Buckley's Blog

Lessons of the Craft

Link: //monomoyick.com

We finally hauled the new dory out from under the apple tree in the backyard today.  Well, “new” as in new to me.  The dory itself has been around for a few years.  The trailer tires were flat, vines had wrapped themselves around the shaft of the outboard and mold and moss covered much of the woodwork.  And lots and lots of last fall’s apples covered the floor of the boat.

So I have some work to do.

Just getting it up into the side yard was a bit of a task.  Had to use fix-a-flat to inflate one of the old tires, then get the jack out from under one side of the trailer so that it could be used to lift the even flatter tire on the other side up enough to inflate it.  But that meant taking a shovel and clearing enough space for the jack to fit under the trailer.

Much to my surprise, everything worked out OK.  The tires remained inflated enough long enough to get the trailer to the optimal place in the yard for fix-up.

The first week in May really is a little late to be addressing anything more than general maintenance issues for a boat.  But I have a good excuse – for the past nine months, I’ve been on the trail of the Columbia Expedition, the first American voyage ‘round the world.  The vessels of my concern have been a ship of 212 tons (Columbia Rediviva) and a sloop of 60 feet (Lady Washington).  Following the premiere of our film in Marshfield last week, I gladly welcomed the humble task of fixing up a 12-foot fiberglass dory.

My timing seems to be perfect, too.  May’s 40 days and 40 nights of rain have concluded, which means after a severe application of the power washer (who needs sandpaper and scrapers?), I can repaint the wooden seats and trim.  Before this, I’ll have to get replacement for the rotted rails.  And I’m expecting a visit from Christian Swenson, the Mobile Marine Mechanic, to get the old outboard humming for another season.

Then comes the all-important issue of paint.  Not whether to paint or not, but the color.  Blue being the favorite of greenheads (note the color of those traps in the marshes, my favorite is out.

On the other hand, Sofie’s persistence preference is also not within the realm of consideration:  pink.  Six-year-old little girl-loving pink.  Just no.  We’ll probably go with whatever is left in the garage, and if there’s not enough of one color, we’ll be our regular efficient Yankee selves, and see what can be mixed to make a non-seasick-inducing color.

Then it’s a simple matter of getting new oarlocks, locating a coil of line and maybe a bumper or two, and loading in the rakes and wire clam baskets.  With any luck, weather-willing, we’ll be able to launch by Memorial Day weekend.

The cost of all this is a low-entry fee for the ability to head out on the water with my daughter at a moment’s notice.  There are some now-familiar activities to revisit, like snorkeling on the Common Flats west of Monomoy, or camping out on the beach.  But we’ll also be pulling out the fishing poles, too, since Sofie’s never tried striped bass, certainly not fresh off the ocean.

I’m keenly aware it could be like a blink of an eye before my daughter heads off to do her own things with anyone other than her father.  So there’s a small window of opportunity to show her all these things:  to fix up something that by all accounts appears worn out, to have a goal to motivate you to return, day after day, to work at it, never mind the reward of fully enjoying the waterborne wonderland that surrounds us here in the summer.

Hopefully, some of these lessons will stick.  Then she can get her own boat someday.  That, I tell her, she can paint pink.

Read this and Andy's other columns online at The Cape Cod Chronicle.

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HIT AND RUN HISTORY WOWS SOUTH SHORE

Link: //www.hitandrunhistory.com

MARSHFIELD – It was standing-room-only at the Ventress Memorial Library this past Wednesday.  Like nothing we ever expected, the premiere of the first installment of Hit and Run History:  The Columbia Expedition went off with a bang.

The short documentary film is a pilot, meant to secure full-funding for a 13-episode series on the first American circumnavigation of the globe.  I've been on the trail of this story since 1995, beginning with research for my novel The Bostoner.

 Guest started to arrive at 6:40 PM, well before the show was to begin.  We started setting up more chairs than the original 30.  By 7 PM, my assistant director, Matt Griffin was giving me the "go" sign to start, but looking out the door, I saw more people coming.  More chairs.  More people.  Finally, at 7:10 Mark Schmidt, director of the the Historical Winslow House (co-sponsor of the event with the library) introduced me.  

