Public Denounces Political Campaign to Force Changes in SSA
Legislation; New Bedford Ferry Position Draws Fire

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

The people of the Vineyard turned out in force this week to vent
their views about the Steamship Authority at an old-fashioned democratic
forum. The forum revealed sharp differences between the populace and a
group of local elected officials who have been lobbying the state
legislature to change the boat line enabling legislation.

In fact a strong majority of the more than 300 people who attended
the forum on Wednesday night voted against any change in the SSA
legislation. In a series of other straw votes, the crowd voted nearly
without dissent against high-speed ferry service between New Bedford and
the Vineyard and against a voting seat for New Bedford on the SSA board.
There was equally strong sentiment in favor of starting from scratch
when it comes to planning New Bedford as an alternative port.

"I promise you that the legislature is watching tonight and
they want to know what is the real voice of the Vineyard,"
declared Dukes County commissioner Robert Sawyer at the outset of the
meeting.

Held at the Performing Arts Center of the Martha's Vineyard
Regional High School, the forum was organized by Mr. Sawyer, Chilmark
selectman Warren Doty and Tisbury resident Nora Nevin.

West Tisbury town moderator Pat Gregory guided the meeting with a
practiced hand and set a decidedly civil tone, although at times it was
not an easy job.

Art Flathers, a Tisbury resident who is known for speaking out at
length on nearly every topic associated with the boat line, tried to
dominate the discussion early on but Mr. Gregory would not allow it.

The official head count was 329 - more people than attended a
public hearing hosted by the SSA last August and more than attended a
public hearing hosted by the Kass commission task force last February.

The Kass commission was appointed by the governor to study boat line
issues, and after a series of public hearings last year the commission
issued a report recommending that the SSA governing board be expanded to
include a voting seat for Barnstable and a voting seat for New Bedford.

The Vineyard has been in a political uproar since late last month
when the Dukes County Commission voted 4-3 to replace the controversial
incumbent boat line governor J.B. Riggs Parker with Kathryn A. Roessel.
Ms. Roessel took office this month, amid a frantic campaign by a group
of Vineyard elected officials to overturn the vote by changing the SSA
enabling legislation.

The officials, who include 15 selectmen and three county
commissioners, want to tack an amendment onto the pending Kass
legislation to change the way the Vineyard boat line governor is
appointed. The selectmen want the appointing authority to be a group
made up of one selectman from each Island town and one county
commissioner. The selectmen developed this plan in the absence of any
public discussion or public hearing.

They then traveled to the state house to lobby powerful legislators
to support the plan, ignoring the two local legislators, Cape and
Islands Rep. Eric T. Turkington and Sen. Robert O'Leary. Instead
they lobbied New Bedford legislators and also Joseph Sullivan, the
co-chairman of the state committee on transportation.

Mr. Sullivan later expressed open puzzlement at the move by the
Vineyard selectmen.

Mr. Turkington and Mr. O'Leary both attended the meeting
Wednesday night and received a warm reception from residents that stood
in sharp contrast with derogatory comments made by some local selectmen
in recent weeks about the two legislators.

"I'd like to ask Representative Turkington and Senator
O'Leary to stand up," said Tisbury businessman Steve
Bernier. "You have worked and worked on our behalf, and I would
like to apologize for the selectmen of Martha's Vineyard and thank
you publicly for your work," he added.

Mr. Turkington and Mr. O'Leary said they would carry their own
reports of the meeting back to the state legislature. They also
responded to comments made by some people attending the meeting about
the pending legislation to restructure the boat line.

"We have been hearing about all these changes for three years
and so far the legislature hasn't done anything. We always have
the option of doing nothing and we usually take it," Mr.
Turkington said.

Mr. O'Leary said he expects there will be some kind of change,
but he said he will argue for the Island interests. "Clearly the
Island interests are paramount and we need to be aware of that and not
lose sight of it," he said.

Linda Sibley, a longtime member of the Martha's Vineyard
Commission and a former county commissioner, issued a word of caution
about opening up the boat line legislation for change. "It's
a very high-risk endeavor, because you have no idea what's going
to happen in the legislature. I think we should move forward on this a
little tentatively," she said.

The meeting had a lightly scripted format, with a list of topics.
Mr. Gregory called for informal votes after discussion on each topic;
along the way he added a few more subjects that came up during
discussion.

