Reform The NP&EDC: Vote Yes On Article 16

To the editor: I’m writing with some information about Article 16, which voters will decide tomorrow at the Sept. 17th Special Town Meeting.

Our beautiful historic island is showing strains from years of prioritizing permitting over planning. We are incredibly fortunate to have our own dedicated Regional Planning Commission – but it must do more to protect and plan for Nantucket.

Nantucket’s last Master Plan is from 2009 – it hasn’t been updated in 15 years. Meanwhile, measures intended to safeguard our island go unenforced and the concerns of the community are either not being heard – or, worse, they’re being ignored.

Please support Article 16, which makes changes to the composition of the NP&EDC:

• It ends the practice of allowing the Commission to perpetuate itself by choosing its own members
• It adds five directly elected seats to ensure responsive government
• It includes the Land Bank and Historical Commission because open spaces and preservation planning are essential to the island’s well-being and community
• It adds a term limit of nine consecutive years to protect against entrenched interests
• It balances the membership, so each appointing board has one vote (currently the Planning Board has five votes and each other board has only one)
• It adds language consistent with its mission to protect the island’s environment and historical legacy

This legislation passed already at Town Meeting in 2023 and is waiting in committee at the State House. It might die in Committee. For that reason, a group of reform-minded islanders circulated a petition this summer to bring Article 16 to another vote this year. 211 members of our community signed it – a record for such a petition. (Only 100 were required.)

Nonetheless, nearly every NP&EDC Commissioner objected to the reforms and is asking for still yet more time to bring their own reforms (which they’ve been promising to deliver for two and a half years).

If you are a Town Meeting voter, I hope you will study the article and support this reform for Nantucket. You can watch the Civic League’s “Meet the Articles” interview here. You can find Article 16 printed in the warrant here (see page 40 of the PDF).

I strongly believe that we, the voters, should be able to hold our leaders accountable. The Planning Commission has demonstrated through their actions that comprehensive long-range planning is not a priority.

If you want to establish a Planning Commission that looks out for Nantucket’s future and you are a Nantucket voter, please come to Town Meeting Tuesday and VOTE YES on Article 16.

Sincerely,

Hillary Hedges Rayport