Barnstable County Bill

You can?t tell the players without a scorecard:

Introducing the 19 members of the 21st Century Task Force 

Believe it or not the resultant two step process of selection involved a lot of hard choices to assemble a group that would represent as many of the segments of out community as possible.

The first step was the out reach to the community and the several meetings of the selection committee to discuss the potential and availability of the almost 100 people that were considered.  That outcome was sent to the Commissioners. 

They in turn based on a strong surge of input from the public, perhaps the strongest expression of interest I’ve seen and confirmed independently by the other commissioners that the final group needed to be more inclusionary.  The Commissioners had to make the choice of keeping to the number that they thought would represent the correct range of separate interests or enlarging it to make sure that no important group was left out.  They decided on the latter course, because as elected officials you need to listen to the citizens who after all are the boss. The outcome may not meet everybodies expectations but I think it will meet more than it does not.  Please remember that the final product has to include the whole community sharing their collective and individual opinion through the opportuinities that will be provided to testify before the group or to write to them or since they are all in the community and have a high degree of visibility talk to them. 

The  21^st Century Task Force has 19 members.  I’ve listed them below and some of my own thinking about what they individually and collectively bought to the table.  It’s a pretty diverse collection of talent all of whom are making a commitment to work to make this review a useful and acceptable process that give all of us a product that will guide our decision making for action.

1. Keith Bergman Provincetown Town Manager brings a special perspective of a long serving manager in an important arts, culture and tourist destination.

2.Eliot Carr Business Round Table  is the institutional memory of what had gone on in the past CCC review as well as a high level of visibility in the promotion of a balanced economic growth strategy that is part of the CCC charge in the act that created it.

3. Larry Cole Harwich Selectman, former member of the Cape Cod Commission who during his service held the record for the most due diligence, questions to staff and in my mind the driving force behind the writing of an Economic Technical Bulletin to focus the responsibility of the CCC on the value of the economic contribution from applicants’ proposals as a measure of their community benefit.  Larry holds a PhD in Economics and is a former executive at a telecommunications company as well as college professor.

4. Michael Cole as former president of the local Home Builders Association represents the direct experience and stated concerns of our local construction industry.  I personally feel he can speak about many of the housing problems and how they impact the people who need housing and the workers who build the houses for the community and themselves.

5. Lindsey Counsell Director of the Barnstable Department of Growth Management can provide insight about the ways that the proposals for growth in our community can be perceived as helping or hurting our shared concern about their impact.

6. Thomas Evans Headmaster of Cape Cod Academy a person who in many ways represent the experience of the non-profit community with the CCC as well as being able to speak to the expectations of  some of our school children’s’ expectations about their future on Cape Cod.

7. Hank Farnum President Barnstable Town Council and a former and future banker with his recent announcement of a new banking venture for Barnstable, which should give him special understanding of perceptions about the CCC with regard to development opportunities.

8. Maggie Geist Executive Director for the Association to Preserve Cape Cod  (APCC) a passionate advocate for the protection of the Cape Cod environment and a representative of more than 5000 like minded members.

9. Henry Kelley a community activist whose most recent actions has been to complete the restoration of the Bass River entry to Dennis to a welcoming park that would allow a break in the commercial clutter of Route 28 as you enter the town.

10. Tom Keyes Sandwich Selectman in addition to representing a town that has seen significant effects from its residential growth and the pressure it has placed on town services is by training and experience an expert in the area of understanding and documenting institutional and commercial process with an aim to improve performance and create efficiency and thereby offer an opportunity to decrease costs.

11. Vicky Lowell Former Falmouth CCC board member and County Commissioner has the perspective borne out her experience in both positions and can provide explanation of the relationship of the County Commissioners to the CCC.

12. Edgar Mangiafico   President of Housing Assistance Corporation (HAC) the agency with regional understanding and involvement for finding solutions for affordable housing.

13. Spyro Mitrokostas Executive Director of the Dennis Chamber of Commerce and a resident of Yarmouth was the former director of the Cape Technology Council during the time when it enjoyed some growth as the driving force behind the “Silicon Sandbar”. Dot-coms have gone but the technology sector has long been seen as a viable growth cluster for supporting the creation of livable wage jobs. His present job will give another view from the business community in a smaller mid cape community.

14. Tom Moccia President of Buzzards Bay Village Association and the first executive director of the Cape Cod Technology Council has a long history of involvement with the political and business life in Massachusetts.  His efforts have been important to move the promotion of Bourne as an entrance to Cape Cod as well as a destination for visitors, residents and commercial development.

15. Wendy Northcross Executive Director of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce represents the largest business sector on the Cape.  Her several thousand membership includes all the segments of our commercial community and her long association with this important Cape Cod entity informs her understanding of its nature and its needs.

>16. Paula Peters a leading member of the Wampanoag community represents the first people who lived on the Cape and have in many ways set the standard for the appreciation of its beauty and the needs to preserve it.

17. Henri Rauschenbach Former State representative and senator from Brewster continues with his interest in the need for balanced economic development recognizing that it is time to compare the intention of the legislation that created the Cape Cod Commission with its present ability to serve the interest and needs of the Cape.

18. Mark Robinson Executive Director of the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts leads an organization that is devoted to assuring that the Cape pursues an active policy of putting land aside to ensure that the Cape is not covered with structures and that the vistas, meadows, wetlands and forests are kept in a pristine state for now and for those who come after us.

19. Tony Shepley the owner of Shepley Wood Products has through his direct experience as an important local private sector businessman who has dealt with the CCC as an applicant can give the review task force the benefit of that as well as some strong opinions for the results of that process.

I am proud of this list and grateful for the willingness to serve by all of them. I am optimistic that all of us will be pleased with the work that they will do for all of us.

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The Cape Cod Commission 21st Century Task Force

Its like Ragu… its in there

There was a fairly long gestation period and a lot of consideration about what would work to deliver an outcome that would have the credibility to have its recommendations acceptable and actionable.  Almost 100 people  were considered  before a group of 19 Cape Codders who can represent demographic, development, environmental and you and me to review the Cape Cod Commission were selected.

The CC Times has published a list with mini bios.  They left some things out as to some of the academic and experience credentials, but I hope that people who look at that list will get the idea that all the affected groups are at the table and that they will bring testimony from the constituencies they represent.

The Task force needs to hear from the Cape Cod Commission staff, Lawyers who represent the applicants, the developers, the environmentalists, the elected officials and ordinary citizens.  The county will supply logistical support and will encourage meetings that move around the Cape and times that will accommodate the people who need to be heard.  That group has to include the pro and the con.  This is not supposed to a witch hunt or a white wash.

Given the composition and reputation of the members I am convinced that the issues of regulation and planning will be fairly and comprehensively vetted.  The result hoped is one that makes sense and serves the best interests of all of us.

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