I enthusiastically support Stop & Shop’s proposal to invest more than $15 million in our community to replace their outdated store with a new building in Vineyard Haven. It is beyond me why anybody would oppose this project. The existing store has served the Island well, but it is time for a much needed upgrade that will also help revitalize the downtown.

I do not support Chilmark’s warrant article 28.

The Squibnocket Ridge subdivision is the result of over 10 years of study, planning, and design by the Vineyard Open Land Foundation.

Stewardship is defined as "the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving."

I hope that the members of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission will have the wisdom to ignore the naysayers and stick to the facts when it comes time to approve the new Stop & Shop in Vineyard Haven.

Anybody with an ounce of sense would immediately recognize that the current store is ugly and outdated and needs to be replaced. Why do we need to be so afraid of change, especially when this is exactly the kind of change that would help improved the downtown area?

Please accept this letter of endorsement for the Stop and Shop Company’s application for a new store in Tisbury. While some people have expressed concerns with the proposal, I am anxious to see it built.

The downtown area is in desperate need of revitalization. There is no doubt in my mind that a new supermarket on Water Street will help attract additional improvements to the area.