Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Wellfleet are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting that interests you on the calendar at wellfleet-ma.gov for details. All meetings are at Town Hall unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, May 1
- Natural Resources Advisory Board, 3 p.m., online
Monday, May 5
- Annual Town Election, noon to 7 p.m., Adult Community Center
- Nauset Schools Policy Subcommittee, 4 p.m., online
Tuesday, May 6
- Recycling Committee, noon, Public Library
- Elementary School Committee, 5 p.m., online
- Shellfish Advisory Board, 6 p.m., Adult Community Center
Wednesday, May 7
- Maurice’s Planning Committee, 4 p.m., online only
- Historical Commission public hearing, 5 p.m., online only
Conversation Starter
Two Seats, Two Candidates
Monday is election day in town, and two people have declared their candidacies for three-year terms on the select board: Barbara Carboni is running for re-election, and newcomer Josh Yeston is running for outgoing vice chair Michael DeVasto’s seat.
Voters will address two measures passed at town meeting: the capital exemption of spending $600,000 to fix the marina’s floats, ladders, and electrical systems, and the designation of the select board as sewer commissioners.
The candidates answered questions at a Wellfleet Community Forum on April 24. There, Carboni named changes to marina policies and wastewater management as two of the biggest priorities for the next three years. Yeston agreed and added zoning reform to address housing scarcity to that list.
Both candidates spoke enthusiastically about affordable housing at Maurice’s Campground and praised the planning committee for its work.
“If we treat this town as a museum, it’s going to wither,” Yeston said. “We need to be open to bringing in more people.” He added that, in the next three years, “we have some big-ticket items we have to pay for,” such as marina upgrades, Maurice’s Campground, and the targeted watershed plan.
“I would say we’re about to turn the corner” on housing, said Carboni, but there is “more work to do” on wastewater.
Yeston said the select board could “be better at delegating responsibilities,” and Carboni agreed, adding that if the job were “an easier lift” more candidates might run.
While rumors circulated on social media of a write-in campaign by former select board member Tim Sayre, Town Clerk Jennifer Congel said that was unlikely, as no one had informed her of any intention to do so.
“When doing a write-in campaign, people should inform the town clerk,” she said. Even write-in candidates need to file campaign finance disclosures, she added. “So far, nobody has done that.” —Tyler Jager
