Wicked Local
The Provincetown Select Board has decided to seek advice from a consultant on a proposal from the Wampanoag Advisory Committee to rename Race Point to Meeshaun Point.
The renaming idea arose with a March 6 letter from the Wampanoag Advisory Committee to the Select Board. The letter asked for the board’s support for the committee’s effort to honor the original tribal village of the region.
Race Point is a section of the town’s coastline near the town airport, and owned by the Cape Cod National Seashore. The name itself references tidal race meaning, strong currents that challenge mariners navigating their way around the Cape tip, according to William Burke, a historian at the Seashore. The name “Race Point” dates to at least 1816, when the land was either state or federally owned, Burke said.
PROVINCETOWN – Communications consultant Leslie Sandberg defeated restaurant manager Oriana Conklin and Select Board incumbent Lise King for the single open seat on the Select Board by a vote of 589 to 442 and 309 in Tuesday’s town election.
“I want to thank the town for believing in change, for believing the fact we can build consensus and we can get things done,” Sandberg said in a phone call following the results. While Conklin and King waited at Town Hall for the announcement from the Town Clerk, Sandberg did not.
“I did not expect to win after the attacks by people in town on Facebook, but I did believe in the fact that going door to door and talking to people one on one would make the difference,” Sandberg said.
Michaela Chesin, Banner Staff
PROVINCETOWN Select Board member Lise Balk King believes the board needs stability as the town navigates the COVID-19 virus pandemic and welcomes new leadership to Town Hall.
“We need the continuity, especially right now, because we’re in this time of crisis,” King said.
King is running on May 11 for re-election to a three-year seat on the Select Board. Leslie Sandberg and Oriana Conklin are also running.
As the virus outbreak swept across the nation, the town’s existing housing emergency was heightened, King said.
“It’s an important balancing act” as the town as a whole works to mitigate the virus, keep businesses open and find enough housing for summer employees, she said.