Vote Sarah Nichols
I have been very impressed with the amount of goodwill, enthusiasm and open-mindedness Sarah Nichols has brought to her campaign for Bangor City Council. I was at her campaign kick-off and was inspired by her speech about fair wages, access to public transportation and advocating for working families. Since then, she has hit the pavement hard, knocking on hundreds of doors and genuinely engaging with Bangor voters.
What is clear in talking with Nichols is her love for Bangor. She was born, raised and educated here, and is committed to making her hometown a place where anyone who works hard can succeed. In a time where many families in Bangor struggle just to get by, this is the kind of advocate we need on the council.
But the thing about Nichols is, even if you have differing views or ideas, she will listen and work with you. She is the kind of person who strives to find common ground and doesn’t walk away from a challenge. That is a necessity in politics these days. It is also important when representing the people of Bangor.
We live in such a great community, full of energy and opportunity. As a small-business owner here, that means a lot to me. I am confident Nichols will continue this momentum by being a considerate and passionate leader on the Bangor City Council. She has my vote on Nov. 3.
Elizabeth Wieck
Bangor
Restore clean elections
Last year, hundreds of volunteers collected 80,000 signatures from eager Maine voters to put Question 1 on the Nov. 3 ballot, to strengthen our Clean Election law, which allowed ordinary Mainers to run for office without being rich or having to take money from powerful influences. We were proud that our neighbors could become independent-minded legislators with the help of this law, dismayed as it was gradually weakened by opponents and appalled when the 2011 U.S. Supreme Court Citizens United decision unleashed unlimited amounts of money from unknown sources into our state campaigns.
Question 1 will help fix this, by increasing funding for Clean Elections system, letting us know where outside big money is coming from, closing loopholes and penalizing violations. Please vote for Question 1 and restore Maine Clean Elections.
Beedy Parker
Camden
Climate change resolution
Republican Rep. Chris Gibson of Connecticut has introduced a resolution, H. Res 424, in the House of Representatives that recognizes the risk of climate change and requests his colleagues in Congress take action to reduce future risk. Currently, 10 Republican members of the House have signed on in support of the resolution publicly supporting and confirming the need for action on climate change now.
The resolution urges “members of Congress [to] work constructively in the American tradition of ingenuity, innovation, and exceptionalism, to create and support economically viable private and public solutions to study and address the causes and effects of measured changes to our global and regional climates, including mitigation efforts and efforts to balance human activities that have been found to have an impact.”
Some of Maine’s greatest assets include its natural beauty and the tourism that results from that, the local farms and businesses that produce jobs and goods, and our fisheries that have supported Maine families and communities for generations. All of these are crucial to Maine’s economy, yet stand to be significantly negatively impacted by climate change. In addition the resourcefulness of the people of Maine is likely to create new opportunities for jobs and economic growth as a result of climate change action.
We believe that Rep. Bruce Poliquin is genuinely committed to Maine’s communities and families and is working for a stable, progressive, diverse and new economy for the state. It is for this reason that we ask him to join his fellow Republicans and support this resolution.
Paul and Connie Potvin
Hampden
Brewer school committee
Brewer voters will vote next week for three members to the school committee. Voters must be aware of the dysfunctional committee that has resulted in distrust of the members themselves. Two of those that are on the ballot this fall are responsible for not renewing the contract of our superintendent of schools, Jay McIntire. This has caused much consternation in the community, and now is the time for a shaking-up of that board.
The board recently signed the contract for the new superintendent at an annual salary of $108,500. What is surprising is that their choice is not a superintendent and has no experience whatsoever as a superintendent. It will be interesting to see how this new administrator handles a $22 million school budget.
Three excellent candidates are running for the three open positions. Seeking a seat are Ashley Blanchard, Tammy Smith and former school board member Mike Hutchins. It is high time for a clean sweep of the present board.
Larry T. Doughty
Brewer
LePage not that bad
I keep reading about people wanting to impeach the governor. Evidently he’s not that bad because our illustrious leaders in Augusta don’t seem to be bothered by his antics, and he’s still there. Maybe they like the status quo, or if the governor can be impeached, they could also be impeached.
Wayne Moshier
Frenchville
VA is not political issue
The problem of long wait time at Veteran’s Administration facilities has been made into a political issue by the Republican Party, according to Hillary Clinton. She said that during an MSNBC interview. How sad that a woman who wants to rule this great country thinks the GOP would stoop to using our veterans to create a story. And she then dismisses claims that there is a prevalent problem within the Veteran’s Administration.
She needs to walk a mile in a veteran’s shoes before she chooses to dismiss this issue. How embarrassing that a person wanting to be our next president chooses to dishonor our veterans. If not for their service, she wouldn’t be able to live the life she leads.
I am a proud wife of a disabled veteran. So I ask Clinton to tell me what service she has sacrificed for the betterment of our country? Tell me about the “health care” program in which she has no problem getting an appointment or quality care.
Judy Carter
Cherryfield
Election notice
The BDN will stop accepting letters and OpEds related to the Nov. 3 election on Wednesday, Oct. 28.