Letter to the Editor: How to Solve the Cape's Wastewater Crisis

To the Editor:

With regard to the growing wastewater crisis on the Cape, yes,  15 towns of Cape Cod, in conjunction with the regional county government, need to coordinate all of their thinking, efforts, planning, cooperation and from a regional perspective.

“Think regionally, act locally.”

However, creation of a new unaccountable and autonomous Cape Cod Regional Wastewater Authority equivalent to the MWRA is NOT the way to go! If one reads the February 5, Cape Cod Times op-ed article authored by the entire Cape & Islands Legislative Delegation entitled, "Here’s how to solve our wastewater crisis" then they will have a good idea of how to correctly approach the aforementioned issue and problem.
 
Furthermore, to see just how fanatical the idea of a new regional wastewater authority truly is one should read the February 18 Cape Cod Today article authored by Walter Brooks titled, "Group formed to reduce bureaucracy suggests more instead."

I agree with the main thrust of the argument put forth by Mr. Brooks within the content of above-noted article. He is right that there is no real need to restructure our county government in such a draconian and nonsensical fashion.

The Barnstable County Special Commission on County Governance has had to continuously reschedule a number of its meetings since the beginning of the year (with little or no public notice) to comply with open meeting law requirements. Considering that the Special Commission leadership consists of experienced former state legislators, one would expect that they would have known better. This most recent recommendation to create an autonomous Cape Cod Regional Wastewater Authority is aparently yet another 'brain-fart' on their collective part.
 
As I have dreaded since last year, the Barnstable County Special Commission on County Governance has finally come up with a recommendation which is utterly senseless, unreasonable and ill-advised. The rationale upon which it is based is faulty and defective. Any attempt to implement this unwarranted taxpayer funded scheme must be dealt with accordingly. The respective towns, individual taxpayers, residents and voters of Cape Cod will need to fight this injustice and what amounts to a potential usurping of their constitutional right to self-governance!

Ron Beaty, Barnstable, MA
Non-party candidate for Barnstable County Commissioner