What Matters
THE ISSUES
Securing Wastewater Solutions
The growing development of Cape Cod has led to a vast increase in the nitrogen leaching into our environment. This leads to contamination of our freshwater aquifers and contributes to nutrient pollution in our ponds and estuaries, threatening public health and causing significant harm to the plants and animals that consider Cape Cod their home.
In order to protect our drinking water and preserve our local ecosystem it’s crucial to build wastewater infrastructure—sewering and water treatment plants—that can withstand our growing population. This will not be easy, and we need to leverage federal, state, and regional resources to guarantee that local home-owners aren’t left shouldering this burden alone.
County Rep. Seeks Support For Septic System Upgrade Loan Program
Falmouth representative for the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates Daniel Gessen presented loan assistance options for residents…
CapeNews.net | Noelle Annonen | Jan 12th, 2024
Falmouth Delegate Wants County To Invest $5 Million In AquiFund
Falmouth’s delegate for the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates is proposing that the county invest $5 million into the Cape Cod AquiFund…
CapeNews.net | Gilda Geist | Aug 11th, 2023
Creating Attainable Housing
Nothing is more critical to the future of our region than guaranteeing access to affordable housing for our young and working population. As house prices soar, my generation, our neighbors, and the essential workers that make Cape Cod run are pushed out of the towns they call home. The status quo is unsustainable.
Lack of housing will continue to have a growing negative impact on the economy and quality of life for everyone in the region. Our solutions must be innovative and underscore the urgency of the issue we face. Within this generation, the way in which we decide to address housing will inevitably define what it means to be a Cape Codder.
A Regional Solution to Cape Cod’s Housing Crisis
Cape Cod is a place built on precious resources. Beyond just the beaches and bays that draw more than 5 million visitors each year, it’s our year-round…
Cape Cod adopts transfer fee on home sales over $1 million
After five hours of heated debate on Wednesday, the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates voted 10-5 to advance a home rule petition that would
Boston.com | Beth Treffeisen | February 20, 2026
Faced with a housing crunch, a local move to ‘do something’
PRICES ARE BALLOONING, unit construction is stagnating, populations are declining, and a housing crisis deserves to be treated as such, the Barnstable County
Commonwealth Beacon | Jennifer Smith | Apr 18th, 2025
Creating Attainable Housing
Nothing is more critical to the future of our region than guaranteeing access to affordable housing for our young and working population. As house prices soar, my generation, our neighbors, and the essential workers that make Cape Cod run are pushed out of the towns they call home. The status quo is unsustainable.
Lack of housing will continue to have a growing negative impact on the economy and quality of life for everyone in the region. Our solutions must be innovative and underscore the urgency of the issue we face. Within this generation, the way in which we decide to address housing will inevitably define what it means to be a Cape Codder.
A Regional Solution to Cape Cod’s Housing Crisis
Cape Cod is a place built on precious resources. Beyond just the beaches and bays that draw more than 5 million visitors each year, it’s our year-round…
Cape Cod adopts transfer fee on home sales over $1 million
After five hours of heated debate on Wednesday, the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates voted 10-5 to advance a home rule petition that would
Boston.com | Beth Treffeisen | February 20, 2026
Faced with a housing crunch, a local move to ‘do something’
PRICES ARE BALLOONING, unit construction is stagnating, populations are declining, and a housing crisis deserves to be treated as such, the Barnstable County
Commonwealth Beacon | Jennifer Smith | Apr 18th, 2025
Leading on Climate Change
Climate change is a global issue, however, living on the Cape, we are uniquely susceptible to its devastating environmental impact. We see, first-hand, the effects increasingly severe weather and unpredictable climate patterns have on our coastline and wildlife. We must invest in solutions which mitigate the dangers of rising sea-levels, increasingly severe nor’easters, and warming temperatures on our homes and towns.
Additionally, it’s on us to do our part as global citizens by transitioning to renewable energy, decreasing our carbon emissions, and minimizing the pollution we produce. Communities like ours can, and absolutely should, lead the way into a sustainable future. If done right, we can lead the way all while making smart investments in green industries that will bring stable, local jobs for decades to come.
Cape Cod towns could lose state aid for dredging projects
Cape Cod towns could lose access to state money to help pay the cost of dredging. The budget for fiscal year 2027 does not include grant funds…
WCAI | John Basile | December 18, 2025
Investing in Innovative Infrastructure
In order to create a Cape Cod that transcends our identity as a tourism destination, we have to make smart investments in infrastructure that support the ability of year-round residents to survive and thrive. It’s critical to provide resources that make it possible for working people to see a future in Cape towns.
We must invest in our K-12 schools, support our year-round industries, secure the ability for workers to sustainably commute, and fight to place our towns on the right side of the global digital divide—making the Cape a hospitable location for both workers and innovative employers.
Barnstable County Delegates Plea to State: Invest in Broadband
In their resolution, the Assembly endorsed a letter from Falmouth Delegate Dan Gessen urging the state to utilize about $350 million…
CapeCod.com | Brendan Fitzpatrick | Jan 21st, 2023
Assembly Of Delegates Calls For State Broadband Investment
The resolution and letter were authored by delegate Daniel Gessen of Falmouth states Cape Cod did not receive…
CapeNews.net | Jan 19th, 2023
Leading on Climate Change
Climate change is a global issue, however, living on the Cape, we are uniquely susceptible to its devastating environmental impact. We see, first-hand, the effects increasingly severe weather and unpredictable climate patterns have on our coastline and wildlife. We must invest in solutions which mitigate the dangers of rising sea-levels, increasingly severe nor’easters, and warming temperatures on our homes and towns.
Additionally, it’s on us to do our part as global citizens by transitioning to renewable energy, decreasing our carbon emissions, and minimizing the pollution we produce. Communities like ours can, and absolutely should, lead the way into a sustainable future. If done right, we can lead the way all while making smart investments in green industries that will bring stable, local jobs for decades to come.
Cape Cod towns could lose state aid for dredging projects
Cape Cod towns could lose access to state money to help pay the cost of dredging. The budget for fiscal year 2027 does not include grant funds…
WCAI | John Basile | December 18, 2025
Responding to the Opioid Epidemic
No other issue is as much a question of life and death as the way in which we respond to the effects of opioid addiction in our community. This epidemic is a symptom of deeper issues within our treatment of mental health and the lack of societal support systems. The ripples of untreated mental health and substance abuse issues affect everyone in our region. It’s crucial that we approach this issue from the perspective of treating it as an illness.
On an individual level, our solutions need to start with destigmatizing addiction, encouraging people to seek help, providing treatment, and creating a path to success for those in recovery. On a community level, we have to provide preventative resources to those in need and seek to invest in community solutions that go beyond treating the symptoms of this epidemic, creating much needed social support networks.
Proposed Mental Health Cuts Stoke Impassioned Public Response
During a recent hearing by the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates, over fifty live and virtual attendees voiced their opposition…
CapeCod.com | Matthew Tomlinson | Feb 10th, 2025
'We Can Prevent This:' The Fight To Keep Pocasset Inpatient Unit Open
More than 50 people attended the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates hearing on Wednesday to voice their adamant opposition to Governor…
Bourne Enterprise | Jamie Perkins | February 6th, 2025