What don't they understand about the word 'no'?

I guess that, here in West Tisbury, I'm living in the 'interesting times' of the Chinese proverb.

I just watched the Selectmen's meeting referred to in an earlier post. The reporter missed or did not have space for another mysterious event that occured at the meeting. I'm referring to the scheduling by the Selectmen of a Special Town Meeting, at the same day and time of the Annual Town Meeting, for, as of now, the sole purpose of asking the Town to approve the appropriation of $36,000 to draw up detailed plans for renovating our ancient, hardly maintained Town Hall.

This request comes after the Town with a resounding vote refused to fund the $5.5 million requested at a November Special Town Meeting. At the first Special Town Meeting this year the voters strongly approved a resolution to kill the project.

Not only does the request for more money fly in the face of what the voters seem to want: the project being stopped. But the calling of a Special Town Meeting, although perfectly legal, was necessary because the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting closed on February 21. This Special Town Meeting is a way of getting around the legal restrictions surrounding the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting.

When I first moved here, Oak Bluffs was widely comsidered to have the worst government on the Island. Now, it looks as though West Tisbury is fighting to take over this title.