Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Wellfleet are remote only, but some are held in person. Go to www.wellfleet-ma.gov/calendarand click on the meeting you want to watch, then follow the instructions on the agenda.
Thursday, July 20
- Energy & Climate Action Committee, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, July 25
- Cable Internet and Cellular Service Advisory Committee, 10 a.m.
- Select Board, 7 p.m., Adult Community Center & Zoom
Conversation Starter
Kmiec Appointed to Shellfish Board
The select board voted on July 13 to appoint Adrien Kmiec, formerly an alternate on the shellfish advisory board, to full member to fill a vacancy left by Tom Siggia’s resignation. Kmiec was one of five people to apply.
Brad Morse was appointed to the alternate spot formerly held by Kmiec. Two of the applicants, Nemanja Krsmanovic and Chris Merl, were unable to attend the meeting in person. Krsmanovic participated virtually, and Merl sent a letter to the board reiterating his interest. Helen Miranda Wilson retracted her application before the meeting, chair Ryan Curley said.
“It’s unusual to have this many applicants for any one position,” said Curley.
Kmiec, who owns Hatch’s Fish Market, has had a shellfish grant for 25 years, according to his application. “Having spent the last six months sitting in on the meetings and listening to the various items with mitigation and corporations and the Herring River issues, I feel like I’ve been able to experience how the meetings are run,” Kmiec said.
Asked about his perspective on existing rules precluding corporations from holding grants, Kmiec said he supported domicile regulations requiring that grant holders live in town. He said that if they “want to run their business as a corporation, and sell their product as a corporation, that’s one thing, but I still believe that individuals should be listed on the grant, and they should also be the ones that have to get a shellfish license.”
Asked whether being Shellfish Constable Nancy Civetta’s brother-in-law might influence his decisions, Kmiec said, “I don’t believe that would have any effect on my opinion. We differ in opinion on a lot of things.”
When Barbara Carboni moved Kmiec’s appointment, Curley said, “I don’t have a preference right now. That’s my problem.” But he ultimately voted for the motion. John Wolf was opposed, having earlier expressed a preference for Merl. (Kathleen Bacon was absent, and Michael DeVasto recused himself.)
After the three participating select board members voted 2-1 to appoint Kmiec, they voted unanimously to appoint Morse as an alternate.
Morse has been shellfishing in Wellfleet since 1976, he said. “I know every nook and cranny of the town, and I know all the locals,” he said. Morse said he applied “to actually sit on a board and get involved instead of just complaining about things.”
Morse also said he was against corporate grant holding. “It’s kind of like letting a cat out of the bag or toothpaste out of a tube. You can’t put it back in,” he said. “It’s going to be almost impossible to try and enforce who is a shareholder on any of these licenses.”
“I’m really excited that there are shellfishermen who are willing to serve on the SAB, particularly because in the past that has sometimes been an issue, where it was not necessarily always shellfishermen on the committee,” Curley said. —Sophie Mann-Shafir
