1/21/2005

Bipco

Well here it is friday again, the new paper is out and more fodder for we bloggers! I'm not a CPA nor anything other kind of financial genius, but I can read my Electric bill from Bipco. The first question is, "Does Narr. Elec. have a monthly customer charge and if so how much is it per month?" Next, "Does Narra. Elec. have a fuel surcharge and how much is that and how is it determined? This month my electric bill for the energy that I actually used was $68.78. That sounds good. The Fuel Cost Adj. was $149.68. Even using my worn out cranium based computer that works out to a little more than double. THAT doesn't sound so good! So adding up all the costs, I wind up paying $228.46 for the juice I used. I don't mind paying for what I use, but I do mind using the fuel cost adj. as a way to circumvent the rates allowed by the PUC! Put the total cost of the Kw's into the energy charge and then see just how close to other electric companies we come! I'm sure it wouldn't even be close! Jeez all my LPG customers, better look out that We don't start charging a fee just for the privilege of being a customer. That would give me about $12K more a year on the bottom line! I wonder how much it adds to Bipco's with a lot bigger customer base than I have? Keep a sharp eye out for rapers and pillagers everybody! TTFN Everett

20 comments:

Sam said...

Well I could use an education too!. There's the base rate, which is pretty simple because it is just your monthly meter reading (latest minus last month's) time a constant, like 0.0891 (8.9 cents/kW-hr in winter) or .2109 (21.1 cents in the summer - just making this up).

Then it gets real interesting. The fuel surcharge ought to be the next largest part of the bill. What it could include is not only the cost of the fuel such as generator diesel, but also any capital costs associated with using the fuel - an example would be investing in nuclear power using bond money, as done freqently on the mainland. This is the way the California got shafted during their "energy crisis," which was largely invented in Houston by a company called ENRON - any costs of obtaining power on the grid were loaded onto the fuel surcharge category. Now I need some ethics here, I'm not making any connection between BIPCo and ENRON, but I'm sure you'd agree that some explanation needs to go into what's included in the fuel surcharge. Sounds like a mighty big catch-all!

Anonymous said...

Just wait till they add on more cost for having to "save" you by repairing the downed lines during the blizzard of 2005 or is that just part of their job?

CDR Bob Perry
Spring St (when I can be there)
Washington, D.C (because I have to be here)

Anonymous said...

Since BIPCO has kind of lost track of their money and how they spend it, I was racking my brain trying to think of a way to help Cliff out. He is an innocent pawn I am sure, and there has never been a suggestion published in the New York Times that he is guilty of anything, other than trying to struggle and operate a monopoly with no input from anyone, particuarly those paying the rates.

I got to thinking...Lets have a campaign. Call it " Leave a Light on for Cliff". I'm urging all Block Islanders to leave a light on for Cliff and help him out of this financial mess. It could become a national movement. Granted if you are not a BIPCO customer this is a symbolic gesture only, but Cliff could use the support.

Please help. Leave a Light on for Cliff.

Anonymous said...

I think almost all utilities have a montly customer charge. It's used to cover the cost of reading the meter. Of course, since BIPCO can read all there meters in two days or so, they make $15,000 doing that. I'm sure they pay the meter readers really well, and wouldn't think of scaming the rest for their own paltry compensation.

I read about "Leaving a Light on for Cliff". How about also leaving a light on for the owner of the BI Times. The guy is so tied to his advertising that he ignores good journalism.

Did you know that it was Cliff McGinnes, chairman of the Sewer Company that dumped BIPCo's toxic waste into our plant, causing it to shut down? Well, the BI Times didn't report that, or the fact that Cliff McGinnes and Howie Rice excavated under Cliff's slip one night at Smugglers and got caught.

There of course is a lot more. The corruption here stinks.

Anonymous said...

Gas station, transfer station, power plant, cable company, oil business, sewer commission. Any one know how to play monopoly?

Anonymous said...

I would like to respond to the comment about the editor of the only paper being swayed in his media coverage by his advertisers. Anyone who knows anything about the Island knows that you don't get the truth in the Block Island Times. The highest ranking town officials and the most ignorant tourists know this from experience.
Ask them!