Because we've done something different with Hit and Run, we thought it necessary to give our audience an idea of my background and what they should expect to see.  Not a purely polished, ready for broadcast gem, but rather a new approach to talking about history.  A lot of that has to do with the local connection.

In Marshfield, Hit and Run History spoke with Krusell and Bates, local experts about shipbuilding on the North River.  The ship Columbia was built in 1773 at Hobart’s Landing, on the Scituate side of the North River.  Rebuilt in 1787 and rechristened Columbia Rediviva (“Columbia Reborn”), it was purchased by a syndicate in Boston to be the flagship of this first global trading venture of the new American Republic.

After the film, Harwich's Kane Stanton read the letter of charge to Captain John Kendrick by Joseph Barrell, senior partner of the syndicate.  This then led into a very intense and rewarding question and answer session with the audience.  It also gave me a chance to introduce Don Ritz, chair of the Hull Historic District Commission, who so indulgently squired me around Nahant for filming last fall, as well as the rest of my crew there: Jay Sheehan and Alex Schwantner.

At the close of the program, Mark told us that the final tally was 62 in attendance - double our original projection, and more than the capacity of the room.  After many months of hard work and sacrifice, this incredible reception and response from the South Shore was a immensely gratifying.

We now look forward, after a brief hiatus, to our Cape Cod premiere at the Brooks Free Library on May 17th at 2 PM.  Then it is onto the Wareham Free Library on May 20th at 6 PM, and the Orleans Historical Society on the 24th at 7 PM.

This project was awarded Massachusetts Cultural Council Grants by the Marshfield Cultural Council and Wareham Cultural Council.  For more information, visit www.hitandrunhistory.com or the Hit and Run History fan page on facebook.

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Spring Cleaning And The Dignity Of Work

Link: //monomoyick.com

With the first of the daffodil shoots foolishly poking out from the until-now frozen earth, Sofie and I have returned to the back yard for our major activities.  Clearing the sleds from under the blue spruce.  Trimming back the weaker of the branches on the pear trees.  Making a final decision on the location of that next thornless blackberry bush.  Picking up remnants of dog toys, and rescuing those still intact from the inevitable mower blade.

It is a time for spring cleaning.  Having spent the fall and winter on a creative project, I am faced with the myriad tasks that must be done — best be done now, than to be discovered in the summer in a panic.  Where is the tent?  I thought we had charcoal in this closet… somewhere.  The bicycle pump, you say?  I know we have two of them.  Try under the Christmas lights.

Not to even get into boat-prep issues.  That’s a column unto itself.

As described a few months ago, when working alone outside, podcasts like American Public Media’s Marketplace keep me company.  It has really kept me on top of business and economic issues just as they are at the forefront of public consciousness.  So it is an astounding contrast, too, the degrees to which some public officials seem to be far, far behind the curve.

There appears to be a complete unwillingness to see the current economic conditions as anything more than a departure from the norm.  Something that will “gotten over” in the matter of a few months, rather than a major correction — by that term meaning we now quickly return to the way things should have been all along.

This is not a departure down; rather the recent prosperity was a departure up.  Consumers stopped saving anything in the past decade and borrowed too much.  Optimism to spend, as recently prescribed by a sadly-misguided County Commissioner Bill Doherty, is not going to pull us out of this situation.  Toxic assets will become safer when all borrowers actually pay their debts off — first.

The sad reality is that plenty of service-based businesses were founded here and nationwide, based upon increasing affluence.  We have come to realize that much of this affluence was an illusion.  For example, buyers were willing to pay $2 million for a second home on the Cape because a) the value of their 401k was expected to only increase, b) the Cape house could always be rented seasonally at a high rate, and c) the buyer’s primary residence would fetch a high price when sold for the inevitable retirement here.

Now two of those legs have been kicked out from that three-legged stool (and the third may be just as illusory).  Optimism had brought the home price to a level as unsustainable as the rest of the economy.  As reality sets in, the price has dropped to a truer value set by that smaller pool of buyers who still possess the resources to purchase.

