The Great Gadfly

ONE DOWN, FORTY TO GO

Today's front page of the Cape Cod Times says it all, but I never thought of Margo Fenn as the retiring type. Actually, news of her decison came to me last night. Predictably there were some very off-color and inappropriate responses from some of those in the crowd who heard she will be leaving in July. But, not guts...no glory.

 Since 199 Margo Fenn has had the chance to do great things for Cape Cod. She has headed an agency whose purpose is set in law, the Cape Cod Commission Act. Among those stated purposes: to provide for the fostering of a Cape Cod economy which overcomes the seasonal ups and downs of our employment opportunities, attracts good jobs through smart growth, deals effectively with our traffic problems and transportation needs, develops and implements strategies for providing an  adequate supply of fair and affordable housing, provides planning and support for the development of needed capital facilities and wastewater treatment, encourages economic development, and on and on. Before becoming exceutive director of the Cape Cod Commission Margo was its chief planner and deputy director and for one year was acting execeutive director while Armando Carbonell was sipping sherry at the Harvard faculty club (or whatever he did up there for one year). She has had at her command the largest regional planning agency with the largest budget in all of New England.

So why are so many people seemingly so displease with Margo and the Commission? Why has the Town of Yarmouth taken a first step toward withdrawl? Having been in operation in for seventeen years at a cost to taxpayers of over $50 million the commission can report:

   The Cape's economy is a disaster.

   Our traffic problems are worse each year.

  Our coastal waters are being poisoned by nitrogen; our groundwater also.

  The towns will have to bear the cost for sewers to correct the wastewater problems because the commission failed to take advantage of the huge available federal subsidies that expired in the 1990's.

  Potential new businesses for Cape Cod are discouraged from locating here because the commission review process is too costly, too unpredictable and takes too long.

   Fair and affordable housing is still just a dream for our young people...so they leave.

The chairperson of the Yarmouth Board of Selectmen recently said of Yarmouth's economy  and tax situation, "Yarmouth is on life support." Thanks, Margo.

Now we are faced with the proverbial 'national search' for her successor. That is GREAT!!! We can hire someone with a degree in planning from somewhwere else who knows nothing of our local issues, problems, potential or people. Someone from somewhere else is just what we need...perhaps someone who can drive over the bridge to work every day as do many other comission staff members. Someone who can talk intelligently about endangered species and native grasses but whose only knowledge of economic development is his/her own salary (Margo's is now $85k) plus benefits and who thinks he/she has the right of way when entering a traffic rotary. It would be especially helpful if this new person shares the established belief at the commission that contact with local officials is to be avoided and that staff need not be truthful when dealing with the victims of the DRI process. Why change seventeen years of accepted practices?

Yup...Margo feels our pain. To deal with this pain she and Dan are going to take a year off and travel. She'll decide what she will do with the rest of her life when she returns. It must be nice to have such options...nto work for a year and travel. Who said the aristocracy is dead?  During that year the Cape and its commission will be locked in a struggle for control of the future, but Margo choses not to be part of the solution...after all, she really only knows how to be part of the problem  and apparently a lot of people on Cape Cod are fed up with problems.

Hmmmmm...I think yours is a good plan, Margo...leave town for a while.

 All for now, Gadfly.