Cut school administrators
MSAD 53 is not a consolidated school district and only represents three small towns. The costs of teachers salaries for the upcoming school year was a line item at a recent budget meeting. I tried to cross reference that salary with the cost of administration in the school district. I could find no consolidated figure for administrative cost. It appeared to be hidden.
MSAD 53 has a full-time superintendent, a curriculum coordinator, a special education director, a full-time building principal and assistant principal for each school for 300 students and no high school. Full-time assistant principals are rare for schools our size.
The budget, as proposed, will hurt students and waste taxpayer money on “administrative fat.”
I can no longer watch this fiscal decline.
I encourage residents of Pittsfield, Burnham and Detroit to join me at the polls on June 9 and vote “no.”
Put the budget in the hands of the new superintendent. Let’s get our administrative costs down to a proportionate level for a school district this size. Cut administrators.
Larry Casey
Pittsfield
Our bully governor
I can’t believe that so many people in this state think our governor is doing what this state really needs. I have voted for so many bonds in the past few years, and the governor has held many hostage until he gets his way.
I’m a Democrat, and I did not vote for the guy. He seems to think he can run this state like a failing business and bring it out of bad bankruptcy like business. He talks like a bully on the street who is heading for trouble. If the people of Maine can not see this, we are all blind.
Christopher Giggey
Holden
Mining “cleanup”
Mines produce toxic waste that is ground-up rock full of acid and metallic elements. They “safely” dispose of this stuff by stacking it in piles or by pumping it as a slurry into ponds contained by earth-fill dams. Over time, the piles leach poisonous rainwater into streams, and the dams eventually leak or burst and let the stuff into streams. “Cleanup” consists of spending money to repair the dams, re-line the ponds, and to try to capture the poisons leaching out of waste heaps.
There is a recent gold mine near Ridgeway, South Carolina, that is now closed, but the waste ponds of cyanide-laced tailings are still there. As usual, the bonding for maintenance left by the mining company has proven inadequate, and the state is stuck with efforts to prevent the dangerous chemicals from reaching the Wateree River and its downstream reservoirs in perpetuity. The containment efforts are not a cure, they are only a rear guard effort to prevent the inevitable.
South Carolina has a similar problem with a toxic chemical waste dump buried within a few hundred feet of Lake Marion. Again, the bonds posted by the now-bankrupt dump company were inadequate, and the state is faced with a permanent effort to contain leaks and protect important drinking water.
I suggest that potential miners be required to chemically neutralize their waste products as they are produced. This would likely require shipping in very large amounts of lime to neutralize acids. The expense of neutralizing mine waste would likely render the mine uneconomic until the eventual shortage of metals would raise prices enough to justify the cost. If so, so be it.
John Ashby Morton
Little Deer Isle
Pass LD 750
Maine has a long history of using our natural resources to create jobs and drive economic development in our rural communities. From my point of view, and I think Irving feels the same way, the best approach is to have a comprehensive regulatory oversight process in place. This will assure that anyone who gets into this business will have to do so in an environmentally responsible manner.
Today we realize that environmental management is as important as economic success in serving the interests of Maine. The debate in Augusta regarding mining in Maine frustrates me as certain groups and individuals, including members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, ignore the facts about how much has changed. Recently, however, there have been more open discussions on the science, technologies and regulatory oversights needed for mining to occur.
Over this past year, I have driven to Augusta to testify in favor of the tough rules that protect the environment but allow for responsible mining projects to move forward.
As an owner of a four-season family sporting business that has been operating for five generations, we depend on clean water and a pristine environment for recreational opportunities.
Irving’s expertise and long-term commitment to maintaining its territory in the North Maine Woods as a sustainable resource is exemplary. It continues to promote good-paying jobs and expansion for our communities.
All of this can be accomplished by the strict rules and oversight of the Department of Environmental Protection that has been working tirelessly on this project. I urge the Legislature to vote ought to pass on LD 750.
Phil Daggett
Fish River
Close the loopholes
As a Maine native, I have spent a large portion of my young life exploring the vast wilderness of our beautiful state. Standing in my backyard I could just make out the Carrabassett River through acres of trees, streams and wetlands. I remember hiking through the forest with my parents and our dog, emerging through the trees to the riverbank where we swam, fished and skipped rocks.
Speaking with my father, he recalls the Androscoggin River being covered by several feet of foam. He wouldn’t dare fish or swim in it. I fear that future generations will face the same tragedies that robbed my parents of the memories I cherish most.
Loopholes in the Clean Water Act leave more than half of our state’s waterways open to pollution. This not only affects recreational activities but also threatens the drinking water of nearly 500,000 Maine residents.
President Barack Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed a rule that would close these loopholes and restore the Clean Water Act to its original state. Our senators, Angus King and Susan Collins, will have to decide if Maine’s waterways are important enough to protect against large polluting industries.
Personally, I want to keep Maine clean so that younger generations can enjoy the same outdoor experiences that helped shape my youth. We need King and Collins to protect this way of life by voting to close the loopholes this summer.
Christopher Cayer
Portland