The epic six-year battle over control of the Martha's Vineyard
Airport has ended not with a bang, but with the mailing of checks.
In the end, the court case at the center of the battle cost at least
$608,374 - in payments to the two airport managers who brought the
lawsuit and in legal fees charged by the attorneys.
Steamship Authority chairman Marc Hanover was not looking for
support from the Dukes County Commission Wednesday in his continuing
battle with the Tisbury board of selectmen over ferry fee money. But he
got it anyway.
The sword of Damocles apparently will dangle a while longer over the
finances of Dukes County government.
The county commission tentatively had slated a meeting for tomorrow
with the finance advisory board to discuss strategy in what could be a
major legal judgment against the county. But county manager E. Winn
Davis said yesterday the meeting had been canceled.
A week after an array of county officials criticized Steamship Authority governor Kathryn A. Roessel for her role in the latest controversies surrounding the boat line, Dukes County commissioner Nelson Smith rebuked the same officials for their remarks and defended Ms. Roessel.
Last Wednesday Ms. Roessel came under fire, first for her position on the Nantucket proposal to split the boat line, and later in the same meeting for a new Authority policy that has eliminated excursion fares for Island governments, including towns and the county.
County Commissioners Delay on Manager Hire
By MANDY LOCKE
The Dukes County commissioners stalled again this week -
failing to resolve questions raised about newly hired county manager
Laurie Perry's college degree.
"I'm dismayed it's taken this long to resolve the
issue. It does sound like a broken record, but this will be resolved at
our next meeting. There isn't any more to talk about," said
John Alley, chairman of the county commission.
The Dukes County Commission initiated a feud with the Martha's Vineyard Airport commissioners by voting unanimously Wednesday evening to devote 24.4 acres of land on airport grounds to a county jail and training facility for emergency personnel.
