The Edgartown select board is expected to make a decision on the proposed transfer of the Chappy Ferry license after taking public comments from more than 30 community members Monday.
The residents and taxpayers packed the meeting room in town hall to talk about the proposed sale of the ferry, the only reliable way on and off Chappaquiddick, to Brian Scall and a small group of investors. While members of the Chappaquiddick Ferry steering committee, an advisory committee made up of Chappaquiddick residents, relayed their concerns over the lack of transparency around the investor group, there was strong support among the community to transfer the license agreement as written.
“We need to let Brian have his chance to try and work things out,” said Woody Filley, a resident of Chappaquiddick. “He has spent so much time listening to people, and really here, I can’t even think of anybody I know who spent that much time and that much commitment to our community.”
During an opening statement made before the board, Mr. Scall acknowledged the work Peter Wells and Sally Snipes accomplished in their tenure as ferry owners.
“They surpassed their obligation to this town for over 19 years,” he said. “Today, I’m asking you to let me continue that service.”
Since the sale proposal was first announced in March, Mr. Scall has said that he is here for the long haul and plans to operate the ferry for the next 20 to 25 years.
Peter Getsinger, a long time Chappaquiddick resident and a member of the steering committee, suggested that the select board review the license in two years, a move that was widely accepted by community members present at Monday’s meeting.
As Chappaquiddick fast approaches peak summer season, Mr. Getsinger’s suggestion could allow for more refinement of the license agreement after Mr. Scall, an experienced captain who has been working alongside the current owners for the past year, has had an opportunity to conduct ferry operations for a time.
Although the ferry is privately owned, it operates under a license granted by the town. The agreement currently being proposed is identical to the one that was transferred to Mr. Wells and Ms. Snipes in 2008, and is the same agreement that was also transferred to the previous owner in 1993.
Some felt it was time to revamp the license agreement.
“The current license framework dates back decades and should modernize,” said Kirk Oswald, a resident of Chappaquiddick. “[This] transfer gives the select board a rare opportunity to update the license before the transfer is financed with clearer standards, transparency, accountability and periodic review. Updating the license is not anti-business, updating the license is not anti-Brian, updating the license is simply good governance over an essential public service.”
For many in attendance Monday, Mr. Scall was the right man for the job. They cited his past work as a captain and his willingness to work with the community.
“I’ve known Peter and Sally for pretty much my entire life,” said Caleb Enos, one of the Chappaquiddick Ferry captains. “They’ve been my bosses for more than half of that at this point, and I can say with that they have the best judgment to pick Brian as the next person to take over the ferry, and with the opportunity I’ve had to work with him over the last year, I can’t agree with them more. I’m so excited.”
For others though, the confidentiality of the investor group and questions about ticket pricing remained a concern.
“We appreciate the effort [Mr. Scall] has made in reaching out to members of the community and the panel, as he described, to make sure he understands how best to serve those objectives,” said Chappaquiddick Ferry steering committee chair Rick Schifter. “The issue, however, is that we’re not talking about transferring the license to Brian. We’re talking about transferring the license to Chappy Ferry LLC, which is made up of a group of outside investors yet to be identified.”
After everyone present at the hearing had an opportunity to speak, the select board voted to take the issue up again at its May 26 meeting.
Select board member Julia Tarka said the board would use the time to review the application and documents.
This article appears in May 15, 2026.
This might sound like a stupid question. How much is the license cost from the town? I never hear the real costs and are the books open to the public??
Well said. I Fully agree.
We need full transparency. I would also like to know the details of the purchase. Costs, financing etc….
One thing that stood out to me from the meeting and this article is that two things can be true at the same time:
Brian Scall is the right person to operate the ferry.
The license and governance structure can still need modernization.
Those are not mutually exclusive ideas.
