Housing and Commuting
To the editor:
I agree with Chuck Leigh [letter to the editor, Oct. 17] that commuting is an answer to the lack of affordable housing here, but maybe not the best answer.
I am sorry that Mr. Leigh spent so much time commuting to Manhattan. It seems unlikely that the public transportation he enjoyed — trains, buses, and trolleys — will come to the Cape. I wonder if he was raising kids during those years, dealing with the complex child-care arrangements that make long commutes impractical for many.
Mr. Leigh tells us that there are houses in the area in the price range tradespeople and public servants can afford. That’s hard to square with Redfin reporting that the average price of a home on the Outer Cape was $949,000 in September. Affordability is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.
In other good news, Mr. Leigh’s plumber charges him $135 per hour. I think it’s clear that plumbers, even self-employed plumbers, are not taking home $135 per hour over a 40-hour week (i.e., $280,000 annually). When I think about people challenged by this housing market, I worry more about teachers and restaurant staff and the people who help me at Stop & Shop, who definitely are not making $135 an hour.
We need more options to house the people in our community. Like a lot of issues we face, it’s both daunting and critical to resolve. Suggesting that people concerned about this are for “stuffing unattractive dense housing into our remaining land” is silly. We have other choices that offer balance.
I do feel bad for anyone, past or present, spending hours commuting, Mr. Leigh included. But using a bad experience to justify perpetuating the same bad experience for others strikes me as odd. A better impulse is to work to improve everyone’s experience.
Liam McElhone
Truro
What Would Studds Have Done?
To the editor:
Reading Carey Morning’s Letter From Across the Pond [“Some Things I Know and Don’t Know,” Oct. 10, page A3], I could not help wondering whether the late Rep. Gerry Studds, a Provincetown resident and former chair of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, would have tolerated the bureaucratic paper-shuffling and foot-dragging that’s resulting in the West End salt marsh’s slow death.
We have many reasons to miss Congressman Studds, not the least of which was his commitment to the protection of marine life. In 1992, he authored the National Marine Sanctuaries Reauthorization and Improvement Act, which included designation of Stellwagen Bank as a national marine sanctuary. When Newt Gingrich and the Tea Party Republicans took over Congress in 1995, they abolished Studds’s committee — undoubtedly, at least in part, as a slap at his sexual orientation. As Russell Kenneth DeGraff wrote in the Independent last month, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) championed legislation to have the Stellwagen sanctuary named for Gerry E. Studds.
Given that Studds and his husband lived just up Commercial Street from the salt marsh, he would have had first-hand knowledge of what’s happening there. I’m certain that if he were alive today he would be demanding the attention of the National Park Service and Army Corps of Engineers leadership to get this problem addressed.
Alan J. Roth
Lewes, Del. and Provincetown
Fairness and Balance
To the editor:
Your Oct. 10 edition had a letter to the editor titled “Advice on Voting” from Mike Rice of Wellfleet. I’m unable to find any relation between this letter and any issue directly being addressed in the past several editions. I have subscribed to the Independent since it began and have thoroughly enjoyed it and its fair and balanced approach to its mission. I was surprised to see a letter that was so inconsistent with what I’m used to reading.
The author wrote that he hopes and prays that Trump loses. He went on to describe Trump’s political career as an “endless ride on a cuckoo train of chaos and dysfunction” and quoted a writer who, in this context, described a leader who must be Trump as a coward, a fool, a thief, a liar, and (for good measure) a tyrant.
Is the Independent now publishing the “hopes and prayers” of its readers? Sort of going with a “Dear Abby” approach?
The polls show the vote so evenly split that no clear winner can be confidently predicted. I take Mr. Rice’s letter as conflating Trump supporters with Trump, who must share in the opprobrium he offered.
I understand that most of your readers are in the “progressive” camp. Michael Jordan, fielding criticism that he wasn’t “political” enough — read “progressive” — replied, “I sell sneakers. Republicans buy sneakers, too.”
The dozen or so subscribers not “progressive” enough for Mr. Rice would probably agree with me that it’s not a great business model for the Independent to publish gratuitous insults about them. It’s especially unattractive to have to pay money to be insulted.
Bill Hardy
Eastham and Washington, D.C.
Order at the Courthouse
To the editor:
Your Oct. 17 election section has a profile of county commission candidate Cynthia Stead in which she is quoted saying the Orleans District Court building is falling apart [“Republican Stead Says She’ll Be a ‘Fiscal Hawk,’ ” page A9].
Really? I’ve been to the Orleans courthouse several times, once as a defendant and once as a juror. I did not see any indication that the place was falling apart. I’m not a building inspector, but I did spend the night at a Motel 6 once or twice.
I spent half my life in almost all aspects of building construction. At the Orleans District Court I did not notice anything indicating poor construction or poor maintenance of the facility — which makes me wonder if Ms. Stead has ever visited the place. Or who might be bending her ear.
I don’t think I’ll be voting for Cynthia Stead even though I may share some of her other concerns.
William Doriss
Wellfleet
A Vote for Sen. Cyr
To the editor:
Since he was first elected in 2016, Sen. Julian Cyr has brought energy, intelligence, and progressive ideas to state government, making him an effective voice for his constituents.
Sen. Cyr has worked unstintingly on the critical issues facing our region: attainable housing, water quality, environment, health care, the opioid epidemic, and the list goes on. He co-authored innovative legislation such as the Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund, which has already awarded $204 million to eight Cape Cod towns. He also authored the Addressing Barriers to Care Act, an important mental health care reform bill. He is a stalwart supporter of LGBTQ rights and women’s reproductive freedom, and he has played a key role in restoring abortion access to Cape Cod and the Islands.
I have known Julian since he was in high school, and I followed his career even before he was elected to office. In one-on-one meetings, I have been impressed with the depth of his knowledge on a diverse range of subjects. He is adept at on-the-spot research and quick communications. We need Sen. Cyr to keep working on our behalf. There is still much to be done to ensure that Cape Cod remains a place where young people can live and work.
Terry Gallagher
Eastham
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.
