CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

Cape Lobster saved, now a pet instead of dinner

Lenny the Lobster finds safe new home at Mystic Aquarium
Finding a home for a 3 foot long, 100 year-old crustacean not easy

WARREN - If lobsters have feelings, Lenny, a 17 1/2-pounder who nearly became dinner last weekend, is undoubtedly breathing a huge sigh of relief today. The lobster, which was caught off Cape Cod and wound up as a dinner special at the Wharf Tavern restaurant, was saved Friday by a Bristol family who just couldn't stand to see him boiled with butter. Since Sunday, the giant crustacean has been acclimating himself to his new home at the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Conn., where the family brought him after buying him from the restaurant.

"He was on special, $150 for him and a bottle of wine," said Bristol resident Keith Maloney (on right with Jennifer Cullinan and Lenny), who rescued the crustacean with his wife Susan and two children after the family went to the Wharf to celebrate his daughter's 32nd birthday.

"They only charged us $130 because we didn't have the wine." The Maloneys were listening to their waitress recite the specials Friday when they learned of Lenny, who had been named by restaurant staff.

"We immediately all kind of went up and wanted to see what a lobster like that looked like," said Mr. Maloney. "I said, 'I'm not going to let that lobster get eaten.'"..."I said, 'I'll buy it but I want you to hold it for me until I can find a place for it,'" said Mr. Maloney...

Read the rest of this Warren RI Times Gazette story here, and comment below.

Leave a comment »

Condo owners win, Democracy goes digital, Level 3 offender charged with rape

Mid Cape news, August 31, 2006

Democracy goes digital By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com If, as Thomas Jefferson once said, information is the currency of democracy, then many Cape residents are getting a bit more spending money. Within the past six months, several Cape towns have begun a "live streaming" of their government cable access programs. That means that whatever is playing on a town’s government access channel is now also available on the Internet, usually via that town’s official Web site... [more] Seasonal condo owners win resident beach sticker battle By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com People owning seasonal condominiums in Dennis have won their fight for residency status. Tuesday night, Dennis selectmen unveiled revised guideliness that removed the $500 tax-bill requirement from purchasing resident's beach, four-wheel drive and Sesuit Harbor parking stickers... [more] Building family ties By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com In technicolor reflection, four sets of twins walk toward their cabins, holding hands. A 14-year-old drapes a neon orange beach towel around the neck of her 9-year-old sister, then cuddles her warmly. Two boys, marked by a familial dimple in their smiling faces, dash after the camp dog. These are just some of the moving scenes that brought 45 adult volunteers to Yarmouth Port last week, when Camp To Belong took over the grounds of Camp Wingate-Kirkland. "We have a 2-to-1 ratio of campers to staff," says Camp To Belong Director Tawni Whitney. "These amazing people take a week off from their paying jobs to advance our summer mission." .. [more]

Long Island wind farm debate mirrors our own By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com At times, Cape Cod can seem like the front line in the battle over offshore wind farms. But there's a second battleground just a few hours drive to the south... [more]

Level 3 offender charged with rape By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com On Saturday, James Lee Pells, a 49-year-old registered Level 3 sex offender living in Hyannis, was arrested by Barnstable police on rape charges at his home at 36 General Patton Drive. The alleged victim in was a woman who had been one of several people who were drinking at Pells' home that evening. According to Barnstable police Sgt. Sean Sweeney, the woman told police that she had passed out from drinking and that Pells had sexual relations with her while she was passed out. Sweeney said that it was Pells who notified police... [more]

Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District news The following information was supplied by the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District Breakfast and lunch prices Superintendent... [more]

School Notes 'Suddenly Military' children focus of special training for educators Massachusetts will host a free, two-day session "Supporting the Children... [more]

Pros outnumber cons at Craigville Beach By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com An unscientific sampling of beachgoers at a spot more famous for its preoccupation with solar power - Craigville Beach in Centerville - show conditions... [more]