The reason for the cover-ups and inconsistency is that the editor and his social counterparts represent an elitist group of off Islanders who want to turn this island into a exclusive "park" for the upper class. It is not about the paper bending to their advertisers- the BIT does not pull any punches on tourism related buisness who advertise- it is all about a long-term strategy to remove the "lower" classes from Island life.
The daytrippers won't be allowed and the island workers will be replaced with a worker ferry, if every thing goes as planned.
of course they can't come out and say this directly because then it wouldn't be as easy.
Instead The editor and his friends have set a course to weaken our government and divide and conquer the lower classes.
First the Town government is never wrong.
No matter how wrong and obvious it is that they are commiting a mistake or made an error in the past they are held up as all-knowing, caring, and correct in their wisdom, in the BI Times.
Second The Public Utilities are Never wrong.
Ferry rates need to be increased, Power rates, garbage and everyting else. According to everything the Block Island Times has ever published These Publicly regulated Utilities have always been right.
Third The paper habitually potrays The Tourism Trade as immoral and beneath the dignity of Locals. Not to mention Enviornmentally corrupt.
With a weakened, indebted, local government Plus poorly run exorbitant Utilities the cost of living here will be so high that only Royal Bruce and his worthy social peers will be able to afford to live here.
Tourism is the only industry (besides building houses for Bruce and Co.) that brings in Money to our economy that supports our Young people. If the elite can lessen that Income then the time is sooner that they will control the Island.

I know it all very conspiratorial but if you read between the lines you can see this in the hypocrisy of the Times reporting.
Nothing gets mentioned about Bipco not reimbursing customers for enviornmentally sound electricity production over the years, until it is time to raise power rates- chalk another one up for Bruce and friends. Fact- over the past ten years Bipco is the only power company in the state that doesn't have to buy power from houses that produce more electricity then they use through solar or wind energy.
this has prevented people from installing more solar and wind because they don't get paid back. The BI times never reported this. If more people had alternative energy then Bipco wouldn't have to invest in capital improvements and wouldn't have had to file a rate increase.
But every retiree who has built a house on ireplaceable Island land is encouraged to show up at the next CRMC meeting to oppose Champlins for enviornmental reasons.
These people couldn't live in Bigger glass houses.
The truth of the matter is that the BI Times is not objective they are Elitist Scum.
It will only take one more generation for them to achieve their goals.

blockislandblog said...

Whoa! While I agree that the news is sometimes delivered with kid gloves, I disagree that Mr. Montgomery is trying to rid the Island of young people. (He has one living in his house you may remember.) Anyone who has walked into the BI Times office would be blind not to notice the seats are full of hard-working young people (certainly not the elitist scum you call them.) None of whom (I believe) own property on this Island.
Even if Mr. Montgomery's intentions where so dispicable, as a business man, he would have to recognize that he is unable to publish a paper alone. (If a house burns down in the middle of the night, someone needs to report on and photograph it. If the boats don't run, does that mean meetings go uncovered. Last I checked, Mr. Montgomery wasn't writing the articles.
How quickly we criticize when our views are so clear to us.
As anybody knows, when reporting the news, you can only report what you know to be fact. (Verifiable info.) Having someone who claims to know, give you information does not give a newspaper the authority to publish that information.
When Town Hall isn't forthcoming, and BIPCO isn't forthcoming, what can you do?
I think we all know from living in this fishbowl, that there is something to be said for living in a small town, respecting those who provide us with necessary services, and appreciating the occasional pass. But the flip side is that we don't always know what we should know (or know more than we should.)
I also think that a small town newspaper can't always have the luxury of New York Times-style journalism. With a war chest and lawyers to back up their investigation. It's hard to find a confidential source at the power company when there is only a handful of employees. And when you are told things off-the-record, you may as well have not been told. I think the editorial staff at the Times are as frustrated as anyone about the situation.
I know Chris Warfel has alot to say on the subject ( I am NOT assuming that was him steaming above me), maybe he should send out a boxholder mailing. Then his opinion will be known and the rest of us will see it. Of couse he should run it by his lawyer. He wouldn't want to get sued.
Has anyone called the Projo? Maybe they could take the hit if things went south.

Anonymous said...

This is to the anti-BIPCO guy. Yes BIPCo is out of control, something no doubt needs to be done. But I don't think they are preventing people from installing solar panels or windmills. Has it ever occured to you that alternative energy isn't used more widely because it is expensive and has a reputation for being unreliable? Or that maybe putting a windmill in your yard would make you so miserable either with the noise, or the protests from your neighbors that you wouldn't consider it. I think the people who do choose alternative energy either have deep pockets, or are true environmentalists. Atlernative energy is expensive and requires accessory buildings to store the energy. This is not always an option. I believe that we do need to try to limit consumption of fossil fuels.
It's hard to live off-the-grid on BI. The sunlight isn't endless, especially lately. The batteries used to store the energy are expensive and have relatively short usable life. If it was so efficient and cost saving, wouldn't we all be using it?

