Leslie Floyd created a page on Facebook called Chappy Chat. Here is her introduction to the page:

“Welcome to Chappy Chat! We all know what magic Chappy instills in our lives. This is a place to learn, share, discuss, post events and stay in touch throughout the year. We all may differ in opinion from time to time, but please keep posts civil and informative in nature. We reserve the right to add members and delete members for behavior unbecoming a Chappy Chat member. Please feel free to message me with any questions or contact me at chappychef@yahoo.com. Enjoy!”

For all the trouble and headache that Leslie takes on with the administration of the page, the very least that any participant should do is follow the rules. It’s clear that many contributors have either never read the rules or have forgotten them. Here they are again: “1. We’re all in this together to create a welcoming environment. Let’s treat everyone with respect. Healthy debates are natural, but kindness is required. 2. No hate Speech or bullying. Make sure everyone feels safe. Bullying of any kind isn’t allowed, and degrading comments about things like race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender or identity will not be tolerated. 3. Two strike rule. The Admins will warn a member only once if the member uses defamatory language or attacks anyone in any way. There will be no notice the second time and you will be blocked and removed. 4. Group Admin reserves the right to deny membership or delete any member for not following the group rules.”

Thank you Leslie for being the community babysitter. Chappy Chat is a wonderful community tool. However, it cannot and does not serve as a replacement for the process of town government.

Now I will repeat a question that I have asked here before and have asked many Chappy folks personally. Why don’t Chappaquiddickers attend the Chappy Ferry steering committee meetings? All you have to do is zoom in on a computer, iPad or cellphone while sitting in the comfort of your own home. The committee was created by the Edgartown select board after an outcry over a rate hike in the cost of a discount trip of 25 cents. That was years ago. There has been a meeting nearly monthly. I have attended all but one of the meetings and I can count the total number of public attenders on just my 10 fingers and 10 toes.

I understand that some committee members distribute the minutes to a wide group of Chappaquiddickers. That’s fine if all you care to be is an audience. But if you want to have a say, you need to attend. I have stressed to the committee that public comment is important, highly valued and necessary if there are going to be intelligent decisions made. I have attended the meetings and read the minutes of those meetings. Even well-written minutes don’t give you the whole picture. It’s akin to hearing about the Super Bowl rather than seeing it for yourself.

As to the question of a change in ownership of the Chappy Ferry...any transfer of the lease and license must be approved by the select board. That will involve a public hearing process. Since the day I took over the operation of the ferry 15 summers ago, there has always been someone talking to me about selling the ferry. So far, I still own it.

Do you have an opinion about new ferry owners? Bring it up at the steering committee meeting. Those meetings are part of the public process. Complaining on Facebook is not a replacement for active participation in your town’s government.