Around Dennis $1.4 million coming for Howland buy Rep. Cleon Turner, D-Dennis, announced that $1.4 million in federal aid toward the Howland property purchase... [more]

The deepwater solution By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com Can the United States, the first nation to put a man on the moon, develop deepwater wind turbines capable of harnessing the ocean's vast wind resources? The... [more]

MacArthur School welcomes new principal Peter Crowell By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com Readily admitting that he loved each day of his 18 years as a teacher, Peter Crowell already finds a new energy in being a principal. Since July 1,... [more]

Witness for wind power By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com The latest addition to the Greenpeace fleet dropped anchor in Hyannis Harbor this week. The 44-foot cutter-rigged sailing boat Witness, which was... [more]

Start small - think big By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com High-school freshmen don't usually make names for themselves outside the sports arena. Even then, it's rare. Alex Gleason's special combination of... [more]

Familiar faces in new places By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com When school bells ring and yellow buses reappear on our roads next Thursday, Dennis and Yarmouth children will experience a new beginning - literally. The... [more]

Environmental statement is next step in review By Bill Fonda/ bfonda@cnc.com The review process Aside from the Minerals Management Service, which makes the final decision, 19 agencies are reviewing the proposed Cape Wind project.... [more]

Heritage plans an expanded'Spectacle' By Silene Gordon/ sgordon@cnc.com Heritage Museums & Gardens is planning to make a Spectacle of itself once again this year - and they won't be going it alone. A renewed partnership... [more]

What they said Pro-Cape Wind "We must reduce greenhouse gas emission and foreign energy dependence. The wind farm will not impair in any meaningful way the... [more]

Around Yarmouth Affordable housing topic of Sept. 11 meeting The Yarmouth Affordable Housing Committee will conduct a public meeting Monday, Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m.... [more]

Yarmouth meetings: Can you hear me now? By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com When it comes to the broadcast of its public meetings, Yarmouth not only seeks feedback, it gives it. The microphones in Yarmouth's main hearing room... [more]

Adults helping foster children * Almost 600,000 of America's youngsters reside in foster homes. Although these are loving, nurturing environments, they do not allow siblings to... [more]

Utility pole work causes South Yarmouth gas break By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com A company installing new utility poles in Yarmouth Tuesday morning struck a gas main with its auger, causing a gas leak at the corner of South and... [more]

Yarmouth officers earn cash, kudos in fitness challenge By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com Three Yarmouth police officers are a little skinnier in the waistline and a little fatter in the wallet after becoming the Northeast region winners... [more]

 Read the rest of the Register here, and comment below.

Leave a comment »

Falmouth carbon monoxide incident, Centerville crash

Girl rescued after falling off sunfish
HARWICH - Harwich rescuers were called into action after a young girl apparently fell off a small sunfish sailboat about 10 AM.
She was being carried by the current out into Nantucket Sound.

Rescuers in a fire boat reached her and were able to quickly reunite her with her parents.

Posted on 8/31 at 8:30 PM. Photos courtesy of Jake O'Callaghan.

Two arrested for boat B&Es
FALMOUTH - Two men were arrested by Falmouth Police early this morning charged with allegedly breaking into several boats in the Great Bay area. According to a press release from Falmouth Police officers responding to a citizen report spotted the two suspects in a 13 foot Boston Whaler with no lights on and tracked them using night vision goggles. With the assistance of a Falmouth Fire Department rescue boat police were able to intercept the boat as it entered Green Pond. A search of the vessel revealed several violations of boat laws also. Arrested were 23-year old John Murray of East Falmouth who was charged with negligent operation of a boat, disorderly conduct, boat equipment violation, boat life saving device violation, possession of burglarious tools, receiving stolen property less than $250, larceny under $250, carrying a dangerous weapon, and illegal removal of boat manufacturing ID and engine ID numbers. 37-year old (David Coates (no address given) was charged with disorderly conduct, possession of burglarious tools, receiving stolen property under $250 and larceny under $250. The two were due to be arraigned Thursday morning in Falmouth District Court. Police did not say if the pair are suspected in a series of boat larcenies and larcenies from boats in the Bourne area. Posted on 8/31 at 4:30 PM. 

