Thanksgving Week

I just got home from Open Mic night at The Mews. I must say, this was one of the best Coffee House at The Mews that I’ve been too. Every act was amazing. I had dinner with friends Bernard and Scott from New York and John from Provincetown. The food was delicious, service splendid, company wonderful and the acts very talented.

If you find yourself in Ptown this winter on a Monday night, be sure to check out The Mews. Coffee House starts at 8PM and the featured performer comes on at 9PM. It is truly a treat…a more conservative and civilized version of Showgirls. There is requested donation of $3.00 to benefit WOMR radio.

This past weekend the winds blew fiercely and the weather was freezing. The town was pretty dead with little activity on Commercial Street. I was able to catch quite a few movies up cape to pass the time.

Earlier in the week my friends Billy and Tony came out from Boston. We went to Taco Tuesday at The Crown and Anchor… great venue for socializing, just don’t eat too much as it is a buffet. 

We also saw Anne Stott perform at The Grotto at Enzo’s. She was very entertaining and she drew a nice crowd for a Tuesday off season.

We ate breakfast at the Crowne Pointe Guesthouse where Billy stayed. Sweet potato pancakes were delicious and the coffee was perhaps the best I’ve had in town… except for JOE of course.

Last Monday night, John and I attended town meeting where a tax was approved to be levied upon second homeowners on their vacation rentals. I am in complete disagreement with this tax. I’ll make this fast, but I do need to vent.

Most second homeowners, when they rent, usually do so out of genuine need to pay part of their mortgage. They are gay and lesbians who want to achieve that dream of owning in Provincetown. When they rent, they need to pay cleaners, managers and realtors, so they really do not make a “killing” as some think. Taxing second homeowners sends the wrong message to our subculture about Provincetown.

Guesthouse owners feel the tax is fare since they’ve been paying it for years in the form of room tax. Their argument is that the consumer pays it, not the homeowner and it will bring more revenue to the town. I understand and appreciate the argument, however, when you stay at a guesthouse or hotel, there is a level of service that you expect which you do not get when you rent an apartment.

There were plenty of high fives and applause when this passed, narrowly, by 20 votes. Those who passed this tax, in my humble opinion, have a serious misperception as to how this may impact us. It is important for our local economy that renters keep coming armed with enough cash to spend on retail, art, entertainment and at restaurants. This tax, based on the argument that the consumer will pay, takes away that extra money that a vacationer may have to spend on a business in town. So, just to push back a bit, the person who will really pay for this tax is the business owner in Provincetown who gets cut out of the vacation spending budget.

When I witnessed a local storeowner jump up with joy when the tax passed and shriek a loud “yeah!” and throw a fist through the air, I wanted to approach her and ask if she thought this was good for her business. To reiterate my argument; asking the renter or second homeowner to pay more taxes can really impact that extra cash a vacationer may use to buy senseless bric-a-brac, especially during a recession. The tax may amount to an extra $100 to $200 per rental, at least. This can influence a vacationer to decide whether or not they really need to buy a doormat that says “Welcome friends and ocean waves.”

We’ll see where this goes as an appeal movement is in the process. I’ll keep you posted.

In other news out here, the driver of who flipped the fire truck a couple weeks back has been cited. Three criminal citations have been issued against him...speeding, failure to use care at an intersection, and operating a motor vehicle as to endanger. He is only 21 years old. I’m not happy about the accident but as long as no one was hurt I’d like to see him reprimanded in other ways.

That’s it for this week. Have a happy Thanksgiving and play it safe. Email me if you want mike.dubour@verizon.net.