Endorsement a mistake
I am very dismayed that the Bangor Daily News has chosen to endorse Eliot Cutler for governor. Cutler is an honorable man and a fine candidate. However, no matter how good a candidate the BDN and I think he is, Cutler cannot win this election because Mike Michaud is not Libby Mitchell, a very poor Democratic candidate in 2010 who polled 19 percent of the vote. The BDN is incorrect in saying that a vote for Cutler is a vote for Cutler. It is a vote for Gov. Paul LePage, who has disgraced the state of Maine, and may very well be a plurality governor once again in 2014.
There are so many reasons that LePage should not be re-elected, but it is not important to go into them now. All that needs to be said is that his re-election will be disastrous for the people of Maine, especially the poor, the uninsured, the disabled, and those whose voices have never been heard by the governor.
There is a place in the political world for the independent voice to be heard. However, in the real world of this gubernatorial race, having one’s voice heard at the expense of the citizens of Maine is a luxury that cannot be afforded. I hope that the endorsement of Cutler by the BDN will not give the victory to LePage.
Mark D. Roth
Bangor
LePage gets it done
Being able to position oneself as being above the fray is Eliot Cutler’s good fortune. Not having been perceived as a major contender until Mike Michaud’s weaknesses had been thoroughly exposed, Cutler hasn’t been a target or had to respond to scurrilous attacks.
But that accidental position does not qualify him to lead the state of Maine in the direction it needs to go, a direction that Gov. Paul LePage, as mayor and as governor, has begun to take us and which, with a Republican Legislature, will assure Mainers of a more affordable, safe and prosperous future.
LePage has a record of governing, not of simply proposing or promising. Aren’t we tired of glibness without substance, or candidates without specific qualifications for the job?
Patricia Colling Egan
Sargentville
Stehle has my vote
I have had the pleasure of knowing Allen Stehle for the last eight years. I know him to be a successful business owner, a compassionate educator and family man with deep ties to our community. His unique background makes him an outstanding candidate to be our sheriff.
We live in a great community, but it is not without its issues. I believe Stehle has the desire, experience, vision and integrity to tackle the issues facing our community and make it an even better place to live. A vote for Stehle is a vote for a better community.
David Cust
Bangor
Cutler vote = LePage
The Bangor Daily News in its recent endorsement of Eliot Cutler blithely asserts that one should vote for the candidate one thinks would make the best governor, not bothering our silly little heads about who will actually be elected. This set of blinders totally obscures the fact the all the polls — that’s right, all — indicate that Cutler has virtually no chance and that a vote switched from Mike Michaud to Cutler is in effect a vote for Paul LePage.
The BDN editorial page is often critical of our current governor, but perhaps we are now seeing its true colors.
Gregory Biss
Eastport
Cutler, the man
Lately, meeting friends or talking with new acquaintances, I’ve been running into some saying, “Cutler is the best candidate, but I don’t want to re-elect LePage.” I’ve also been hearing, “I’m not energized by Mike, but I don’t want another four years of LePage.”
So I am writing this to ask my friends, and the other thousands of voters in Maine who have similar thoughts, to get clear. We need to take our right to vote as responsibly as we know how. We need to put away any culture of fear and end the “spoiler” conversation. We need to get past the bickering and the name calling and back and forth of the two parties.
For the sake of our families and our communities, we need real leadership and real solutions to a range of serious, real problems. We need to vote for the candidate who can actually lead us out of the pettiness and anger that is too much of Maine politics. I believe that man is Eliot Cutler.
Dennis Marble
Hampden
Wilde bear
Oscar Wilde described fox hunting as the unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible. It seems to me that about sums up bear hunting with hounds or over bait.
David Calder
Canaan
Re-elect Thibodeau
We feel honored to have state Sen. Mike Thibodeau standing up for Waldo County residents in some 26 communities. A caring senator, Thibodeau believes in creating more jobs and restoring tax cuts to grow our economy. Dedicated, he fights to end fraud and abuse in welfare to protect the safety net for the truly needy. He continues to try to find more funding for our nursing homes, particularly those in rural areas in danger of closing due to financial difficulties.
Thibodeau introduced the bill to restore the Circuit Breaker Program that gives tax rebates to low- and middle-income property owners. This bill was, however, voted down by partisans in the Legislature. With how much people are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table, he voted against the two-year state budget because it included huge cuts to the state’s revenue sharing program. This program helps fund such basic services as snow removal and public safety. Then, when the state was recently presented with a budget surplus, our senator voted to restore that revenue sharing money.
An experienced legislator, Thibodeau served as a state representative from 2007 to 2010 and Waldo County state senator from 2011 to the present. He is past chairman of the Utilities and Energy Committee and past member of the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee.
He serves well for the people back home. We feel that he deserves a big vote to re-elect him to the state Senate in November.
James and Lauralee Clayton
Lincolnville
Election notice
The Bangor Daily News will stop accepting letters and commentary related to the Nov. 4 election on Monday, Oct. 27. We will stop publishing election-related letters and columns with the Nov. 1-2 edition. Not all submissions can be printed.