Yet too many of leaders in government, to varying degrees insulated from the gyrations of the private economy by the inviolate perks of public benefits, still fail to grasp three basic truths:

First, their constituents now have less money.

Second, that any money their constituents struggle to earn in these tough times should be saved.

And third, this is how it is going to be for a couple years, at least. As Olivier Blanchard, the IMF’s new Director of Research, told The Economist just last week, “We are closer to the beginning than we are to the end.”

Once this sort of mental spring cleaning — looking at what is actually around us, what we have and what we don’t, what still works and what is irreparably broken — hopefully will lead to some serious planning for the knock-on effects of what is being called our “Deprecession.”

For example, history tells us that in tough times, more shellfish permits are issued.  Yet the price of shellfish has stayed stagnant or even gone down, partly due to a lack of economic planning for increased supply.

Or with decreased household income, expect that many more local high school graduates will attending Cape Cod Community College (regardless of whether they were accepted to four-year schools off-Cape).  That means more 18 to 22 year olds here through the winter.  They will be needing jobs that provide a regular income.  Regular, as in a regular wage with regular hours, not seasonally tip-based gigs.

(Note:  They will not be needing housing.  They’ll be saving money by staying at home.)

These are but two examples, and are not the usual bad economy-homeless shelter-food pantry concerns.  The needs of middle class people who live here – yes, residents – are calling out to be addressed by our towns.  Now.

Nostalgia for the goods times won’t cut it, nor will unfounded optimism.  Spring is the time to re-assess.  And we need to get to work.

 Read this and Andy's other columns online at The Cape Cod Chronicle.

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Bigger is always… Bigger

Link: //monomoyick.com

The most recent solution-in-search-of-a-problem championed by the local media is regionalization of government services.  Sewers.  Fire.  Police.  Schools.

Now, I am sure there are some savings that can be found when you have over a dozen municipalities occupying an area roughly the same square mileage and population as Jacksonville, Florida.

But the justification for regionalization now seems to be that this will help stem the tide of young adults leaving Cape Cod. Like maybe lower taxes? Or better schools because they're bigger and cheaper? Sorry, I'm trying to play devil's advocate here, but coming from a small town with a very low tax rate, by this reasoning we should have tons of young families. Instead, we're the oldest town in the state. Maybe we're just not doing it BIG ENOUGH?

This is how I summed up a query on Facebook, posted to friends who grew up on the Cape but have since moved away these two questions:  1) Why did you leave? and, 2) What would induce you to return?

The answers were not terribly surprising.  Not having any 4-year institution of higher learning in the area, many said they went away to school and then became ensconced wherever they were.  They liked what they found in the wider world.

It may sound heretical in this resort community, but yes, there are many, many other beautiful places in the world.  They are as much in competition with us for tourists as for that most locally-undervalued person - the full-time, year-round, wage-earning 25-45 year-old resident.

But, greater, was a theme of opportunity.  Specifically, one respondent answered why she left Cape Cod:

• a) Nowhere to work
• b) Nowhere to work in winter (yes, two things entirely)
• c) No career opportunities (see a and b)
• d) Its once cool austerity and grittiness has been replaced with cheesy gift shops and "quaint" cuteness imported from cities in an attempt to make it something it's not
• e) Arts, shopping, etc.

She went onto explain, "I've lived in NYC for over 16 years. My living space is extremely small, my housing expenses astronomical and taxes are through the roof-BUT I have opportunity here -- to make money, work in any industry (almost) I choose. Almost everything is accessible. I sorely miss the ocean, but the benefits outweigh the costs. Lower taxes and better schools would never entice me to move back. Even if housing were free, it would still make more financial sense to pay $90 per square foot and live some place where I could make a living. Simple as that."

As for what would get her to move back:  "Jobs, jobs and jobs."

Another friend who has worked both on and off-Cape (and likes performing those small town self-services like bringing his own trash to the dump), has the skills to earn much more elsewhere.  But the opportunities just aren't there for his highly-trained spouse.