Anonymous said...

I must agree with the above article about Royal Bruce and the BI Times. I will not reiterate the, social elitist comments above, but will add my own which may substantiate the above post.

Is anyone else insulted by this Bruce's pontificating manner in the editorials? When did this guy move here? Was it not only 6 or 8 years ago? He writes as if he is the conscience of the Island. "Why all Islanders need to..." or "The Island feels this way because" are some of the titles which set the tone of his editorial. Does he really understand us or the issues that we face daily? I think not.

The BLUNT and often ONE-SIDED tenor in the editorials is echoed throughout the entire paper. I am sure anyone who knows the pulse of this Island can see the bias. Sometimes this bias reflects the Island sentiment, many times it does not, and even worse it sometimes CREATES the Island sentiment. This is not because we Islanders are unable to think for ourselves, but because the Times conveniently leaves out facts which would undercut THEIR AGENDA. Where else are we to turn for information on the issues which affect the Block? Unfortunately we have nothing but the BI times. The Pro Jo only reports on major issues and this is intermittently at best. When facts are left out or twisted so as to not undercut the BI Times's agenda, the people, without receiving any contradictory information, naturally will take the side of the only argument which has been presented to them as truth.

THIS IS NOT JOUNALISM. This is more akin to a journal with an agenda. Like NewsMAX or I dare to say Fox News. Fair and balanced...baloney.

And what does Bruce do? He HIDES BEHIND the LETTERS to the editor. “If you have a problem write us a letter and we will publish it”...guess what Bruce, I have and it was edited to the point where its entire meaning was lost (for once I agree with P.S. Wood)!

When Bruce is confronted about his agenda and why he published things a certain way he often goes into a long DIATRIBE about "how when Bea got caught drinking and driving we published it in the paper. So we have a right to publish this story in this manner." It is nuts! I am sure Bruce is happy this unfortunate incident happened. He now has the MORAL ABSOLUTISM to write however he feels. "Surely if I published a story about how my own daughter got in trouble, I am a very objective journalist." Bruce you are avoiding the issue when you Bring this up!

WHAT IS YOUR AGENDA? Just tell us and move on. I am sure the people you pass every day would have much more respect for you if you just came out and told us of YOUR ANGLE and stopped treating us like lemmings! It is an INSULT to everyone who reads your paper when you leave important information out.

To caption it for you...Bruce moves to BI from NEW YORK and what is the first thing he does? Well, duh? It is the first thing any social misfit with a background in journalism (If that is what you want to call it) who wants to fit in somewhere new does...he BUYS THE LOCAL PAPER! Not only does he buy the local paper, he hires Kevin Weaver who along with McQueeny, was the only other person who ran a decent paper. Someone ripped McQueeny off and put him belly up, so the only person left that could threaten Bruce’s monopoly was Weaver. Weaver was hired and instead of doing his own thing became one of Bruce’s PRIVATES. The end result…………….BLOCK ISLAND’S ONLY PAPER CONTROLLED BY SOMEONE FROM NEW YORK WHO JUST RECIENTLY MOVED HERE!!!

Wow what a scary thing that is. With this new paper comes Bruce's PREDISPOSTIONS, the same predispositions that all NEW YORKERS with multimillion dollar homes on the west side have.

Who is Bruce looking out for? The people he had to COAX into giving him the time of day by buying the paper, or his BUDDIES who are moving out here in DROVES and buying our HOUSES. Be careful people….no one ever gets TAKEN ADVANTAGE of by someone they don’t trust. This man is BAD NEWS! His agenda is a sick one. I just hope we all shape up and see the truth before Bruce’s goals are realized. GOOD LUCK BI

Anonymous said...

As a former employee of the BI Times, I have to defend Bruce. It appears many people are not aware of his credentials, nor his role at the paper. Bruce does not write the editorials, the editorial staff does. Bruce was not a journalist, nor does he aspire to be one. He is an advertising man. That was his career before, that is his career now, along with being publisher. The only editorial Bruce interjects into the paper is his cartoons. As far as the editorials being one-sided, that's what editorials are for. They are supposed to take a side and the editorial page is the only place in a paper when this is allowed.

I found your description of Mr. McQueeny disrespectful. No one ripped him off and left him belly-up. He made an honest and good effort to start a paper against an established paper (a difficult thing to succeed at in any town). It didn't work out.

