saw you anchored In summer Just on the edge Outside the shoal Still shallow Off Shear Pen Pond