Talking directly to my concern, he observed, "Regionalization of services is a partial solution to budget woes, but it's long-term and painful, and it's not at all a reason someone moves to an area."

Now, certainly this is an unscientific sampling, and I do not pass this off as representative of a cross-section of the Cape Cod Diaspora.  But they are for the most part well-educated, high earning, upstanding, responsible adults.  Just the sort of people you would want living next door, who on those rainy days when you get back from the supermarket and are trying to get everything inside, offer to lend a hand.  Or when the power goes out.  Or to check on your house when you're on vacation.

The media here on the Cape have failed its expatriate children by failing to ask them what THEY WANT.  Instead, powers-that-be have announced what they are willing to do: make local government more efficient by making it bigger.  I'm reminded of a quote from the movie "Contact" - "First rule in government spending: why build one when you can have two at twice the price?"

Specifically, and to its credit, The Chronicle has deflated the argument that there will be any reduction of costs by regionalizing Chatham and Harwich schools.  That there would be a greater benefit to students by more educational programs is, however highly dubious.  Perhaps marginally, but no serious claims are being made that SAT scores will jump, or we'll be getting state of the art gymnasium or science lab.

Worse, the "big schools" idea flies in the face of reams of studies that suggest what parents and teachers want most, and the environment in which students thrive best, are small, neighborhood schools with low teacher-pupil ratios.  So even if the argument is that better schools will attract more families to move here, we're offering a Chevy Suburban when the customer clearly wants a Toyota Prius.  They want smaller, not bigger.  More control, not less.

I am concerned that what really is going on is yet another lurch away from Town Meeting control of any budgetary issues.  When regionalized, a bill for the service is simply rendered upon the Town.  Voters on the floor of Town Meeting do not have the chance, as they do with a purely-municipal budget item, to pick apart the budget, item-by-item.  With regionalization, those who work for the larger bureaucracy serve a larger population -- and thus, are accountable to virtually no one.

In essence, we would be going in the opposite direction of what is most desired by those we so righteously protest to help.  But if we are serious about returning to a more balanced community, welcoming those of all ages, the answer bears repeating: "Jobs, jobs and jobs."

Read this and Andy's other columns online at The Cape Cod Chronicle.

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CREDIT CARD COMPANIES: WHY THE LAWS THEY LOBBIED SO HARD FOR WON’T HELP THEM NOW

Link: //monomoyick.com

Cape Codder Elizabeth Southworth, with over fourteen years experience working in the financial industry, offered the following to me, which I feel obliged to pass on:

Last week, Bernanke predicted the recession "could" end this year. Well, he's out of his mind. Let me re-phrase. He's lying. This is the same Bernanke who, less than a year ago, offered assurance there would be no recession while I jumped up and down pulling my hair out.

The IMF conducted a study on 124 banking crises over the last thirty years where massive debt overloaded the banking sector. Out of the six that occurred in wealthy nations, the speed of recovery varied from 2 (South Korea) to 10 (Japan) years. I think we can all agree that what's happening now ain't a typical banking crisis. Ending this year? No.

What was equally baffling was news that the market rallied on Bernanke's comments. This was just plain wrong. The market rallied on technicals. As the DOW hit its worst levels since 1997 the market panicked. The "it can't be this bad" panic actually created a rally and the DOW subsequently bounced off its 7100 level. And it happened again on Wednesday and again on Thursday. This had nothing to do with Bernanke.

I told a friend if the economy does show signs of strength in the next 6 months, to look out for hidden mine fields amongst the smoke and mirrors. In my mind, these will be the credit card companies. I suspect they won't be racking up interest charges on new purchases these days while the sheer number of credit card defaults could make sub-prime mortgages look like a blip on the radar screen.

As virtually every sector in the stock market plummets deeper into the abyss, one thing eludes me. The credit card companies have remained relatively strong. Mastercard and Visa have actually outperformed the Dow in the last month. This worries me greatly. And it should worry all of you. But don't be too concerned. Just like credit card debt, we will all simply pay for it later.

