The Latest Resignations
To the editor:
Re “Tensions Are Bared by Rash of Resignations” [July 25, front page]:
Thanks for covering the latest episode in Wellfleet’s ongoing problem holding onto staff.
Familiar town dynamics seemed to play out in the story, with some people denying or downplaying Brittany Tilton’s reasons for resigning as interim harbormaster less than two weeks after Harbormaster Will Sullivan quit.
It raises the question of whether the town conducts exit interviews when employees depart. And if so, what is being done with that information?
As someone who sits on a town committee, I can say firsthand that the shortage and constant turnover of staff is affecting our ability to get things done.
I’m sure I speak for many when I express hope that this latest round of resignations is the last of its kind.
Suzanne Ryan-Ishkanian
South Wellfleet
The writer is a member of the Wellfleet Energy and Climate Action Committee.
No Time to Lose on Climate
To the editor:
Re “BOEM Hears Mostly Opposition at a Meeting in Eastham,” [July 25, page A5]:
Too many people at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management meeting didn’t seem to realize how dire our climate situation is. It’s not a time to obstruct climate solutions. There are over 6,000 successful offshore wind turbines around the world. We need to catch up with if not surpass the worldwide clean energy effort.
We have exceeded the critical 1.5-degree Celsius warming threshold for 12 consecutive months, but scientists say to keep trying to reduce the emissions that accumulate in the atmosphere, are absorbed by the ocean, and don’t readily dissipate. There’s no time to lose. Wind and solar are a big help, and more innovations are in the works.
Even how we drive on the highway is a help. In 1973, President Nixon asked Americans to reduce their highway speed to 50 m.p.h. to conserve fuel during the OPEC oil embargo. AAA reports that driving slower and more gently will save 14.5 percent in fuel. We should keep up the conservation appeal.
Jan Kubiac
Hyannis
‘Myopic’ and ‘Uncharitable’
To the editor:
Last week’s front-page story “P’town Was Final Event for Biden-Harris Campaign” about Vice President Kamala Harris’s July 20 campaign event at the Pilgrim Monument read more like an editorial attack on President Biden than a news report. Although obviously written after his withdrawal from the presidential race, roughly half of the article was devoted to quoting or describing attendees’ dissatisfaction with his candidacy.
The amount of space in this and the accompanying article, “At Provincetown Event, Younger Leaders Spoke of Hope and High Stakes” [page A15], devoted to dumping on Biden after his withdrawal was gratuitous at best and, in some cases, needlessly insulting.
In passing the torch to Kamala Harris, Joe Biden chose the right course for his party and his country. But at a moment when so many observers chose to focus on Biden’s accomplishments as president and his long, distinguished public service career, it’s regrettable that the Independent took such a myopic, uncharitable path.
Alan J. Roth
Provincetown and Lewes, Del.
Patience, Care, and Caution
To the editor:
Being old and retired, I enjoy looking into things. I used to do that by going to the library to look things up or borrow books. Now I have a more extensive and very helpful library on my iPad.
Yet, with access to so much, it seems that our public discourse is increasingly full of misunderstanding and confusion. How is that?
Maybe it’s because misunderstanding is not being curbed by contact with others. Instead, each can seek out support to bolster his misunderstanding. People feel they have the right to believe what they want instead of the right to pursue the truth wherever it leads.
When you want to make something properly, you can’t just slap it together. You need the patience to see how things fit and uncover what you didn’t originally envision.
And how much patience do the most important things require? How much care and caution should we give to them?
Rob Taylor
Wellfleet
‘Dead On’
To the editor:
I’m a summer resident of Wellfleet, so I confess I don’t read every issue of the Indie from cover to cover. But I do read the letter from the editor, and it is always dead on. The July 18 letter, “Elections Under Threat,” should have national coverage — it is so relevant to the country’s distressing dysfunction.
Thank you for your consistent and excellent insight.
Michael Spielman
Wellfleet and Bronx, N.Y.
Letters to the Editor
The Provincetown Independent welcomes letters from readers on all subjects. They must be signed with the writer’s name, home address, and telephone number (for verification). Letters will be published only if they have been sent exclusively to the Independent. They should be no more than 300 words and may be edited for clarity, accuracy, conciseness, and good taste. Longer pieces (up to 600 words) may be submitted for consideration as op-ed commentary. Send letters to [email protected] or by mail to P.O. Box 1034, Provincetown, MA 02657. The deadline for letters is Monday at noon for each week’s edition.
