Bangor’s ‘brain power’
Recently, Bangor High School’s quiz show team beat a team from Falmouth for the state championship. This exciting final show was not reported by the BDN, neither in print nor online.
Similar to a competitive “Jeopardy” for all qualifying high schools, “High School Quiz Show,” broadcast on Maine Public television, was a half-hour program with questions that were not easy, with a range of categories: science, math, English literature, geography, politics and many others. I doubt many adults in Maine would have gotten even half of the questions correct.
This event was exciting to watch and these kids should be celebrated. They may be “nerds,” but the nerds are our community’s future lawyers, doctors, business professionals, scientists, teachers and college professors; the leaders of our society.
We should celebrate the brain power of Bangor High School. The teachers in the Bangor area should be commended for producing such smart students.
Peter Ver Lee
Bangor
Eves for governor
As a member of the Appropriations Committee for the past six years, I have had the opportunity to work closely with legislative leadership. For four of those years, I had the privilege of observing former House Speaker Mark Eves lead the 151 members of the Maine House of Representatives. This is a challenging group with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints, and Eves presided with calm and fairness in one of the most difficult jobs in state government. I appreciated the steady hand and deep knowledge of policy that he brought to his daily work.
What impressed me most was what Eves brought to the table during the very difficult negotiations that always occurred at the end of each session. While he never lost his calm demeanor, he proved a steely negotiator, building bipartisan relationships between the House and Senate to pass budgets and keep the state open.
When Eves announced that he was running for governor, it was these negotiations that came first to mind when I decided to support him. Maine deserves a governor with his combination of empathy, experience, toughness and wisdom. And while I have the greatest admiration for all the candidates on the Democratic primary ballot this spring, I am proud to support Eves.
Rep. Erik Jorgensen
House District 41
Portland
Cote for governor
The other day I got a telephone call from a number I didn’t recognize but answered it. On the line, Adam Cote introduced himself and said he was running for governor in the June Democratic primary.
OK, I thought, I would give him one minute of time. During the next 20 or so minutes, I learned a lot about the man that impressed me. I like the fact that he still lives in Sanford, where he grew up, that his father was a high school teacher there, that he went to college in Maine and then upon graduating did something unusual — enlisted as a private in the Maine National Guard.
I like the fact that after three tours of duty, he returned to help start an innovative small business focused on saving Maine people money by buying electricity at low, off-peak rates. I like the fact that he has been in business and knows his way around budgets and finance. I like the fact that he has lived his values. Character is everything for those who would be leaders. As I said, I didn’t know Cote when we started talking, but I respect and admire his story.
You probably don’t know Cote, either, but I hope you might consider his candidacy for governor closely. If you agree he is a person of demonstrated courage and character who has led an admirable life, your support in the June 12 primary could make a big difference.
Philip Conkling
Camden
Trump a bully
“Courage, civility, principle and wit are increasingly rare commodities,” Sen. Susan Collins told University of Maine grads earlier this month. I totally agree.
So, how come she doesn’t listen to her inner Margaret Chase Smith and admit the obvious — that President Donald Trump has no courage, no civility, no principles and no wit. Her entire speech described our head bully, the president. People are following his lead.
Doris Plumer
Bar Harbor
Poliquin supports cancer research
The incidence of childhood cancer per 100,000 children is higher in Maine than in the United States as a whole. This alarming statistic emphasizes the need for more research opportunities that will not only help Maine children but those across America who struggle with cancer.
That is why Rep. Bruce Poliquin recently cosponsored the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act, which would expand research and help improve the lives of child survivors. Poliquin understands the need to support children before, during and after their diagnosis, and the STAR Act will allow for that.
I am confident that the STAR Act will help significantly decrease the incidence of childhood cancer in Maine and the United States, so I am encouraged by Poliquin cosponsoring this legislation.
Ryan Brann
Orono
CMP billing problems
Central Maine Power won’t address the over charging of power bills for January and February 2018, a time when other customers saw unusually high bills, prompting a Maine Public Utilities Commission investigation. While in Florida, my bill was over $300 each month, with the oil furnace set on 50 degrees and heat pump on 65. That is $10 a day with no one home, and then with the start of the March billing cycle on Feb. 20, it dropped from $5 a day on March 19 to 78 cents a day on March 20.
We were still in Florida and nothing changed in our home, and now we are home with everything on — hot water, heater, dryer, lights, heat pump and furnace — my power bill is around $3 a day. I have talked to the utilities commission and Central Maine Power with no help or adjustment on my $650 power bill for two months that must be paid or power will be turned off. I understand other customers are having the same problem with high power bills during this period also.
Vern Crane
Dexter
Election notice
The BDN will stop accepting letters and OpEds related to the June 12 election on June 1. Not all submissions can be published.