Jeff McDonough hired Kevin Weaver, not Bruce.
Kevin, as far as I can recall, has done very little if any reporting in the last few years. Kevin has been in charge of the Summer-Times. Not a vehicle for news, but a way to promote tourism and Island business. Far from being a "Private."
Kevin made the decision to work for the Times. No one forced him to.
Maybe with this new knowledge, you can reform your opinions so that they reflect what is fact, not what you believed was fact.

I am not claiming the paper is perfect, or that it gets everything right, but I believe the people writing the articles make their best effort to get it right. So instead of slamming Bruce just now, you have inadvertently slammed the staff. The year-round, hardworking, young people, who don't own property on Block Island.
So much for "elitist scum."
Susan Filippone

Anonymous said...

Well, this is interesting. The subject caught my eye because I have been to Block Island many times and paid my share of rental bills. I always thought ALL the businesses out there had monopolies: BIPCo, the ferry, the newspaper, the gas stations, grocery store, liquor (possibly state controlled?-- all I know is I lefty LOTS of money there!), pharmacy-- and nothing like a $9 beer at one of your fine drinking establishments!!

Anyway, I thought "BIPCo and high rates? It can't be. What's next? Elections in Iraq? The Sox winning the Series?" But an interesting blog about rates turns into what appears to be a series of unfounded attacks on many people...with apparently few facts. Do you people have so little to do that you sit around gossipping about one and other? Well, I guess you all have to do something until the liquor store opens and you can all get tanked up again and live in your insular nutty world. I always thought Block Island was comprised of two social classes: the rich slobs with 26 chromosomes and the incest babies...was Block Island once part of West Virginia?

Oh-- and the New York Times-- quality stuff. They only canned a few folks for falsifying reporting ("hey, let's write this great story while I drink latte in my Park Avenue apartment and pretend I was there")...and let's not forget Dan Rather and his crew ready to crucify W over his National Guard tour...oops, the "documents" were from Kinkos!!!!

In case your paper missed it, John Kerry is NOT the President. But he doesn't care-- his new wife still has $600 million bucks.

So enjoy your little bubble of entertainment. Maybe you guys need a little main land crime to let you realize how petty these stupid issues are.

Now, if you want to get back to the RIPCo rates... I could use a laugh!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Nice venom! Sounds like some folks need a basic lesson in economics: first- your little island can't support multiple businesses in the same industry because there is not enough year round demand. Second- whomever these New Yorkers are must be getting killed in the taxes they are paying for their homes. Without them-- all the other Islanders would be putting up a lot more money in taxes in order to make the budget balance. Where the money goes...who knows? Aren't there only like 12 people in the school? I personally can't afford to visit anymore.

Anonymous said...

Well, this IS interesting! Someone who REALLY doesn't know anything putting in his/her two cents. The ferry does not have a monopoly, there is only one gas station, there are two liquor stores, two groceries, and we don't have a pharmacy.
For someone who thinks we " all get tanked up again" and live in our
"insular nutty world" I can at least say I have never spent $9 on a beer.
You yourself brag about how much money you "lefty" at the liquor store.

And apparently you too have so little to do that you can attack us. Maybe you should move here with all of us gossipping, incestuous, alcholics. Oh... that's right you probably couldn't afford it, what with your drinking habits.
Do us a favor, spend your rental money on another Island.
It's people like you that end up in the back of a police car for drunk and disorderly.

As far as the tax money and the "12 kids in the school". It goes to cleaning up trash left by visitors, paying for the increased police presence in the summer, the free rescue squad service, the medical center, the library, the harbors department, the town hall, the school, maintaining the towns facilities, the recreation department, and the school and pre-school.
There are over 100 children in the school (30 or so in the preschool). For someone giving economics lessons you should realize that whether you have 12 or 2000 students there are basic operating costs that do not change. You need staff for K - 12, gym, music, special ed, and art teachers, custodians, cafeteria workers, electricty and heat, a secretary and principal. Do you think that because there are fewer children that they don't deserve the same education others get in a bigger school. Even if you think so there is a little thing called "The No Child Left Behind" Act. This requires schools to have resources that the goverment specifies.
So the base cost here is the same as any other school in RI.
Contrary to what many believe, the taxes here are based on the budget, not the other way around. That's were the tax money goes. As far as not being afford to visit, it's not to do with taxes, we have some of the lowest property tax rates in the state. It's about supply and demand.