Three treated for Carbon Monoxide exposure
FALMOUTH - Three people are in stable condition at Falmouth Hospital after a carbon monoxide incident in Falmouth Thursday morning. Firefighters responded to a home on Milton Road about 8 AM where the elderly woman had apparently left her car running. Despite the fact the car had stalled potentially deadly levels of the gas were detected in the house even after firefighters ventilated the building. The home reportedly did have a CO detector but one of her guests apparently unplugged it when it started beeping thinking it was defective. Posted on 8/31 at 3:00 PM.

Crash snarls Route 28 traffic
CENTERVILLE - A troublesome intersection is the scene of yet another crash about 7:30 AM Thursday. A car and a SUV collided on Route 28 by the Centerville Plaza. Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to pop one of the doors open but fortunately no one was seriously injured. Barnstable Police are investigating. Since that section of Route 28 was widened to two lanes each direction there have been countless crashes in front of the plaza some resulting in serious injuries. Posted on 8/31 at 3:00 PM; photo courtesy of Frank Paparo/NEVN.

An independent news service covering the Cape & Islands.
No part of this blog may be reproduced in any form without the express consent of the editor.

CapeCodFD             Cape Cod FD's Live Scanner               Cape Cod Live WEBCAMS
Looking for an old story? Use our archive service     Cape court reports (CCT)
Ptown fireworks forum       Cape Cod Today forecast       Tide Info       Live radar

Leave a comment »

Lt. Governor holds news conference today on Sea Beach

Same-old, same-old or courageous Mitt-split?
The conference location adds an element of intrigue

The email alert from the Kerry Healey campaign was enigmatic and cryptic; 

Thursday, August 31, 2006
10:45 am - Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey and running mate Reed Hillman will hold a press conference regarding Cape Wind.
Sea Street Beach
Sea Street
Hyannis 

The last time a governor came to a cape beach, it was in Craigville which is the closest point to the proposed Cape Wind project. At that time Mitt Romney talked about the need for ocean management legislation. He had long since voiced his opposition to the wind farm.

Location choice could be be significant

This time the news conference overlooks opponent Christy Mihos' home on Great Island across Lewis Bay from Sea Street. It is probably the closest the two of them have been to each other since he turned down her offer to be her running mate and declared his own candidacy for the office.

After last evening's symposium at the Cape Cod Community College the audience offered several suggested reasons for the news conference.

Since MS Healey has already said she is opposed to it, like her boss the Governor, many felt she would "stick it to Christy" by endorsing the wind farm literally in his face.

One GOP stalwart believes that her  running mate, Reed Hillman, has been reading her the polls statewide which show strong support for the project.

Others were equally sure she would simply restate her opposition. Another GOP operative reminded this reporter that since her war chest is overflowing, she can now afford to take a stand which might lure more votes in November since she has no primary opposition and Mihos will get all the anti-wing farm votes in Barnstable County anyway.

Stay turned - we'll bring you a report the minute the Lt. Governor speaks today.

 

1 comment »

Danes buying 1/3 of former electric price

Wind power symposium clears the air about Danish wind farms
Family cat turn out to be biggest problem for birds

A jam-packed lecture hall at Cape Cod Community College last night heard an enlightening and convincing presentation by a Danish expert on Denmark’s use of wind power.
 
The symposium and panel discussion, sponsored by Greenpeace America, featured as chief guest speaker Jens Larsen, Director of the Copenhagen Environment and Energy Office and project manager for Denmark’s Middelgrunden offshore wind project.  Panelists also included Richard Elrick, a Nantucket Sound ferryboat captain of 25 years and President of Clean Power Now, and Jack Clarke, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations for Mass Audubon.
 