The average American household carries $10,700 in credit card debt. What was once a vehicle for emergencies, occasional purchases and travel expenses became a free for all "lay away plan." And what's even more outrageous is these companies can charge whatever interest rates they like. I consider their rates "usury" however, it seems the public disagrees given that they kept charging.

In 2005, credit card companies lobbied hard to change the bankruptcy laws in order to "protect" themselves. They won. This was really just an opportunity to eliminate massive amounts of risk while doling out $50,000 in credit to college students with zero credit history. In retrospect, they were just begging to be regulated. These laws won't help them now. The public will soon want their heads on the chopping block. And I have no doubt the Obama administration will be more than happy to oblige.

How credit cards assess their risk is their business. If they deem it suitable to give an 18-year-old $50,000 in credit, that's fine by me. However, don't cry when you don't get paid. And in turn, I don't want to hear the whines of consumers who can't pay their bills because they needed a new plasma TV. Leave me out of it. Cheap, easy credit is what caused the current banking crisis and what could soon create a credit card debt debacle. If you think consumer spending is at an all time low now, wait a few months. You'll be able to get that $40 sweater at the Gap for $9.99.

Now these companies are offering incentives to people with large balances. American Express is offering $300. $300? Was that the magic number the algorithm machine spat out in order to alleviate their risk? Are they so deluded that they actually believe people have the money? Are they reading the same papers I'm reading? So if I rub the $300 American Express genie, $10,700 will automatically appear in my checking account? Well, if that's the case, I'll be swiping like crazy this week at the 5th Avenue fire sales.

This past week reminded me of an old lesson: at the end of the day, from stock prices to consumer spending to credit card debt: something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

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Snow Day, in verse

or,

“For What?”

 
At half past five the other night

After long work hours and sleeping tight

A call awoke me from sound sleep

To tell me news of snow too deep.

Too deep for school, so we must not

endanger all our tiny tots.

The voice of Dr. Lanzo said,

Read from a text pre-recor-ded.

Delayed, her message, school will be

To ease our morning misery.

Yet after only five hours slumber

I saw a test -- which was dumber:

To heed an off-Cape weatherman

And, like a gaped, unthinking fan

Take as gospel his frantic warning

Of drifts chest-high, come eight next morning,

Or, instead, remember here

In Chatham, with Gulf Stream so near

It is as sure to pull the mercury

above freezing, with no threat to me.

No threat to me, no threat to us,

No threat to children on a bus.

So, now, awake, I lay in bed,

And watched a sky, without fear or dread.

Concern, instead I felt for thee,

Who art compensated hourly.

Those parents who, with grit and grime

Make privately money with their time.

So when it rained, instead, this day

The pointlessness of the delay

Hit home most painfully, you know

By those who aren’t afraid of snow.

We are not scared, it does snow here.

This is New England, which is most clear.

We have the smarts, we have the tools,

To keep the roads up for our schools.

This timidity runs counter to

A tougher people here who grew

Up bearing skiffs into the sea

With every bit of dignity.

The safety argument does not fly

We had snow here in days gone by

But then, no antilock brakes, no air bags

And still school commenced, without these lags.

Please, let us be a town that works

Instead of where suspicion lurks,

For in dire times you come to ask

Us to fund your educational tasks.

In budget times this spring you’ll say

You need still more cash to pay

For programs and the salaries

Of you and your employees.

So here’s a fact of school delayed:

If we don’t work, we don’t get paid.

That you cancel school in this season,

For mere threat of snow is beyond reason.

You waste our money, you waste our time

So we may not be able to spare a dime.

Every public servant should be awares

Of their constituency’s needs and cares.

But still, if you must heed the forecaster’s lies,

Set a good example and apologize.

Read this and Andy's other columns online at The Cape Cod Chronicle.

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Doggy Togs

Link: //monomoyick.com

Ginger likes her sweater.  I think. Now, I’ve never been one of those dog people who dressed up their dogs to look like little versions of themselves.  No leather jackets.  No sweatsuits emblazoned with a sports team logo. No doggy raincoats, with matching rain hat and rubber boots.  Come to think of it, since the buttons of the last one rusted off, I haven’t even owned a raincoat.  So that’s not exactly an accurate comparison.