Anonymous said...

I would like to second Susan Fillipone's comments regarding the BI Times Staff. They are hard working and good, and over time they have gotten better. The issue that started this part of the blog was BIPCo.

One of the owners of BIPCo (McGinnes) has wrapped up the utilities on this island with the assistance of the Town. The Town does not properly bid contracts that affect McGinnes. For instance, the Town upped the rates on waste, and THEN renewed the Transfer Station contract with McGinnes. What should have been done was the contract should have been put out to bid to see what prices would come in. Very likely no rate increase would have occured. Instead, we now have had a 100% rate increase in five years, and we have just about the lowest amount of recycling of any town in RI.

The Block Island Times should really uncover this mass of conflicts as the Town Government really avoids the issue. It is hard to understand why the Town would be so irresponsible. The owner of the paper squashed a lot of facts regarding anything to do with the various businesses McGinnes runs. I can't believe the owner of the paper is cut of the same material as McGinnes, but I do think he puts the dollar above good journalism.

Anonymous said...

Its is not about "the dollar above good journalism." Bruce sacrifices good journalism for his agenda and his vision of BI (see above). There is nothing else to explain all of the errors, negation of facts and misrepresentations strewn throught the paper.

We have a corrupt town and a paper that is in bed with them. On of the main reasons for is free press is to serve as a check on the government. This obligation is inherrent in every good journalist and unfortunatly is absent in the BI times.

Anonymous said...

It’s truly amazing to read so many uneducated postings in one location. Guess there are a lot of bitter and unhappy people on Block Island.

Anonymous said...

My first posting on our blog.

Mr.Lfield thanks for doing something that Bruce Montgomery cannot do make a free speech letter for all to read. Its like Tim McCabe’s worst fear is coming true. Censorship is just one step closer to a...?

Jerry Zerella "representing" the island is a load of horse dung.

Who the garillo's have in there over wealthy pockets I am not sure of but one thing is clear, if you have a few $extra$ $million$ you can have any rotten politician you want. I am sure the greed stretches all the way from the great salt pond to the corrupt state house in Providence. I swear Buddy plundered his way out of the dome. But now it seems that buddy's kid brother Cachieri is running round looting, looting, robbing, stealing and getting fat of the peoples hog. Champlain’s should be handed to new owner not expanded. The Great Salt Pond is worth ten times more then those fat bastards. Even STINK would say they STINK.

How does Jerry go from looting the island for its land to build cheap houses to make himself rich to exploiting the great salt pond for making Joe & Joe richer.

Joe JR should be ashamed of him self. The conditions he puts workers in, are considered disgusting. Two rooms with no toilets for 16-20 men. The town should be ashamed for letting the "shack" still house people.

BIPCo. Enough said.

You greedy bastards you are a PUC your job is to help people live. But you make it your duty to rape plunder loot and rob every customer every month. You are a disgusting display of a public utility. I do not see how a monthly customer fee is allowed. Wait yes I do Mr. personality Sr has pockets so fat that they can rub any official of the sate any way they want. Sr you are not hiding the fact that you are selling the oil to your self. The roof of every building and all the spare BIPCo land should be lined with solar panels the building they are calling a school should also be lined with them as well as the alleged med center. All the places we can fit a solar panel we should. The corruption makes me sick when did people stop caring about each other and only care about them selves?

On the topic of island resident. If your ONLY mansion, house, shack, car or concrete slab to live in or on sits on Block Island you are a resident. If you have a house or houses off island you are not a resident. We could list names of non-residents we could list names of residents. But we would all disagree on who is on what list.

So I have so much extra money I am going to build a mansion in CT NJ NY and a big fat trophy on the SW corner and make it so big I can fit my whole phat family in it and I can see it for miles and miles. It’s so big they can see it from outer space. Jerry lives his fat ass off island but comes to rape and loot. The greedy Garillo’s also live off island but they bought a marina and pray on young men and women who come to the island to work not knowing any better then to work for the scum of the island. Yes money only makes you wealthy SCUM Joe and Joe you are scum.. Until next time island folks. Keep the Island avenger in mind I will see you at P.O the B.I.G. the Depot the Library and I will even be stuck behind the blue S-10 and white mustang that circumnavigates the island at a mere 20 MPH.

sorry to post it 3 times. It wont happen again.

Anonymous said...