Jens Larsen’s presentation showed how:

• As Denmark’s power infrastructure has become more decentralized and green over the years, CO2 emissions have been driven down even as the country’s GDP has risen.
• Power costs have decreased from 13 cents US per KWh in 1984 to 4.5 cents per KWh in 2006.
• The percentage of the country’s energy provided by wind power stood at 20.8% in 2004.
• Practically all Danes participate in wind power ownership, with 58% of the country’s 5000 turbines owned by individuals and 24% by collectives;  (in the case of the Middelgrunden wind farm outside Copenhagen harbor, the total number of owners is 8500) 
  

• Danish public opinion in 2006 is solidly behind wind power, with 91% in favor of more installations.
• The opinion of the Middelgrunden wind farm held by tourists is 71% positive.
• Wind farms have caused no problems with air traffic radar.
• There have been no permanent effects on ecology by wind farms.
• Operators of wind turbines are assured of a market for their power, since Danish law mandates that the power grid accept connections to all turbines.
  

Larsen explained that fishermen typically disliked offshore wind installations, considering that they were inconsistent with the natural state of the sea in which the fishermen worked.  However, they continued to work the sea in the area of such installations.

After the presentation, Richard Elrick of Clean Power Now briefly stated his reasons for supporting the Cape & Islands’ Wind Farm, reminding the audience that he had plied the waters of Nantucket Sound professionally for many years.  Jack Clarke of Mass Audubon summarized his organization’s position on this project as having found, after a preliminary assessment, no evidence of long-term adverse impact on avian life.  He also warned that this assessment was conditioned on the results of further studies.

During the subsequent Q&A session, Clarke was asked to clarify Audubon’s financial interest in the Nantucket Sound project, to which he replied that, as a non-profit organization, it had no such interest.

Turbine-caused bird deaths, boat accidents, "Zero"

As questioning on the subject of bird mortality continued, Mr. Larsen pointed out that the real threat to wildlife was habitat destruction—a result of fossil fuel pollution—not turbine collisions.  Clarke added that the birdkill caused by turbines was likely to be insignificant compared to the “trillions” killed by housecats, tall buildings and telecom towers.  When both speakers were asked how many birds were known to have been killed by Danish wind farms, the answer was “zero.”

In response to a question on why the proposed Cape & Islands’ wind farm needed to be so large, and sited offshore instead of on land, Elrick explained that in order to meet the President’s goal of 20% of our country’s energy from renewable sources, small installations of one or two turbines would not suffice.  Many utility-scale projects, typically at sea where the wind is strongest and most reliable, would be needed in the years to come.
 
The final question of the evening, addressed to Mr. Larsen, was about the number of boat collisions recorded in fifteen years of experience with offshore turbine structures in Danish waters.  Jens Larsen looked momentarily puzzled, then responded: “zero.”

59 comments »

Summers endorses Andy Buckley

Link: //monomoyick.com

Selectman Sean Summers of Chatham today issued this endorsement of Andy Buckley for the Republican nomination for State Representative for the 4th Barnstable District:

"As a Chatham Selectman and a Republican, I want to remind the voters of a very important political event taking place on Tuesday, September 19. This is the Republican Primary election for State Representative.

"The Honorable Shirley Gomes has served our district, stretching from Harwich to Provincetown, with dedication and distinction for many years. But she has decided not to seek re-election. This has traditionally been a Republican-held seat and it is very important that we continue to hold it.

"One of Chatham’s native sons is running as a candidate to fill this position. I have known Andy Buckley for several years. He is an extremely bright and capable person who has a keen grasp of the issues that our district will be facing in the coming years.

"I have often consulted with him in matters relating to our own community and he has proven to me to be someone who is decisive and unafraid to carry a firm fiscal conservatism to the State House where it is so desperately needed. I am also convinced that in terms of public service and in particular constituent service, Andy will have no equal.

