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Banner file photo
Cheryl Andrews |
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Andrews makes bid for Assembly
By Pru Sowers
Banner Staff
PROVINCETOWN — Cheryl Andrews, chair of the board of selectmen, is running again, this time for the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates.
Andrews, who will step down as board chair in May because of term limits, launched her formal campaign this week to become the next Barnstable County Assembly delegate representing Provincetown, challenging incumbent George Bryant. The Assembly, made up of 15 delegates, each representing a Cape Cod town, is the legislative arm of the county government, as opposed to the Cape Cod Commission, which is the planning arm.
The assembly has a $25 million annual budget and maintains standing committees on finance, natural resources, human services, public safety/ public works/ utilities, economic affairs, local service functions and Assembly budget.
The work the assembly does is not as widely known as the county commissioners’, Andrews said, but with a $25 million budget, it is important that Cape residents understand how the delegates operate. The $25 million budget comes from an assessment each town pays plus a portion of the state real estate transfer tax.
“One of my first jobs would be to provide that information to the public to be more aware of their dollars at work so they can tell me how they want their dollars spent,” Andrews said.
If elected, Andrews will finish out her term on the board of selectmen, where she has served for nine years. The two-year delegate term would begin Jan. 2, but Andrews said several of the Assembly delegates hold two offices since the delegate position is not full-time.
One of the challenges Andrews sees inherent in the position is that each delegate’s vote is weighted by the size of the town he or she represents. In Provincetown’s case, because of its small size relative to many other Cape towns, its vote is weighted at less than two percent of the vote total. Therefore, Andrew said, it is important that the Provincetown representative be particularly persuasive before a vote is taken.
“You can influence a decision in different ways. You’re not going to do it by the weight of your vote. You’re going to do it by the words you choose, the participation and the debate. You’re going to do it by influencing the larger towns,” she said.
The issues Andrews said she will focus on if elected include housing and maintaining the professional services Barnstable County provides to Provincetown, including health, traffic and conservation consulting services.
“For me, that’s always been the county system at its best. Money is being spent. I just want to make sure Provincetown gets its share,” Andrews said.
Andrews is running against George Bryant, who has been Provincetown’s delegate to the Assembly since 1989. (Editor’s note: a separate story about Bryant will run in next week’s edition.) However, Andrews said she does not intend to run a hardcore campaign
“It’s not running against anyone. I’m offering myself as a choice. I think I can represent the town really well,” Andrews said.
psowers@provincetownbanner.com
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Oct 12th, 2006