Town Assessor Serves 30 Years, and Wants More
By IAN FEIN
Last in a series of profiles leading up to the West Tisbury town
election.
When Michael Colaneri first walked into the West Tisbury
assessors' office more than 30 years ago, the method for
determining property values was simple: handwritten three-by-five cards
listed the owner's name, the acreage and the number of houses.
Hospital Statistics Point to Baby Boomlet
By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer
Delight courses through Althea D'Antonio's voice as she
talks about giving birth last week to twin boys at the Martha's
Vineyard Community Hospital.
"It went really, really, really well," Ms.
D'Antonio said Wednesday, in between to cooing to her newborns.
"I'm up and having fun."
Tax Board Chairman Hangs on to Position
Anne Foley Is Under Pressure to Resign Amid Maneuvers on Beacon
Hill, but Will Stay on Graham Case
By IAN FEIN
The chairman of the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board survived an
attempted political coup in recent days and it now appears she will
remain in office long enough to rule on a personal property tax case of
importance not only to the Vineyard but possibly to the entire
commonwealth.
Edgartown Convenes on Tuesday
By JAMES KINSELLA
Proposals including emergency repairs to the Edgartown public
library, the construction of a public well, a change in quorum
requirements and a 4.1 per cent increase in the operating budget will
come before Edgartown voters Tuesday at the annual town meeting.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Old Whaling
Church on Main street. Philip J. Norton Jr. will moderate the meeting.
The meeting warrant contains 69 articles, most of which concern
spending requests.
Closing a chapter in the landmark sovereignty case, the Wampanoag
Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) this week agreed to submit town permit
applications for the shed and pier it built on Menemsha Pond in 2001.
The announcement comes at a time of renewed cooperation and
communication between the town and tribe, and marks a significant moment
in the long-running case that has garnered widespread attention and
reached the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Study Assesses Costs in Up-Island Schools
Long-Awaited Analysis of Finances for Regional District Concludes
Cost Allocation Formula Is Fair
IAN FEIN
The cost allocation formula for the Up-Island Regional School
District is substantially fair, according to a long-awaited independent
analysis released yesterday.
Tisbury Voters Endorse Formula for Allocating Ferry Fee Revenue
By MAX HART
Tisbury voters breezed through special town meeting Tuesday night,
approving each of the 12 warrant articles with relative ease. The hard
part was getting them to show up.
Budget of $17.6 Million Tops Annual Town Meeting Warrant
By MAX HART
After making short work of the nonappropriating side of town affairs
this week, Tisbury voters will head back to the elementary school
gymnasium for the annual town meeting Tuesday night, this time to tackle
finances for the upcoming fiscal year.
They will be greeted by a 21-article warrant featuring a $17.6
million budget and more than $1.5 million in spending requests,
including almost $600,000 in capital spending and close to $300,000 in
embarkation fee money allocation.
This year's race for the Oak Bluffs board of selectmen matches
two veteran leaders against two challengers relatively new to the
political arena.
Both the incumbents have long ties to the community and have served
on a number of town boards and commissions.
Gregory Coogan is a longtime teacher seeking his second term as
selectman.
Attorneys Trade Charges in Graham Property Case; Closing Legal
Briefs Filed
By IAN FEIN
In closing briefs filed at the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board
this week, attorneys for West Tisbury resident William W. Graham argued
that flaws and errors by town assessors warranted hundreds of thousands
of dollars in tax relief, while the town's attorney countered that
Mr. Graham never proved that the values placed on his property were
wrong.