"This is an important election. The State House is massively imbalanced with a super-majority of Democrats holding most of the seats. The Republican Party must hold this seat and it can be done only by showing up and voting for the only Republican on the ballot who has a history as a Selectmen who balances budgets and shows firm leadership qualities.

"Therefore, it is with great pride that I formally announce my endorsement of Andy Buckley for the Republican nomination for State Representative for the Lower and Outer Cape."

Summers was recently re-elected to the Board of Selectman in May 2006.

3 comments »

Kayak rescue

Dennis officials assist overturned kayak
DENNIS - Rescuers were called to Fisherman's Landing around 12:30 PM after reports a kayaker was in trouble. The man about 50 years old was reportedly trying out his new kayak when he overturned. Rescuers brought the man safely to shore cold and wet but uninjured. Posted on 8/30 at 5:00 PM.

An independent news service covering the Cape & Islands.
No part of this blog may be reproduced in any form without the express consent of the editor.

CapeCodFD             Cape Cod FD's Live Scanner               Cape Cod Live WEBCAMS
Looking for an old story? Use our archive service     Cape court reports (CCT)
Ptown fireworks forum       Cape Cod Today forecast       Tide Info       Live radar

Leave a comment »

Surviving a Shoe-Storm

For much of the last few months, I've felt like I've been living in a raging shoe-storm. Those "other shoes" we're always warned about weren't so much dropping as they were raining on my head. These weren't sleek Prada slip-ons, either - more like size 12 Carharts. The cost of redoing my two aging bathrooms went up a good 15 percent as estimates progressed from initial to final, my basement seemed to be sweating water even when it hadn't rained for days, I hit an extremely dry spell with work, my microwave oven died (caused, I believe, by one too many NStar power glitches - what is it with that company's lines?), and my washing machine began showing signs of imminent demise. The combination of a 2-ton dumpster (see bathroom note, above) and 2-1/2 weeks of no water (also see bathroom note, above) completely fried my front lawn, and I developed a sinus infection, thanks to all the mold floating around my house (see bathroom/basement notes above), which lasted for almost five weeks.

I began to feel like the house I loved hated me, and I started saying little prayers every time I opened the refrigerator door, pushed the dryer's "start" button or turned on a sink faucet - "please still work, please still work, please still work." Having moved myself 1,200 miles from a tried-and-true support network, it seemed I was going through this possibly fading love affair all alone.

Lately, though, the clouds of shoe leather seem to have parted, and I'm starting to breathe regularly again. I've had two successful rounds of guests in the last month, and all functioned fine during the visits. The corpse of a microwave still lingers in my basement, next to the trash can, but the washing machine is still running (though I have to manually move the cycle knob to get it to progress from "wash" to "rinse" and "spin"). I also think I know what's going on with the basement's sweating issue - the copper water-supply line from the meter runs along the top of the front basement wall, and water was condensing and dripping from it in streams during the really hot, humid days of July. I just had to look up - instead of staring down, preoccupied, at the damp concrete floor - to figure out the problem. I think a simple foam insulating sleeve should keep the pipe, and floor, nice and dry.

The bathrooms, though they cost more than anticipated, are possibly the two nicest I've ever had. I just finished painting them last night, reinstalled all the hardware and hung a couple pictures and, suddenly, my house seems to like me again. It's like I picked out just the right let's-make-up-not-break-up present, and now all is right with the world. I'm even looking forward to spending the Labor Day weekend painting the two guest bedrooms, with the thought the house will like me even more at the end of that job. And work is now keeping me busy again - at least enough to pay the mortgage for the next month or two, which is about as much job security as a freelance writer gets.

