Editor’s note: The following excerpts appear in reporter Linda Hersey’s blog, “The South Portlander,” which is a feature of www.keepmecurrent.com:

City elections go to the dogs – and their owners

The South Portland Dog Owners Group – which is 250 members strong – is not just a social and educational club for canine lovers.

The group has emerged as a force in city policy making and politics, helping to propel Mayor Claude Morgan into office in 2006.

The South Portlang Dog Owners recently issued the results of a political questionnaire polling the four candidates seeking two at-large City Council seats.

I emailed Crystal Goodrich, who leads the group of dog owners, to ask her why the pet owners’ club has such a keen interest in city elections. Here is our correspondence, excerpted for length:

1.) Please tell me about your political questionnaire and how it relates to the Council elections.

The questionnaire is something we have done for other elections as well. The members of the group are very interested in finding out what the candidates’ opinions are on dog ownership issues, (such as) off-leash access to open spaces.

There are many interests in how public land should be used. We want to be part of the decision making process.

We hope the questionnaire helps the candidates keep in mind that there is a large group of individuals vested in keeping open spaces accessible for individuals and their dogs. We encourage all dog owners to respect the rights of others, to pick up after ourselves, and do monthly cleanups on the beach of human trash.

2.) Have you gotten responses from all four candidates?

Yes. The responses have for the most part been very thorough, and I think well-thought out by the candidates. I feel they took the questions, thought about them – some even did research – and responded with lots of consideration to the group and the community at large.

3.) Why a city council questionnaire from a dog owners’ group?

The city council has direct impact on our ability to be in public places with our dogs. We want to make sure the city council knows we want to work with them in keeping the cleanliness of our open spaces, making sure dogs are demonstrating appropriate behavior toward people and other dogs, and that we are responsible community members who (make) this is an important issue in our decision-making for whom we vote.

Some of the issues South Portland Dog Owners have faced in the past have been the possiblity of being banned from specific areas of the city. Willard Beach is an area of town were many people have strong interests. Through working with the city, the Dog Owners Group has been able to come together and make some reasonable compromises so that most of the individuals involved feel they have been heard.

4.) Has the questionnaire helped you decide how to vote?

Yes, absolutely it has helped me decide how to vote. Everyday my husband and I walk our dog Scooby. I talk with other dog owners daily about going to the Web site, so they can read the responses before they vote.

Others have told me what responses they felt were supportive of our group and sound reasonable. We also take a close look at how someone working on being re-elected has worked with us in the past.

Overall I think the group members don’t expect someone on the council to agree with everything we might want, but we would really be happy to have individuals in the council who are fair and reasonable about dog ownership issues.

With 130 bucks, resident counters SPHS-Yes! campaign

SPHS – Yes! is a political action committee organized by parents who support a $56 million bond to rebuild South Portland’s only high school.

The group has printed flyers and posted signs across the city showing support for the referendum, which will be decided by voters Nov. 6.

Now SPHS – No! has entered the scene.

Resident Gary Crosby dug into his own pockets to buy the wood, paint and stencils to make and post 20 blue and white signs. They are in Mill Creek, along Broadway and at other high-visibility areas in South Portland.

Crosby spent about $130.

“It’s basically just me doing this,” said Crosby, who has three grown children who graduated from South Portland High.

“I think $56 million plus $30 million in interest is too much for the taxpayers to afford,” said Crosby, a local business owner. “Spending this much money will hurt the city badly. It will hurt our bond rating and how much we pay to borrow in the future.”

Crosby’s signs, which he posted Saturday, state “SPHS – No! $56 million is too much.”

“I actually had people driving by, beeping and giving me a thumbs up,” Crosby said. “I just want to get the opposing point of view out there. It’s always unpopular to go against the schools.

“I’m not against the high school. I’m against spending this much money right now.”

South Portland, confidential

“The right leader can make a company vibrant and successful, the wrong one can spell disaster.”

That opening statement appears on the Web site of Drake, Inglesi, Milardo, the Portland Executive Search company that helped hire Ted Jankowski as South Portland’s city manager in 2006.

The company’s services include recruiting and assessing candidates.

Jankowski’s brief tenure as South Portland city manager is ancient history now, after he left without notice in May. Assistant City Manager Jim Gailey stepped in the same week to take over the controls of the city and its $80 million budget.

But the human resources company is back in the picture, as the council launches a search for Jankowski’s replacement.

Although Gailey has applied for the job, the council has stated it wants to draw the best and brightest candidates before making a final decision.

According to an e-mail from Mayor Claude Morgan (pictured) to fellow councilors and City Attorney Mary Kahl, Drake Inglesi collected a new set of applications, which the council apparently reviewed in executive session.

Morgan had stated that he hoped Drake, Inglesi would help with this second hiring process free, since the first hire did not work out.

Here’s a copy of the Oct. 18 e-mail, which Morgan gave to me at a Council workshop Monday night:

“A quick note to let you know that applications from DIMI (Drake Inglesi Milardo Inc.) are now in the hands of Jim Hughes and Kay Loring. They’re meeting tomorrow to bind copies into two books, which will be passed along to councilors over the next few days. I’ve scheduled an executive session for Monday following our workshop. A quick reminder that information about these applications is confidential. Mary, if you feel we need any special instructions about the obligation to keep this info confidential, will you please respond here? Jim Hughes will provide us with the score sheets.”