The following letter was sent to the West Tisbury selectmen. I write you now about the next town meeting’s question involving the Mill Pond.

I have lived on Martha’s Vineyard for 20 years and could not be more proud to call this Island home.

We would like to thank the whole Island community for their continued support at our ongoing electronic waste and awareness collection drives held every Sunday now through Thanksgiving in a different Island town. We are writing in particular about the event held this past Sunday, Sept. 23 at the Menemsha Texaco parking lot by the town beach. And what a beautiful day it turned out to be

On three occasions this summer, either my wife or I required emergency service from the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. These visits were not because of accidents with easily identifiable problems but were caused by sudden symptoms which, in two cases, required much testing.

Sail Martha’s Vineyard has lost a dear friend, wise counsel and loyal supporter with the passing of Tom Hale. Tom was an integral part of the Vineyard’s waterfront as a sailor, boat builder and owner of Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard, but he was also a distinguished author, historian, curator and artist. Through the books he wrote, the stories he told and the boats he designed and built (full-size and model), he promoted and perpetuated the Island’s seafaring past and advocated for its future. He will be sorely missed.

I am writing in response to the recent decision by the Oak Bluffs selectmen to not allow the voting citizens of the town the opportunity of expressing their views on the issue of making the annual Monster Shark Tournament a catch-and-release-only event.