Editor:

On behalf of the Harwich Children's Fund and the Harwich Recreation Department, we would like to thank the following individuals and groups for their generous donations and time in helping us with our sixth annual Dink Drop Win Tournament. It was a tremendous success.

Our pickleball players were just amazing on and off the court. A special shout-out goes to our gold and silver sponsors such as Harwich-Dennis Rotary, Brax Landing, Dig It Construction, Dockside Cafe, Harwich Chamber of Commerce, Harwich Police Association, Robert B. Our Company, Robert Childs, Inc., S+J Exco, Cape Coastal Landscaping, Cape Sea Grill, Dennis Cycle Center, Harwich Pickleball Association, and Speakman Excavating LLC. All of these wonderful people helped us to get the tournament off the ground and running smoothly. Another special shout-out goes to all of the donors who provided us with wonderful raffle prizes and refreshments for the event.

Finally, a special shout-out goes to Chris Walkley, our chairperson for Dink Drop Win Pickleball 2026. Her strong work ethic, dedication to detail and organization, and her warm and loving personality made Pickleball 2026 a tremendous success. And thank you to all of our volunteers who worked and helped throughout the pickleball weekend.

Angelina Chilaka
The Harwich Children's Fund

Editor:

I read Richard Ryder’s letter in the May 21 Chronicle edition regarding dedicating the Stage Harbor Coast Guard boathouse to “The Many Men and Women Of the U.S. Coast Guard, Who Have Served The Mariners Of Chatham Since 1915.”

I very strongly agree with his suggestion!

They deserve many kudos from the mariners and generations of their families that might not have been without the Coast Guard’s valiant services!

Linda Dunne
Chatham

Editor:

I have nothing but contempt and disgust for Donald Trump. He spits on 400 years of welcoming immigrants to America. Rather than deporting criminals, he has gutted many immigrant-filled occupations by locking up and deporting honest, hard-working, taxpaying immigrants and their families. At least 51 immigrant deaths occurred in ICE custody since 2025. No wonder border crossings have decreased.

Trump started a global trade war with illegal tariffs that increased inflation and prices for ordinary Americans and manufacturers and made America an international pariah.

Rather than end Russia’s war against Ukraine, Trump abandoned Ukraine and has shown only contempt and hostility toward our European and NATO allies. He has attacked or threatened war against Denmark, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Somalia, Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, Yemen and Cuba. His warmongering is considered a threat to colonize the Western Hemisphere and a beginning of World War III. Trump’s Iran War has been a disaster with skyrocketing prices, increasing inflation and serious depletion of our military assets. Despite warnings that war would likely result in the closure of the Hormuz Strait with dire economic consequences, he foolishly attacked Iran because he “knows more than the generals.” 

Trump is the most corrupt president in history. In his lawsuits, executive orders and government threats, Trump extorted millions from law firms, media and universities. Worst of all, he has precluded IRS audits of himself and his family and wants Congress to create a $1.8 billion slush fund he controls to pay off criminals like the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. He is utterly contemptible. 

George Myers
Venice, Fla.

Editor:

I have great sympathy for David Bixby’s letter to the editor (“Ban Corporate Rentals In Residential Areas,” May 21) about the noise and party activities arising from rentals of property owned by corporate property hustlers. Several years ago my neighbor (who no longer owns the property) rented his adjacent home to nonstop party animals. One party got so crazy the partygoers knocked down 20-plus feet of the fence along our common border. Incessant noise was a common event.

The town of Chatham can strictly regulate or ban corporate rentals and short-term rentals (STRs) in residential areas to control noise and nuisance. Towns and municipalities can achieve this through strict local zoning bylaws, local board of health regulations and general town noise ordinances.

Because wild, disruptive tenant behavior is an ongoing quality-of-life issue, especially on Cape Cod, Chatham has several regulatory mechanisms and local tools available to curb these activities. In reality, these tools are almost designed to be useless.

Special permits: Renting a home for intensive corporate or large-group use can be classified as a commercial enterprise or "major home occupation," requiring a special permit from the planning board.

Certificate revocation: If a rental property is cited repeatedly for egregious, out-of-control behavior, the board of health has the authority to suspend or revoke the property's rental certificate. 

Decibel limits and quiet hours: Massachusetts towns typically enforce daytime decibel limits (e.g., maximum of 60 dBA) and nighttime limits (e.g., 50 dBA) at the property line. Chatham unfortunately does not. It has a 150-feet rule (It is illegal to cause any unreasonably loud, excessive or unusual noise that is plainly audible at a distance of 150 feet from the source. Chapter 208: § 208-18 Noise control). This is almost a joke and designed to be ineffective in the real world.

Complaint hotlines: Many towns on Cape Cod operate compliance hotlines for immediate reporting of disruptive guests. Repeat violations can trigger non-criminal citations and fines against the tenant, absentee corporate landlord and property agent.

If you are dealing with a neighbor exploiting someone in your area, or if you suspect it happening, several resources and tools can offer assistance: Adult Protective Services for abuse of seniors; Chatham Police Department can step in if the exploitation involves trespassing, harassment or direct theft; elder law attorneys can help draft protective documents and navigate property disputes.

Tom Clarke
West Chatham

Editor:

Towns on Cape Cod are setting real estate taxes at higher rates for seasonal owners. This is not just a matter of special taxes, fees or regulations directed at those owners who rent their properties, rather it is about a higher real estate tax rate deliberately assessed by town selectmen upon nonresident, non-voting property owners.

Cape towns have for years charged a separate personal property tax on seasonal owners which is not charged to year-around residents. Some legal residents do pay this personal property tax if they own a second home which is not their legal domicile. A tax register could be created listing second homeowners domiciled in each town. With a change in state law, these folks could vote locally, making their tax payments more palatable.

Second homeowners require fewer town services and provide a great deal of revenue to Cape Cod merchants and restaurants. These seasonal homeowners have no children in the Cape Cod schools, yet they pay the same taxes that year-around owners pay. Towns are spending millions on sewer systems, mandating all homeowners pay hook-up fees and usage charges, with the benefits clearly weighted toward the year-around homeowners.

State representatives could pass legislation that would make it illegal to assess higher property taxes against any particular group, particularly any group which has been disenfranchised. Either mandate that all residential property owners pay the same tax based upon the same assessment rules, or at the least change the state constitution and allow all residential property owners to register and vote on town, and only town, matters. If nothing is done, sooner or later, there will be a revolt. In some Cape towns, there are more second homeowners than year-around homeowners. 

Certain towns on Cape Cod and their selectmen are sticking it to those second homeowners knowing they have no vote, while appeasing those year-around folks by lowering their tax bills. This is "taxation without representation," which was the basis for our war against England years ago.

John F. Schoenfelder
Harwich