But last Christmas, Sofie asked about a present for our two Cardigan Welsh Corgis, Ginger and Colby.  They are sister and brother, but from different litters, and have served not only as surrogate siblings to Sofie, but as comedy team, always ready for her amusement.  Used for herding cattle and ponies in Wales, the breed are working dogs that get a little antsy when they can’t keep an eye on us.  When Sofie was just learning to use a real bed, Ginger slept on the bed while Colby slept underneath.

So when Sofie expressed a desire – no, the expectation – that she should give them a gift for Christmas, it only seemed right.  Standing there, in PetSmart in Hyannis, faced by all sorts of dress-up gear for the latest fashionable toy breed.

Oh, sure, they have short legs, but they are otherwise medium-sized dogs.  Colby’s head is almost as big as a German Shepherd and I’ve seen him turn things like femurs and brake handles into tiny bits in the blink of an eye.  So they clothing that caught Sofie’s eye were on the disappointingly small size.

The only thing we could be certain of was a pink and purple striped sweater.  Fully aware of Ginger’s gender, Sofie agreed this was just the thing. Colby could have an extra cow hoof in his stocking, to make up for it.  Nature provided him with a much heavier coat, anyway.

So on Christmas Day last year, I became A Guy Who Dresses Up His Dog.  It fit, which was a relief, I suppose -- not like there was any other clothing we could exchange it for.  Ginger didn’t try to get out of it, she didn’t carry in mud and leaves from outside (any more than on her feet), and it didn’t shrink.  In fact, she seemed less agitated and more restful, which I chalk up to drowsiness – always a good thing in the other occupants of a writer’s home.

And then a couple weeks ago, we took a walk down to the Chatham Bakery, with Sofie handling Ginger’s leash like a pro. Because of the dog, we ate our Gingerbread cookies at the picnic table out front.  With all eyes at the booths inside the bakery looking out at us, it was clear I had become THE Guy Who Dresses Up His Dog.

Oh, the shame of it all.

It is just a long, slow descent into a world of rhinestone leash with matching collar and tiara, patent-leather Mary Janes, and fancifully-flowered sunhats.  I flash-forward to a day not too long from now, when I would be clipping Ginger’s claws and wonder if it would ruin her French manicure.

Really, this anxiety is all after-the-fact, of course.  As a father’s indulgence to his five year-old, the cost to my male pride was fairly insignificant.  You pretty much have to set aside all pretense when you have a child, more so with a daughter.  Even more so as the single father of a little girl.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve left the house forgetting that just a little while earlier I’d had my hair done up.  Sofie’s insistence notwithstanding, pink barrettes apparently do NOT complement my eyes.

Still, I’m looking for Colby to redeem the male-ness around here.  Christmas may have come and gone, but the sales are just beginning.  Big black leather collar with plenty of spikes should do it -- something coyote-busting.

Yet, it is not that easy, when considering Sofie.  Such an accessory would put an end to her near-hourly hugs that squeeze the pulse out of him. I’m more worried about the underside of her mattress getting torn up.  We might have to pull it back a little.  Aviator sunglasses?  Nah.  A shoulder holster?  Might work.  A black Led Zeppelin T-shirt?  Not bad.  But I draw the line at rhinestones.

Read this and Andy's other columns online at The Cape Cod Chronicle.

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Storytelling

Link: //monomoyick.com

A cold, dark little land

Over a dozen years ago, when I was on a research trip to Vancouver, BC for "The Bostoner," friends invited me to a dinner party. At some point in the evening, I looked down and realized I was the person out of the six seated at the table who still had food on my plate. While everyone else had been eating, I'd been talking.

Quickly, I apologized for gabbing on so, and dug into my food. Our hostess quickly dismissed this by saying, "Oh, no, it is all very entertaining." Then she turned to her other guests, explaining, "You see, he comes from a cold, dark little land where all the people have to get them through their miserable winters is to tell stories to each other. They've developed quite a gift for it."

