HomeMy WebLinkAbout20130709-Atherton response re DPaine_201404071153488663
Rick Atherton
!
Post Office Box 3126 · Nantucket · MA 02584
July 9, 2013
Mr. Dexter Paine
PO Box 444
Siasconset, MA 02564
Dear Mr. Paine,
In regard to any perceived conflicts of interest that I may have
relating to the Baxter Road issue currently before the Board of
Selectmen (BOS), I assure you that I have given the matter due
consideration.
Prior to the Board's meeting that you and members of your family
attended, I consulted with Town Counsel about any possible conflicts
of interest that I might have.
Subsequently, and with legal assistance, I prepared and filed a formal
Disclosure of Appearance of Conflict of Interest As Required by G. L.
c. 268A, §23(b)(3) with the Town Clerk. That document, dated June 12,
is attached. It is also on file at the Town Clerk's office, and I have
requested that she post it online to make it more accessible for any
interested citizens.
I have been fully engaged with the issue of erosion control in
’Sconset for several years. In fact, I was first elected to the Board
of Selectmen in 2008, in part, I believe because of my public
opposition to the beach-dredging project then being proposed by the
Siasconset Beach Preservation Fund (SBPF). As I recall, principals of
SBPF actively campaigned against my election. Not only was I
successful in my bid to hold public office, but also Ballot Question
#5 opposing the proposal was resoundingly adopted with the support of
over 85% of the voters.
My wife, D. Anne, also became involved with this issue in 2008. She
and Bob DeCosta were the Co Coordinators of the original Coalition for
Responsible Coastal Management which alerted citizens to the adverse
impacts of the beach-dredging project. She continues to serve in this
role for the group, now reconstituted as the Nantucket Coastal
Conservancy, whose mission is to preserve and protect Nantucket's
natural beaches. Her role in these grass-root efforts has been as a
community volunteer, and she receives no compensation for her work.
!
Post Office Box 3126 · Nantucket · MA 02584
D. Anne has been active in civic affairs on Nantucket for a long time.
She has appeared before successive Boards of Selectmen and has spoken
out on a variety of island-wide issues, both before and during my
tenure on the Board, for example, in her roles as President of the
Nantucket Civic League or Co Chair of the 'Sconset Foot-Path
Subcommittee of the Roads and Right of Way Committee, of which she is
the Vice Chair.
Transparency in government was not just a promise I made when I was
running for office. It is a core value I embrace and endeavor to
adhere to. Perhaps our disagreement, Mr. Paine, is not on this issue,
but rather on the public-policy matters related to Baxter Road. On
these, and particularly, on asking Nantucket taxpayers to pay for
saving private property threatened by erosion, we will have to agree
to disagree.
I thank you for your interest in Town government and look forward to a
continuing dialogue with you and other citizens as, together, we
strive to make decisions that are in the best interests of the island
we care so much about.
Sincerely,
!
Rick Atherton
508 228 2366
rickatherton@comcast.net
ATTACHMENT: DISCLOSURE OF APPEARANCE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST
COPY:
John Giorgio
George Pucci
Kopelman and Paige, P. C.
101 Arch Street
Boston MA 02110
Marianne R. Stanton
Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror
One Old South Road
PO Box 1198
Nantucket MA 02554