McGinnis why don’t you take the money you get from ripping people off and try to do well with it. You could donate some of that money to the fire and rescue for equipment. You could donate it to help ease the burden of the school on the taxpayers. You could use it to invest in RENEWABLE yes I said that god-awful word renewable resources. You nasty bustards you have polluted that pond in front of the power plant so bad the swan is black. I swear I once saw a fish in there could only swim in left handed circles. See you even made the fish become a damn southpaw. Or you could buy an incinerator that converts some of the trash from the Trans Stat to elect then you could charge us to take our garbage then charge us to burn our garbage then charge us to get rid of our waste ash. Or we could gather all the McGinnis men tie them to trees and torture them until they all agree to end the corruption and beat Cliff Jr even more until he promises to quit being a drunken miserable gas pumper that only pumps gas a few hours a day to justify to the IRS why he has mattresses full of money, JERK. The whole family should be brought up on charges of crimes against humanity.

Bruce Montgomery’s paper is so full of crap it smells worse then the foul odor that comes out of the BIT's bathroom after Kevin goes in there to relieve the pressure in his pants, after seeing Peggy photo copy her
'sag bags' for Bruce's amusement. You think the owner would do something about the crap they put on his page. I would be pissed. If I owned the paper I would print the truth.

Your mission Bruce, print the truth and nothing but the truth for 52 weeks of issues and see what happens.

Anonymous said...

McGinnis why don’t you take the money you get from ripping people off and try to do well with it. You could donate some of that money to the fire and rescue for equipment. You could donate it to help ease the burden of the school on the taxpayers. You could use it to invest in RENEWABLE yes I said that god-awful word renewable resources. You nasty bustards you have polluted that pond in front of the power plant so bad the swan is black. I swear I once saw a fish in there could only swim in left handed circles. See you even made the fish become a damn southpaw. Or you could buy an incinerator that converts some of the trash from the Trans Stat to elect then you could charge us to take our garbage then charge us to burn our garbage then charge us to get rid of our waste ash. Or we could gather all the McGinnis men tie them to trees and torture them until they all agree to end the corruption and beat Cliff Jr even more until he promises to quit being a drunken miserable gas pumper that only pumps gas a few hours a day to justify to the IRS why he has mattresses full of money, JERK. The whole family should be brought up on charges of crimes against humanity.

Bruce Montgomery’s paper is so full of crap it smells worse then the foul odor that comes out of the BIT's bathroom after Kevin goes in there to relieve the pressure in his pants, after seeing Peggy photo copy her
'sag bags' for Bruce's amusement. You think the owner would do something about the crap they put on his page. I would be pissed. If I owned the paper I would print the truth.

Your mission Bruce, print the truth and nothing but the truth for 52 weeks of issues and see what happens.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunetly the Block Island Times does not honestly represent Block Islanders. Mr. Montgomery makes no effort to hide the fact that he caters to his advertisers. While this goes on in journalism everywhere, it is usually done in a more graceful manner. One would also think that a former "ad man" would do a better job of soliciting advertisers; a quick overview of the paper will prove how few local businesses advertise with him.

A small town paper should be covering the weddings, anniversaries, engagements and deaths of the locals. In the BIT, these events are largely shoved to the back of the paper next to the school lunch menu. I was so upset this week to see that Joe Shea's obituary was tucked into the fold and shorter in length than that of a summer home owner who died THREE MONTHS AGO! For God's sake. What would it have taken to call around and really put some effort into a more meaningful description of this man's life on Block Island? He was part of our community and now he's gone; that's huge.

While he may win some awards for his sarcastic, self absorbed cartoons, these awards are handed out by groups that know little of the island. Is anyone else sick of the "tick check" jokes?

And, do we really have to read more tourist jokes? Anyone who lives here knows that like the sun coming up in the morning you can count on tourists visiting in the summer. It is the good, and the bad thing about living here.

The self absorbed tenor continues with the nausiating columns this winter about the weight-loss club at the paper...WHO CARES!!!????

What is clear when you read the paper is that many of the reporters writing about meetings of boards or commissions do not fully understand the issues they are writing about. Because of that, the issues are often unclear to the reader.

The Block Island Beacon was a far more interesting paper with a lot more of a local Block Island feeling to it.

All that being said, I don't think that Mr. Montgomery is elitist, or wishes to eliminate any "lower class" (that would be Peter Wood),it's just that he is so self absorbed that he can't see beyond his little window on the world. Havn't you ever noticed how confused he looks when he watches the rest of us? He doesn't get it. He knows we're not here for the same reason as him, but he can't figure any of us out.

And by the way....Where does a beer cost $9.???