Salt merger
In an April 12 Bangor Daily News article about the merger of the Salt Institute and the Maine College of Art, the former executive director of the Salt Institute said that “80 percent of alumni” support the merger. This is patently false.
The survey Donna Galluzzo refers to had responses from 112 alumni (out of hundreds). And those responses supported a merger only if more information was provided. The BDN reporter quoted her without context, thus misleading its readers about support for the merger.
The truth is Salt’s management drove the school into a ditch. The merger was the last in a line of bad decisions.
Mike Eckel
Alexandria, Virginia
Tax hike for cable customers
Thanks, Gov. Paul LePage, for the transparency and “true” conservatism.
I notice Time Warner Cable bills have increased again, but the increase was added to the State Service Provider Tax, which is a tax on telephone and other services. I called the Tax Division of Maine Revenue Services in Augusta and found the tax increase was on standard television packages, which were exempt from the tax until Jan. 1, 2016.
Nice job of transparency, “hide-it” conservatism. Increase the taxes for those who can least afford it. Good job. I guess I’ll have to downsize to the basic television package. It will be easier to decide what to watch and cover the cost of the tax increase at Time Warner Cable’s expense.
James Foreman
Fort Kent
A gift to Veazie
On April 25, the Veazie Town Council will decide whether to accept the gift of a riverside park from the Penobscot River Restoration Trust.
This strip of land runs along most of Veazie’s shoreline, and includes the small park area, created by the trust, where people can enjoy our beautiful waterfront.
The trust is offering the land to the town at no cost.
If the town does not accept this offer, the land will undoubtedly end up in the hands of a private owner. To me, this makes no sense. A private owner can do whatever he or she wants with the property, within the legal statutes. Even if the owner is conservation-minded and wants to keep the park a park, there is nothing to prevent this owner’s heirs from feeling differently about it.
With the town as owner, there is no guarantee the park will be developed in the way any individual resident wants it to be developed. But we, the people of Veazie, will always have the possibility of developing the park in a democratic fashion — through our elected town government, using the tools available to residents willing to participate in running our town.
It’s unfair to expect a handful of residents who sit on the Town Council to make such an important decision all by themselves. Please write to or email the councilors this week, and come to the April 25 meeting at the town building to support them in accepting this generous gift.
Jane Livingston
Veazie
O’Neill for state Senate
I agree, making affordable health care available to all Mainers is common sense. That is why I am voting for Moira O’Neill for state Senate on June 14 in the Democratic primary for District 7, which includes most of Hancock County.
O’Neill has been a nurse for 25 years. She has lived health care in every setting, from the hospital to living room. But she also has worked in state government holding people accountable for how health programs are run and tax dollars spent. O’Neill has a Ph.D. from Yale University, where she studied health policy under top experts on health care in the country. Today, she teaches health policy to nursing students at Husson University. When there are so many complicated, expensive health-related issues before the Legislature, it is common sense to vote for someone who understands health policy.
In her previous career with the Office of the Child Advocate in Connecticut, O’Neill evaluated mental health programs and promoted standards to keep patients and staff safe. I think her experience would be helpful with problems at Riverview, the Maine psychiatric hospital, that promise to cost Maine $20 million per year once the federal government stops paying for substandard care. And it is common sense that a nurse would understand and help translate the needs of people with opiate addictions and help identify the best solutions to the problems.
I urge District 7 voters to vote for Moira O’Neill.
Paul Schnall
Surry