Of course, my ever-cautious other side - the side that looks down at a damp basement floor instead of up at the culprit sweating pipe - is just waiting for another shoe-storm to show up on the radar screen, like the next named-storm news from NOAA. That part wants to keep worrying through the bright spots. It's as if not fully enjoying the good times will somehow appease fate enough to make the difficult times just a little easier around the edges when they arrive.

But the trick, I think, to really enjoying life is to turn that logic around - maybe the good times are really the prize we're given for getting ourselves through the rough patches in one piece. Not enjoying these rare moments is like rejecting a gift life has handed you, and could make the next bad spell even worse. So, I'm going to work on smiling at my bathrooms instead of frowning at the washer, and not knocking on wood every time I mention good news. And, instead of worrying about the next major disaster in the love affair I'm carrying on with my house, I'm going to be thinking about that perfect pair of tassel loafers I could earn for making it through the next shoe-storm that passes overhead.

1 comment »

The seasonal tide of the tourists

^{The writer, Justin Tussing, formerly of Provincetown and Northamptom MA, is presently Visiting Assistant Professor of English at Lewis & Clark College in Portland OR. He lived for three years in Provincetown where he sold tickets at a whale watch in a booth on MacMillan Wharf, and derided our summer visitors. Now he revisits The Cape as a tourist himself with amusing results - The Editors}

or three years my wife and I shared a one-bedroom apartment overlooking the harbor in Provincetown. From our front door we saw dolphins and whales.

The Massachusetts town, in its isolation, felt like our own private country. On still evenings the hollow clanging of the buoy off Long Point punctuated our sleep. We marveled at the sunsets and the quahogs. In late winter when islands of ice sailed into the bay, they were our islands.

You couldn't find our family names in the town cemetery. We weren't property owners. But by virtue of passing a lonely winter on the clenched fist at the end of Cape Cod, we were locals.

As summer approached, our attachment to this place, and to our image of ourselves as locals, would reach a zealous peak. We prayed that red tides, hurricanes and rising gas prices might collude to keep the people away. Memorial Day inaugurated an unwelcome season of traffic lights and crowded streets, as hordes of vacationers clogged our paradise.

We learned to cope with a town distended beyond its capacity. We'd run errands in the morning, when fog (and something like a collective hangover) limited the crowds. We'd avoid the carnival procession that ran down the main drag, Commercial Street. Labor Day, marking the end of the summer, became our most anticipated holiday.

During those interminable months before Labor Day arrived and the tourists departed, I retreated to a damp and fly-plagued booth perched above the harbor. There, I was the gatekeeper to the sublime. I sold whale-watch tickets.

Locals do their whale-watching in February and March, from the comfort of their cars, when endangered right whales parade in front of the parking lot at Herring Cove. The whale-watching boats catered almost exclusively to visitors.

I sat in my little booth on the wharf, and answered variations on the same questions. Would they see whales? Yes. How long was the trip? Three hours (upon hearing my answer someone would inevitably sing the theme to “Gilligan’s Island”). How much did it cost? It depended on coupons and promotions and my mood.

I was petty, but pettiness is the privilege of the powerful. I could dispatch information and disinformation, according to my whim. I could direct you to the leather bar or the prettiest garden or the best whole-belly clams. But good luck finding Subway, or my favorite piece of beach. From a metal folding chair, I witnessed, I judged, and I proselytized.

The tourists approached the ticket booth with a feed-me attitude. They expected a benevolent Nature. They wanted assurances that they would see whales, good whales. They wanted guarantees for the weather, for their satisfaction, and they needed to be back in time for dinner reservations.

But what I cherished about my job was that those same demanding, anxious, suspicious people would hammer down a gangplank and onto a boat, and, three hours later, disembark, often missing hats or cameras, becalmed and lovely. I’d like to believe that they’d been moved by seeing something larger than themselves, or that being out of sight of land had caused some elemental change in their souls.

More likely they were still under the spell of Dramamine. I watched them stumble toward their cars. Stripped of their consuming hunger, they seemed less like barbarians and more like innocents.