The Kass legislation took some shots.

"I don't know why we need this Kass legislation at all,
and I don't see any need to change the board of governors,"
said Chappaquiddick resident Roger Becker.

The meeting was also marked by a good measure of outrage toward the
elected officials who went to the state house last month to lobby for
change in the boat line legislation.

"I don't ever remember voting for a selectmen's
board to represent me in Boston," said Tisbury resident Harriet
Barrows, drawing applause.

"I agree. No one asked me what my feelings were about
this," said Oak Bluffs resident Linda Marinelli.

There was some scattered support for the selectmen.

"In a representative democracy there are too many of us with
too many opinions and our selectmen have to go forward and be a voice
for all of us," said Chilmark resident Georgia Ireland.

"I fully support our elected officials and their
actions," said Edgartown resident Linda DeWitt.

But sentiment ran mostly in the other direction.

"If one of these issues had come up before a planning board
there would be a public hearing and a warrant article and a town meeting
vote - that is the Massachusetts way of doing business,"
said Tisbury resident Ned Orleans, who is a member of the town planning
board. "That group of politicians who lobbied the legislature has
done so with no public compact," he added.

"This gives poor losers a bad name," said Tisbury
resident Ginger Martin.

"I think it's time to rally around Cassie Roessel and
give her the help she needs to get going in this job," said
Tisbury resident Mev Good. The remark drew applause and a number of
other speakers made similar comments supporting Ms. Roessel.

Mr. Becker suggested that the Vineyard boat line governor be chosen
through a popular election. "All we need to do is vote for the guy
or gal ourselves. All we need to do is let them tell us how they are
going to screw up the boat line and then we can vote," he said,
drawing laughter and applause. In fact the idea of choosing the boat
line governor through popular election saw strong support in an informal
vote later on.

Mrs. Sibley had a wry observation about the recent move by the
selectmen to change the way the boat line governor is appointed.

"I find this whole thing kind of amusing," she said.
"I think however it turned out, that the vote to reappoint Riggs
Parker was going to be a close vote, and if we put in place some new
seven-member appointing board I can almost guarantee you that at some
point in the future we will see another 4-3 vote and there will be more
outrage and perhaps another proposal to change the way the appointment
is made?"

Little was said by the Vineyard selectmen who are pushing for the
change. West Tisbury selectwoman Cynthia Mitchell said the position is
essentially the same as last year, when the selectmen supported a voting
seat for Barnstable and a nonvoting seat for New Bedford. But she failed
to note one important change: the recent amendment adopted by selectmen
calls for creating a nonvoting seat for New Bedford that would
automatically become a voting seat in two years.

Tisbury selectman Tristan Israel recounted the work of the Lifeline
Coalition two years ago when Vineyard and Nantucket selectmen stood
shoulder to shoulder on Beacon Hill to oppose any change in the boat
line legislation.

"Two years ago I went with Lenny Jason and Cynthia Mitchell to
the state house and we stood together with Nantucket - and now I
am trying to understand what has happened that makes so many opinions
change," said Mr. Israel. He continued: "It was an ad hoc
group of selectmen that went to the state house last month and the town
of Tisbury was never even consulted. Our commonality lies with Nantucket
- they have been supportive of us and we need to be supportive of
them. We should approach this slowly - opening up the
legislation."

On the subject of ferry service from New Bedford, many who attended
the meeting appeared unconvinced that the move to open up New Bedford as
a port was accompanied by much good planning.

"We were having a new model thrust upon us that was
ill-conceived and poorly designed by people who didn't know what
they were doing. New Bedford service? In time we will have it, but the
time to deal with that is after we develop a model that works.
Let's get a system that works and then legislate things,"
said Edgartown resident David Pritchard.

Several Tisbury residents spoke in favor of a place at the table for
their town, and Oak Bluffs business leader Renee Balter said that her
town too has been often overlooked in the mad dash of politics around
the SSA.

In the end most of the people attending the forum agreed. The final
straw vote of the night was cast in favor of giving the two Island ports
a role in boat line decisions that affect their communities.

Mrs. Marinelli concluded the evening with a request. "A plea
to elected officials," she said, "that before they make a
major decision that will have an impact on the taxpayers and the
communities, that they at least consider putting a question on a
referendum."