Letter To Our Nantucket Community From Local Business Owners

To the editor: As small business owners and year-round residents of Nantucket, we urge our community to support Article 1 at the upcoming Special Town Meeting.

Short-term rentals are more than a source of income for homeowners - they are the backbone of Nantucket’s seasonal economy. More than 93 percent of our island’s visitors rent on a short-term basis. Running a small business on Nantucket is challenging, and every dollar counts. Limiting visitor access would threaten livelihoods and could have devastating effects on our community as a whole.

Every rental sustains a broad spectrum of local businesses – taxi and rideshare drivers, restaurants and waitstaff, retail shops, caterers, bike and scooter rentals, bakeries, coffee shops, bars, charter boats, tour guides, babysitters, cleaning companies, fitness centers, salons, and countless other service providers. We are deeply concerned that the economic impacts of Article 2 on Nantucket’s hardworking small businesses have not been considered. One need only look at what happened last Christmas Stroll when the power went out for two days – the Chamber of Commerce had to raise grants for those affected, and one popular business had to close for good.

In addition, restricting short-term rentals would make Nantucket less accessible to everyday visitors and more difficult for many working families who depend on rental income to stay here. It would make our island an even more exclusive one – and we do not support that direction.

Please support our island businesses by coming to the high school for Special Town Meeting on November 4th at 5 p.m. We ask for you to stand with us in support of Article 1 to protect local businesses and sustain the livelihoods of Nantucket’s working families.

Thank you,

Kari Harvey and Zack Lindsay
Jay Harmon
Bob DeCosta
Stephanie Correia
Kim and Bill Puder
Bess Clarke
Paul Longo
Jim Mondani
Skip Tuttle
Pete Kaizer
Billy Cassidy
Carl Bois
Timmy Mahoney
Brian Sullivan
Corey Gammill
Thomas Bresette
Amy Eldridge
Michael Holdgate
Josh Eldridge
Erika Mercer
Matthew Mercer
Jen Eldridge
Rachel Perkins
John McGarr
Romely Vasquez
Thomas “Packy” Norton
Sue Genthner
Christian Parrot
Kate Cancelleri
Jay Starr
Doug Leighton
Emily Berger
Leah Collins
Andrea Solimeo
Carrie Tucker
EJ Harvey
Patrick Ridge
Maggie Naylon
Billy Bartleman
Timmy Duncombe
Denise Badders
Lisa Paone
Cara Marquis
Kevin Burelson
Evan Marley
Eleanor Whitcomb
Mark Yelle
Denise Corson
Nick Nass
Liz Holland
Sean Dew
Abby Ayre
Nathaniel Skerritt
Tanya McDonough
Matt Aloisi
Mark Genthner
Fred Tonkin