How's that for an image of the Cape? I would have nearly bit my fork in half if there hadn't been a fair bit of truth to this. Spinning yarns, fish stories and more than good-natured ribbing are hallmarks of those who have spent a good deal of time here.

Part of it is that history goes back a long way here, relative to the rest of the country. Some families have been here for well over 300 years. The first hundred would have been accompanied by a single book, the bible, for diversion. That leads to a great deal of invention outside of that medium.

Then there's the relationship with the sea. There's always something unexpected happening out on the water, which means something to talk about. On the other hand, while one is working, talking can make the time go faster. When clamming with Jamie Bassett, we'd get to analyzing some movie or changing the lyrics of popular tunes to reflect clamming culture, when all of a sudden Scott Eldredge, our patron, would forbid us from speaking another word.

We would look up and realize our chatter was causing other diggers to creep closer, to hear what we were saying. That's a compliment to our entertainment value, but when you're working a productive flat, the last thing you want is close company. This pre-dated waterproof headsets and iPods.

Then, of course, there's the fact that when the world comes to stay with you for the summer, they want to know about the place. That can lead to stories. Many is the young local who has found himself invited to a rather posh cocktail party with his survival dependent upon his ability to talk entertainingly about what growing up here was like. More than likely, our real estate industry seems to have used this approach as a business model.

We tell good stories. For the most part, we don't need to make anything up, either.

I was reminded of this yet again during a documentary scouting trip to the North Shore. Returning to the subject of "The Bostoner" - the Columbia Expedition of 1787 - it begins with another great storyteller, Captain John Kendrick, who grew up on the shores of Pleasant Bay. One of the expedition's two vessels, the sloop Lady Washington, was supposedly built on the Essex River. So I found myself at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum, interviewing their researcher, Justin Demetri, while two other of Chatham's native sons were working at telling the story. Even though they are using the latest technology, Matt Griffin as cameraman and Chris LeClaire as set photographer were doing no different than generations before them.

Setting the scene. Telling stories about the sea, ships and the people who sailed them. Me, I just yak away with whomever is put in front of me. It takes real talent to step back, assess the situation, and focus on exactly the best way to convey what is really going on.

The technology of digital imaging, through still images or video, certainly allows users to go from neophyte to semi-pro in the matter of weeks. But there is no software program for talent. There is no hi-tech gadget or web site that confers creativity upon the user.

This homegrown resource is unique, and for the most part, completely overlooked and uncultivated. At best, young, talented and creative people are told they should leave to pursue their craft. Any other place this side of the Middle Ages would be falling all over themselves to find ways to staunch the brain drain. Yet a few hang on.

Let's not kid ourselves, though. They remain for their own reasons, not ours. Our storytellers are willing to continue here not because of how we have preserved this place, but despite our inability to do so.

 Read Andy's other columns at this blog or at The Cape Cod Chronicle.

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Choosing Change

Link: //monomoyick.com

Here's a practical lesson that the current incarnation of our Charter Review Committee can take from last week's election:

The first time I ran for office I realized that in Chatham, Precinct 1 always carried the election.  No matter what the issue or office, of the two co-equal parts of town, the higher number of votes always came from the area north of Old Queen Anne and Main Street.  Turnout was higher, too.

At the time, I was a freshly-minted political science grad and could see what was going on.  There are three factors that reliably predict a person's casting a ballot.  In order of importance, they are 3) age, 2) income, and 1) education.

Well, Precinct 1 is Shore Road, North Chatham, Chathamport and Riverbay.  For the most part, old people with money and advanced degrees.  So their higher turnout made sense.  Those also tend to be indicators for being a Republican.  So during an election, even non-partisan local elections, it was clear how things were going to swing.

Hence, there may have developed a tilt in town politics (perhaps unconscious) towards the residents of the northern precinct. 

The less important the election has been perceived - meaning, the more local - the lower the turnout and, and so the greater the influence of those who actually did show up.  It would be interesting to look at town meeting attendance and makeup of town boards to see if this rule follows.

However, in last week's election, more people from Precinct 2 showed up in force.  The voters from South Chatham and West Chatham carried the day, then (I would have mentioned the Neck, Lower Main Street and Morris Island, but most of the houses there are typically empty this time of year).

