Island taxicab operators who say they were told in recent years that Tisbury has no cab licenses available are now crying foul over an application to start a new taxi company in the town.
At a public application hearing that began last month and continued Feb. 7, several cab owners said it was unfair for the select board to consider a new company after turning away existing businesses.
Jacqueline McGillicuddy, owner of Harbor Taxi, testified this week that she went to Tisbury town hall with an application in hand not long after purchasing the Oak Bluffs-licensed company in 2019.
“The [town employee] told me … no further taxi licenses would be given out,” Ms. McGillicuddy said.
“I thought this was a done deal, until I read in the newspaper that [applicants Anthony Harpaul and Jovian Taylor] were applying for a taxi license, a license that was not available for me. This is not right,” she said.
Other cab operators related similar stories when the hearing opened last month, and one owner has retained a lawyer who spoke at this week’s continuation.
“No new taxi companies shall be licensed: That is what the town has represented to the general public,” attorney Daniel Larkosh said, citing the Tisbury website.
Representing Martha’s Vineyard Taxi and its owner Peter Bradford, Mr. Larkosh urged the select board to deny Mr. Taylor and Mr. Harpaul’s application without prejudice.
“The act of granting this license would be favoritism, at best, and it would be something indicating that there was some kind of inside information, at worst,” he said.
“I’m not making accusations, but it’s certainly not fair to everyone else in the town to have a new license created when the town has represented to everyone that there are no new taxi licenses available,” Mr. Larkosh added.
The applicants’ attorney, Erik Hammarlund, said Mr. Harpaul and Mr. Taylor simply persevered where others did not, and compared his clients to folklore’s Little Red Hen.
“They have planted the field, grown the wheat and baked the bread. Now everyone else wants a slice,” Mr. Hammarlund said.
Town counsel David Doneski recommended that Mr. Larkosh and Mr. Hammarlund each put their clients’ arguments in writing for his review.
Agreeing with Mr. Doneski, the select board voted to continue the hearing on March 13 at 5:15 p.m.
In other business Wednesday, the board approved the full-time appointment of traffic officer Joseph Gomes and voted in new aquaculture license regulations drafted by the town’s natural resources committee.
The select board also approved the warrant for the presidential primary election on March 5 and authorized early voting at the emergency services facility, on Feb. 24 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Feb. 26 through March 1 from noon to 4 p.m.
