The RTE’s ‘False Promise’
To the editor:
Re: “Eckman Has a Change of Heart on Tax Policy,” (Jan. 16, front page):
I respect Aimee Eckman’s thoughtful reasoning and acknowledge her right to change her vote on implementing a residential tax exemption in Eastham. But in this case, she got it wrong.
At the Jan. 6 select board meeting, Eckman voted not to implement the RTE — only to change her vote seven days later because “…it didn’t feel good.” Hard decisions often require leaders to do what is right regardless of how it feels.
Provincetown and Truro both have adopted the RTE at the maximum rate of 35 percent. Neither town has shown proof that the RTE has moved the needle in addressing the affordability of living in these communities.
You reported that “Eckman said the increasing number of short-term rentals in Eastham was another reason for her decision.” How is the RTE going to increase the availability of year-round rental housing?
The select board is now poised to undermine a three-year town effort that obtained state approval for the Eastham Residential Taxpayer Assistance Fund, providing targeted help to those in need. And it disregarded the expert advice of its board of assessors, which recommended that the RTE not be implemented.
We encourage the select board to look for truly meaningful and effective solutions to the housing problem. It is time to lead, rather than follow, and do the hard work required to understand both the problem and the potential solutions based on facts and data. No Outer Cape town has done this yet, and the failure of the RTE to address housing needs is evident.
Eastham can do better. Let’s find the right solution together rather than driving a wedge between neighbors through the false promise of the RTE.
Tom McNamara
Weymouth and Eastham
The writer is president of the Eastham Part-Time Resident Taxpayers Association.
Eckman’s Change of Heart
To the editor:
As a part-time resident homeowner in Eastham, I’m OK with the residential tax exemption (RTE). I don’t mind paying a bit more for worthy causes. I certainly disagree with the Eastham Part-Time Resident Taxpayers Association that an RTE will sow division between full-time and part-time residents. I don’t foresee dumping leaves over my neighbor’s fence because she may get a tax break that I won’t.
That said, I was happy the Eastham Select Board voted 3-2 against the RTE on Jan. 6 because — full disclosure — I’d just as soon not pay higher taxes. And when board chair Aimee Eckman changed her mind and said she would vote for the RTE after saying the opposite a week earlier, it sounded suspect.
Eckman provided several reasons, including the legitimate fact that many year-round homes in Eastham (as elsewhere on the Cape) are being lost as owners rent seasonally instead. But Eckman’s reasons were well known on Jan. 6 when she voted against the RTE.
Why the sudden reversal? I don’t know, but I suspect residents may have approached her at the Superette, the Local Break, Artichoke, or one of Eastham’s marijuana dispensaries and voiced their displeasure with her opposition to the RTE.
As I said, I’m indifferent to the RTE, but I don’t think it’s right for a public official to say one thing regarding people’s money and then reverse course a week later based on reasoning and information she had the whole time. You don’t tell your child “We’re having lasagna for dinner tonight” and then break her heart several hours later by saying “Actually, we’re having meat loaf.”
As Big Worm said in the movie Friday, “Playing with my money is like playing with my emotions.” Kids don’t like meat loaf. Adults don’t like taxes. Don’t play with my emotions.
Brendan Noonan
Eastham and Cambridge
Free Speech at the Library
To the editor:
Re “After Tense Prologue, Film and Discussion Go Forward Without Incident,” (Jan. 16, page A4]:
I am grateful for the immediate and steadfast support from the Wellfleet library staff, town officials, and police dept. for Wellfleet for Palestine’s right to show the film The Occupation of the American Mind, not because town officials necessarily support the group’s cause but because they support the First Amendment right to free speech.
It is unfortunate that too many in our community believe they can pressure town officials and library staff to censor residents. I do not think the film can be described as “hate speech,” but it is a moot point in any case, as “hate speech” is not a category recognized under current Constitutional law.
The First Amendment fully protects speech that some may find offensive. Numerous court cases have established this precedent, including Cohen v. California, Hess v. Indiana, Terminiello v. Chicago, and others.
Constitutional rights aside, a false allegation of anti-Semitism is a common knee-jerk response to legitimate criticism of Israel. In fact, that is exactly what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the International Criminal Court of in response to its issuance of an arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza. The aim of such an accusation of anti-Semitism is to instill fear in those who dare to criticize Israel.
I am relieved that Wellfleet for Palestine’s event went forward without incident. I am also grateful that the protesters who did come were peaceful, respectful, and exercised their right to free speech when given the chance.
Tim Olsen
Wellfleet
The Library’s Mission
To the editor:
As a part-time resident, I was not present when the film The Occupation of the American Mind was screened at the Wellfleet Public Library on Jan. 14.
As a Jewish voter in this country, I was dismayed to see the uproar created when the library fulfilled its mission to present all points of view and encourage freedom of speech, the right to read, and the right to view films, including controversial ones.
I understand that the library director has been harassed and attacked for doing her job. I call out such actions as disgraceful and disrespectful. It pains me to see my beloved town behave this way.
I urge all citizens, but especially Wellfleet residents, to extend support to the library director and her staff, who do a wonderful and important job in our town.
Judy Wood
Wellfleet and New York City
‘This Was a Man’
To the editor:
Now that Jimmy Carter’s life story is complete, I think we can all agree that Mark Antony’s tribute to Brutus in Act 5 of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar may be applicable to the late president:
This was the noblest Roman of them all….
He only in a general honest thought
And common good to all made one of them.
His life was gentle and the elements
So mixed in him that nature might stand up
And say to all the world “This was a man.”
Fred Long
Provincetown
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.
