Only Full-Time Residents Should Be Voting On Nantucket

To the editor: If you really believe what happened in Truro is not already happening here, it just means you are naive. People have been doing it for years. And while the messenger and timing of the voter challenge upset many people it does not make it untrue.

People whose primary residences are off-island are voting here and they shouldn’t be. It doesn’t matter how much they volunteer and how passionate they are - it doesn’t make it right. The people who make decisions on things that affect full-time residents should be those same full-time residents. All of the cries of voter suppression, intimidation and fear-mongering are just distracting from the fact that this problem has been going on for years unaddressed. It’s offensive and insulting to think us full-time residents don’t see the smear and distraction campaign for what it is - an effort to obscure an inconvenient truth.

The voice of a wealthy seasonal resident is never going to represent the same concerns as mine, no matter who they are. And it’s not to say they should not have a voice - they should - it just should not be the same as a year-round resident. We need to stop the personal attacks and look at the issue objectively, which is that the island should be run by those who live here full-time with input from others. What is the point of having a non-voting taxpayers organization if anyone who owns property on Nantucket and spends some time here can register to vote? It begs the question.

I would implore people to put feelings and politics aside and look at the issue objectively. The only ones who should be voting on Nantucket are those who live here full-time and all others should be voting where their primary home is. Thank you.

AO Hillman