A version of this story first appeared in the Morning Update newsletter. Sign up here to receive the Morning Update and other BDN newsletters directly in your inbox.
Happy Wednesday!
Maine’s most valuable fishery — lobster — got a reprieve last week when the Canadian government removed seafood from the list of U.S. goods that will be hit with retaliatory tariffs starting Sept. 8.
It’s just the latest example of the outside forces, including climate change and geopolitics, looming like a portent over a cornerstone of Maine’s economy. For years, Chinese demand for Maine lobster fueled sky-high prices. But that demand has fallen, and China has slapped tariffs on lobster imports in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
At the same time, lobstermen are contending with rising costs for bait, boats, fuel, traps and more, all of which eat into their profits.
While the King of Maine Seafood is unlikely to be knocked off the throne anytime soon, lobstermen worry about the prospects for the next generation.
Bangor won’t clarify if councilor’s spouse can be sworn in to School Committee
Every city official has probably at least once wished they could go back in time and ask the founders to clarify a vague passage in the city charter, if only to save future legal fees.
In Bangor, the unclear part was added less than two decades ago when the charter was amended to bar relatives of city councilors from serving on city boards and committees.
The language in that update is straightforward, but some inconsistencies across the charter leave it unclear whether the prohibition will apply to Jamie Beck, wife of City Councilor Michael Beck and a candidate on the School Committee ballot this year.
The city has broken the rule in the past, and there are reasons to suspect it might not apply to the School Committee, whose members are elected by voters rather than appointed by the council.
Complicating matters, Beck is one of just three people running for three open seats on the committee.
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From the Opinion Page
“When we expand participation, respect voters, and give people a real say in the decisions that affect them, we make those institutions stronger.”
Opinion: Maine Democrats choose to protect and expand power of ordinary people