That's not to suggest that this is more Democratic.  Rather, Precinct 2 residents, compared to Precinct 1, are younger, less affluent and (perhaps therefore) less educated.  But everything is relative.  Residents in Precinct 1 are, for example, typically younger than residents of Union Cemetery on Main Street.

As a curious aside, the three largest cemeteries in town are in Precinct 1.  Union, Seaside and People's.  But not four -- due to a few friends with young children now living there, I cannot in good conscience repeat the suggestion of another homeowner in the neighborhood that "Riverbay is a cemetery with the lights on."

On the other hand, Precinct 2 has the dump, the sewer plant, the most-polluted estuaries in town, and by far most of the commercial areas.

Chatham is still referred to as the most conservative town on the Cape.  I've always had a problem with that description.  Our tax rate is low, which is mostly a legacy of Prop. 2½, but the support for affordable housing and environmental protection is much more solid than towns considered more politically or culturally diverse than ours.  Consider that Chatham gave roughly the same percentages to McCain and Obama as did Sandwich, Mashpee, Bourne and Barnstable.

Unless you are using the very purest sense of "conservative", as in wishing to "conserve" certain positive aspects.  Or simply don't like things to change.  Then that term would be fairly accurate.

Whichever the case, my interpretation of the election in Chatham shows there are about 1,400 hard-core Republicans and a similar number of Democrats.  So there's parity between 2,800 voters.  With 4,800 voters motivated to show up for this presidential election, that means there might be 2,000 up for grabs.  In theory, in a similar turnout.

Any of these figures dwarf turnout at a town election (never mind a Town Meeting).  All of the most conservative people here could show up and elect and pass whatever they wanted.  Likewise, with their counterparts at the other end of the spectrum. Perhaps, to a certain degree, that has been happening.

Looking at the people who went to the polls on November 4, and knowing that only one out of every four will show up, it is unlikely they would be a representative sample.  It makes me cringe when any elected public figure in town presumes to know what the whole town believes.  As a Selectman, I might have had a good handle on those who elected me, and understood that other members of the board were elected by constituencies differing from my own.

That's all well and good, but there's a threat that the people we are electing are not representing the residents as a whole.  Instead, we should take advantage of the opportunity of a higher turnout at federal and state election time and to have municipal officers elected simultaneously.

This could prove to be a real advantage to the electorate and those they elect.  For example, the town's budget cycle begins in January and ends with the annual town meeting in May.  This can result in a new Selectman coming on board just a few days after a budget has been passed that they have had no input on.  Instead, they'll have to wait over six months to begin to be heard on the next one.  Being elected in November would mean the public's will would be expressed within weeks, rather than dissipated over half a year.

But really, there's no good reason not to employ better methods to encourage more people to vote in every election held in Chatham.  Other municipalities in Massachusetts hold their elections in the November.  Often, we have a special town meeting around this time anyway, so having an election somewhat coincident could be just advantageous as not.

Right now we have a Charter Review Committee, and it is their job make suggestions to improve the structure of our town government.  By law, they emerge every seven years to do their work, with their recommended changes to the charter going to the voters.  Then they expire, and we forget about them until the next time, like a gang of government cicadas.  So if something like the change of an election date is to made, it has to be discussed now - right now.

There are some reasons not to change.  Because it is different.  Because we never did it that way before.  Because we are comfortable with who shows up at town elections.  Because we are afraid of what more voters might do.  Because it is too hard.  Because, regardless of our party affiliation or the outcome of our recent election, we really are just too conservative.

Read Andy's other columns at this blog or at The Cape Cod Chronicle.

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When to Vote

Link: //monomoyick.com

As one who has spent a lot of time holding a sign and waving to voters outside of polling stations, I offer this observation to those wondering when might be the easiest time to vote:

Between 10 AM and 12 PM

and

between 1 PM and 2 PM.

Not following my own advice, I am going now (9:30 AM).  But I have to work during those optimal times.

Please, everyone, vote if you haven't already.  Regardless of your choice, please express it.

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