Democracy wins another

It happened again here on Martha’s Vineyard. A government agency listened to the people and changed a policy it had just put in place. Last October it was the Oak Bluffs Selectmen who, after a round of letters to the editor, decided a roundabout was a waste of money. This month it was the Refuse District.

The district decided to adopt a single fee for dumping one’s trash, no matter whether one was dropping a small bag or a large barrel. When editorials and letters pointed out that this would create a health hazard (as people would store their trash until it filled a barrel) as well as make it difficult for the elderly to manipulate a full barrel, the district listened and promulgated a new policy to go into effect immediately.