This paragraph pretty much sums up the problems with Wareham:

GOV 101

"A tree on Main Street has become either an ongoing nuisance or an ongoing joke, depending on whom you ask."

Similar to the Ragman, except that everyone thinks he is an ongoing nuisance AND an ongoing joke.

"A local resident has sent numerous letters to town officials, claiming the tree hangs over her driveway and thus creates a safety issue."

A citizen complaining to the local government? Horror of horrors...

"The tree was set to be cut down once before, but Municipal maintenance sliced the wrong one down by mistake."

You should probably berate them about it for forever and a day, Ragman.  Clearly it's a power elite plot to steal the town lumber supply.

"Interim town administrator said..." (I assume he forgot to put in Sanguinet after Interim Town Adminstrator.  I guess his proofreading chimp went on strike).

"Interim town administrator SANGUINET said he was inclined to leave the tree (which he called healthy) intact unless selectmen instructed him to otherwise."

Wow, Sanguinet, hate to give  you a hard time because you probably never figured youd be in this mess, but do the selectmen make you check with them before you take a leak too?  Just cut the sucker down!

(Hello, Bruce? Interim TA here, I'm going to go to the bathroom now, is that cool? What's that?  Shake it three times after and submit a full report? OK thanks!)

"Jane Donahue said she has seen the dirt around the roots of the tree and said it could fall down by itself someday."

Oh great, now you have Jane running around like a friggin' tree surgeon doing tree checkups.  Probably one of the many newly found selectmen duties that they want to be paid for. 

Oh and "that it could fall down by itself someday."  YES! Hence the reason why the lady wants it cut down now, so it the falling can be controlled, rather than have the damn thing fall down in her driveway and crush her car!

"No one knew the exact cost to cut the tree down, so they agreed not to take action until they found out."

Yeah, it costs about $55.  $50 to have a dude wail away at the friggin tree for a half hour with an axe and $5 to get the guy a couple of beers afterwards.  But be sure to set up a committee and take three months for debate, and draw up some nice flow charts and graphs on the pros and cons of cutting down the tree. 

Whatever you chowderheads do, don't ever figure in the cost of the lady possibly suing the town in the meantime if it damagers her property.