Sometimes, they would pause to ask me a final question: How do we get out of here? I drew comfort from the fact that they were leaving and I, the local, would stay. This was a fantasy.

Soon enough, the economic tides that swept away so many of our friends washed my wife and me inland. We wound up living in western Massachusetts, less than a mile from the Connecticut River — a body of water that, despite many attempts on my part, refused to accept my displaced affection.

This year my wife and I headed back to the tip of the Cape. We went as tourists, on vacation. The rainy days no longer cheered us. At the wharf the same commercial fisherman drove past in their rotting trucks, but my face no longer qualified me for the local’s discount at the coffee shop.

We wandered about, indistinguishable from the other summer people. We stopped to stare at the newly renovated art museum, at the flip-flop store that used to be the henna tattoo store and which had been something else before. We peered through a condo’s porthole window at the space where we were married, back when it had been a restaurant. We reached Commercial Street and joined the human procession.

In the distance, I saw my damp old booth. Part of me wanted to go over there, if only to convince the ticket-taker that I wasn’t a tourist. But our strongest claims of belonging usually reveal the opposite. I wasn’t kidding anybody. I knew what he would see. 

Justin Tussing gave cctoday permission to reprint his amusing tale in today's International Herald Tribune (no registration required) here. He has just published another book.
See Justin's books here and here.

3 comments »

For the record

I find that one of the problems I have on the campaign trail is people don’t directly associate Cape Cod with Barnstable County.

Therefore, to define terms they are one in the same.  There are 15 towns with municipal charters and a regional government with a county charter.

Barnstable County gets its money from charges or fees for services, payments and granys from federal and state governments, including courthouse rental fees, excise taxes on real estate sales, and assessments on the towns.  In a budget of $25 million about 10% or $2.5 million goes to support six of the program areas and about an equal amount goes to the Cape Cod Commission which is based on law that created them.

Barnstable County has seven major programs that they spend money on:

1. General Government (legislative (aka Assembly of Delegates), Executive (County Commissioners), administration, finance and resource development)
2. County Services (dredge, facilities and Cooperative Extension)
3. Health and Environment
4. Human Services
5. Public Safety (the sheriff fills the role as the county officer)
6. Planning and Development (Cape Cod Commission)
7. Shared Costs and Debt Service (Insurance, legal and miscellaneous county expenses.

Other programs include:

1. Fire Training Academy
2. Children’s Cove
3. Economic Development Council
4. Cape Light Compact

There are three county commissioners.  I serve as chair and am completing a four year term, three as chair.

I am running for re-election.  There is a primary on September 19th and the general election on November 7th.

Transportation, Workforce Housing, Water Quality, Rising Taxes...

Cape Codders have a lot on their minds.

But one thing they CAN count on is County Commissioner Bill Doherty.

Four years ago, Barnstable County voters took a chance on me.

And every day since, I have worked for you, showing the common sense to make good choices with our limited resources.

In fact, I have led the way in holding the line on County Taxes even as I have worked for every one of us in the Cape’s 15 Towns.

I was behind programs to protect  and manage our water quality, train our youth, adults and elders for needed jobs on Cape Cod, and find real workforce housing opportunities.

I was instrumental in developing the new Flex bus system and have fought for the energy conservation, environmental protection and economic development programs that enhance the quality of life for all Cape Codders.

In fact, my  peers have elected me Chair of the County Commissioner three times.

I know that Cape Cod is not just a place, but a way of life, and that simple idea makes us all Cape Codders.

So on Election Day November 7th , vote to keep me Bill Doherty at work for you.

Bill Doherty for Barnstable County Commissioner
If you want to help my campaign send a check to :

The Committee to Elect Doherty
Post Office Box 1482
Harwich, MA 02645

Want to lend your support? You can volunteer to stand at the polls, put a Doherty sign in your yard and most importantly, vote for me, Bill Doherty.

1 comment »