Attorneys for the town of Oak Bluffs and the Martha's
Vineyard Commission returned a serve this week in a high-stakes legal
dispute that will ultimately test the power of the Martha's Vineyard
Commission to review affordable housing projects under state law.
Vineyard Voters Back Nine Candidates with Clear Commitment to
Support Unique Role of Regional Agency
By JULIA WELLS
Marking a fresh mandate to stay the course, Vineyard voters elected
a solid slate of conservation-minded candidates - including six
incumbents - to the Martha's Vineyard Commission this week.
And for the second time in two years, two respected Island farmers were
the top vote-getters in the election for the regional land use
commission.
Two farmers and three developers are among 13 candidates who will
vie for nine elected seats on the Martha's Vineyard Commission in
the state election this November.
A growing array of residents and public officials - both
inside and outside the Martha's Vineyard Commission - called
this week for an end to the smear campaign that targets three commission
members who voted against the Down Island Golf Club plan.
Dr. Richard H. Koehler, a highly skilled laparoscopic surgeon whose arrival on the Vineyard seven years ago was hailed as a new era in medicine on the Vineyard, announced this week that he will sever his contract with the Martha's Vineyard Hospital because of irreconcilable differences with hospital chief executive officer Kevin Burchill and the hospital board of trustees.
Testimony Presents Commission with Unanswered Questions and
Confusion on Critical Issues Before Final Vote
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
Amid a fresh spate of tactics aimed at pressuring the Martha's
Vineyard Commission into a quick approval of the Down Island Golf Club,
the developer told the commission last week that an offer to allow
public play at the private golf course is off the table - unless
the commission agrees to support the project.
Commissioners Open Review of Southern Woodlands Plan
By JULIA WELLS
Battles lines were drawn last night when a Bolton developer who
wants to build a massive housing project in the Southern Woodlands gave
the Martha's Vineyard Commission its first glimpse of the project.
In fact a glimpse was all that was available, as developer Brian
Lafferty unveiled only the barest outlines of his plan to build 320
homes on 288 acres in Oak Bluffs.
Quoting legendary college basketball coach John Wooden and
expressing pride at his own accomplishments, Kevin Burchill, the
embattled chief executive officer at the Martha's Vineyard
Hospital, announced last weekend that he will resign.
\\\\\\\"This will offer the hospital the best possible options to
move forward - for everyone,\\\\\\\" Mr. Burchill said in a
prepared statement read at the outset of a community forum on hospital
affairs.
SSA Will Contact Political Leaders to Express Serious Concerns About
Sea Safety and Threats Posed by Wind Farm Plan
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
Steamship Authority governors will add their collective voice to the
growing list of groups now logging in with an array of concerns about a
giant wind farm that has been proposed for Nantucket Sound.
The vocal critics and Monday morning analysts peddle doomsday
scenarios about the Steamship Authority with increasing regularity, and
while the voices may vary, the message is unchanged: The financial
condition of the boat line is precarious, the future is riddled with
uncertainty, and there is no money to pay for future capital projects.
