Most meetings are being held in person, but some are still remote or virtual. Go to eastham-ma.gov/calendar-by-event-type/16 and click on the meeting you are interested in to learn about meeting locations and any remote options that may be offered.
Thursday, May 5
- Board of Assessors, 11 a.m., Town Hall
- Cape Cod Commission, 1 p.m., Barnstable Conference Room
- Div. of Marine Fisheries outreach, 1 p.m., Town Hall
- Cape Cod Regional Government Assembly of Delegates, 4 p.m., virtual
Friday, May 6
- Task Force on Residential Zoning, noon, Town Hall
Tuesday, May 10
- Conservation Commission, 6 p.m., virtual
Wednesday, May 11
- Ballot testing, 10 a.m., Town Hall
Thursday, May 12
- Affordable Housing Trust, 9 a.m., Town Hall
Conversation Starters
Punctuated Meaning
A seemingly errant question mark on warrant Article 15 took the magic out of a moment of town unity for pre-town meeting attendees on April 25. The article, which directed the town government to ask that the Baker administration prevent Holtec International from dumping radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay, was approved unanimously. But as one person pointed out, “The petition ends with a question mark, which should clearly be a period. That really changes the nature of it.”
The petition reads, in part: “Therefore, shall the people of the Town of Eastham direct the local government to communicate with Governor Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey, and the state legislature to employ all means available to ensure that Holtec commits to immediately withdraw any plans to dump any radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay?”
Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe explained that the petitioner had initially submitted a ballot question but then worked with the town to place it on the warrant. “We can’t change any language in a petitioned article so that’s why it’s still a question. I’m sorry, but we can’t change it.”
“I know, but it’s meaningless,” was the reply.
“Yes,” Beebe said. “It’s kind of meaningless anyway, because we’ve already done everything the petitioner is asking for. They wanted to have a vote of the town that said we’re on the right path.”
“And I actually think that would be meaningful, so we should be asked to vote on a declarative sentence rather than a question,” said her interlocutor.
At the May 2 town meeting, the petitioned article passed, question mark intact, by a vote of 247-14. —Cam Blair