The article itself notes that the current license framework being transferred today is essentially the same framework used since 1993. That was before today’s realities of:
significantly higher fares
outside investors from New York paying $2.9 million for the business
major future capital needs
sea level rise adaptation
and the ferry’s growing role as critical public infrastructure
The Chappy Ferry is not just another private business. It is the only reliable access to Chappaquiddick and an essential public service for residents, workers, emergency response, and access to a major portion of the Island’s public beaches.
Supporting Brian and supporting better long-term governance should not be viewed as opposing positions.
The Chappy Ferry provides a wonderful service, and we owe a debt of gratitude to Peter and Sally. I’m optimistic that Brian will strengthen the service, and be an important piece of the fabric of the community. That said, the Ferry is a utility service to the residents (and a luxury offering to tourists) and operates as a monopoly. Every other monopoly utility that we consume is required to maintain records, justify its rates to utility commissions, and operate with traditional banking systems, taking payments with credit cards, checks, and other means which ensure that there is no opportunity for “cash leakage” in the system. Think about it, if your water or electric company largely utilized cash payments, would you trust it? If their rates had risen at 2-3 times the overall rate of inflation without having to file justifications with the public utility commission, would that seem appropriate? I agree with Peter, above, that two things can be true at the same time. Let’s modernize the governance structure. The ferry is a utility. Let’s treat it that way.
Let’s see the books! Also have you looked at your utility bills lately???
I think as taxpayers we should know who the “investors” are?? There needs to be more transparency, given this is a public entity. This should be brought to the attention of AG office IMO.
The public should be informed about the names of the outside investors. The public has a right to determine whether those investors have the means to maintain the ferry as a going concern and about whether there is foreign ownership of critical infrastructure.
Knowing who the owners are is more important than knowing who the operator is. The operator can be fired by the owners and someone else may be operating the ferry very soon. The owners are here for good until they sell and they ultimately control how the ferry is run and whether investments are made to maintain the ferry.
The Town should take this over…. This could be huge revenue for the town….
This calls for complete transparency, across the board. No secret investors. If an investor does not want public coverage, I ask why not?
Lorraine well said!
Full transparency! This is not a private entity! This is Public…. Sorry Mr. Wells..
Let’s see who the “investors” are??
While the Chappy ferry is unusual, it is not unique. There are many small ferries operating like this in the US and Canada. I’ve seen ones that hold 6 cars, that would come close to fitting the dock space. That could allow quicker passages. They could probably learn a lot by seeing how it is done elsewhere. God knows the SSA should do that.
I don’t necessarily have a problem with the lack of disclosure about the identity of the investors or the fact that the ferry financials aren’t in the public domain (there’s plenty of stuff I’d like to know that I don’t actually need to know), but what seems odd is that the select board hasn’t made it abundantly clear that they 1) have all this information, 2) have, or – better yet – have retained the services of someone who has, the necessary skills to evaluate the financial and operational capabilities of the owner(s) and operator(s), and 3) have adequately ensured appropriate governance and financial controls, both of which should be sine qua non for a regulated monopoly that should have enormous guardrails around its obligations to the public and its rates of return to investors. The nature of the investor(s) and their purchase docs would tell the select board a lot about their understanding of and intentions for the ferry. This should be very low risk, low rate capital, since the business is a necessary public good that the town cannot afford not to have, and high rates of return on invested capital would only be justified by ferry economics that would, IMO, be inconsistent with the public service nature of the ferry operation. I don’t think the town should own and operate the ferry, as I think private individuals can operate it better, but this should be heavily debt-financed operation with incentive structures to make it worthwhile for the operators to provide quality service. The financing and the governance could come from any number of sources, including the town and/or islanders with a vested interest in the ferry’s success.
Although It appears that Brian Scall would be a good choice to run the ferry service, this does not change the fact that as a minority owner – he will not have ultimate control and therefore will be subject to the dictates of unnamed individuals with unknown intentions. After reading that the recent purchase of the Edgartown Boys and Girls Club property for $3 million “would result in a one-time tax increase of approximately $30 for a $1 million property” (MV Gazette – 4/16/26), wouldn’t it make sense for the town to buy the ferry and contract Brian Scall to run it?