Vote Yes on Question 2

If we’re going to get our economy moving again, somebody has to start spending money somewhere. It’s that simple.

Question 2 will do that. Developers are ready to move forward in Biddeford with a $120 million entertainment complex, with a harness racetrack, slots and a hotel.

This will help the construction industry because hundreds of workers will be needed to build the facilities. After that, permanent workers will be there to run it. These are people who will spend at local businesses. They’ll buy cars, houses, groceries, whatever. That’s good news for the economy here in southern Maine. We don’t buy into the idea that the crime rate is going to go up because a racino gets built in Biddeford.

We’ll be voting Yes on Question 2, and we hope you will too.

Clayton and Roxanne Barker

Standish

Reelect Tommy Gleason

It’s my pleasure to write in support of Tommy Gleason as he seeks reelection to the Windham Town Council.

He was one of only a few members of the public who regularly attended Council meetings before being elected in 2010.

While serving on the Council he has been a responsible voice for common sense and change in our town government.

Tommy not only asks the hard questions, but works diligently and cooperatively with others in an ongoing attempt to improve our community.

He’s had a thoughtful vision for future planning in Windham that’s been coupled with an ability to address the many current issues facing the Council.

At this critical time in our community’s history, we need his dependable and reasonable presence on the Council.

Please join me in voting for Tommy Gleason so that he may continue to effectively serve us all.

Thank you.

Martin Shuer

Windham

Vote for Patrick Corey

I am writing in support of Patrick Corey’s candidacy for Windham Town Council. I have known Patrick for some time and I find him to be a person of intellect who has a sense of humor and an extremely good grasp of ethical behavior. This is mixed with a desire to learn and research about issues that affect the community. He is not one to just look at the surface of an issue but will dig deeply to find all of the factual information that he can. He is willing to engage in debate of the issues but when all is said and done he does not carry a grudge against those who might disagree with him.

Patrick has a deep sense of commitment to the community and takes pride in calling this community home. He wants to truly represent the people who elect him and has no hidden agendas. He shows his commitment and generosity to the community by volunteering his services in web design, marketing and other skills to the Windham Land Trust and Windham Neighbors Helping Neighbors as well as working with the Windham Historical Society.

As a town councilor Patrick would be honest and forthright and listen to all sides of an issue before coming to a decision and most importantly would listen respectfully to the opinions of the citizens whom he would represent. So let’s elect Patrick Corey for Windham Town Council.

Priscilla Payne

Windham

Vote Yes on Question 2

My life is going to head in one of two directions, depending on the outcome of Question 2 on the ballot in November.

If Mainers approve Question 2, I’ll be getting back into harness racing. I’ve been an owner and a trainer for the past 23 years, and I took some time off recently. With any luck, I’ll be back at the track and out at the agricultural fair circuit.

But if Mainers don’t approve Question 2, I probably won’t be working with racehorses anymore. That’s because harness racing in Maine will not likely survive if we don’t allow the proposed racinos in Biddeford and Washington County.

The ironic thing is that I came to Maine specifically because of the harness racing community. I served as a police officer for 25 years, then I learned the ropes in harness racing at tracks in New Jersey and New York. I saw Maine as a place to relax a little bit, while still earning a living.

Since then, the industry here has gone downhill because the Maine facilities have not been allowed to convert into racinos – racetracks paired with slots parlors. We can change this by voting Yes on Question 2.

Christian Larsen

Windham

Sen. Diamond supports Question 2

I supported the Biddeford Downs proposal earlier this year in the Legislature, and I’ll support Question 2 on Nov. 8.

The project will provide good-paying jobs with benefits, at a time when private investment is sorely needed in our state.

A new hotel, conference center, harness racetrack and slots facility in Biddeford will require hundreds of construction workers, engineers and architects to build. After it’s done, a large staff of full-time and part-time workers will be needed to run the complex.

The creation of jobs is a solid reason to support Question 2. But there is another important piece to this referendum that helped inform my decision: the credibility of the developers.

Ocean Properties Ltd. has teamed up with Scarborough Downs. Their proposal essentially moves and modernizes the Downs to compete on the same level as the harness racing industry in dozens of other states.

Ocean Properties is owned by Bangor native Tom Walsh. He built his company up in the Bangor area in the 1960s, and now Ocean Properties owns hotels across the U.S. and Canada. The company employs more than 1,200 Mainers at its properties in our state, including The Samoset in Rockland.

Scarborough Downs has been the hub of a traditional Maine industry for more than 60 years. It is led by Sharon Terry, who is highly respected in Maine’s business community.

I believe that the Walsh and Terry families, working together, will produce an entertainment complex that is successful and appropriate for Maine. They are prepared to put hundreds of Mainers to work, and I support that effort.

Sen. Bill Diamond

Windham

Civic Center plan ‘just plain wrong’

Over the next few weeks Maine voters will be deluged with radio and TV commercials, print media, direct mailings and Internet contacts touting the advantages or dire consequences associated with a host of statewide referenda.

Along with this barrage of pre-Nov. 8 campaigning Cumberland County taxpayers can add the long-planned final push to convince us that spending nearly $50 million over 25 years on renovating the Cumberland County Civic Center is, in the words of Cumberland County Commission Chair and former Portland mayor Jim Cloutier “vital to our economy, improves our quality of life and assures the future of entertainment in Cumberland County.” I respectfully disagree.

Taxpayers have given the Civic Center over 30 years to get it right and we’re still waiting. This is not to say that the Center has been mismanaged. On the contrary, the building is well run and remains in good repair. The core issue, after years of County life support and subsidies, is it’s time for government to exit the entertainment business and return to governing. Law enforcement, emergency management, the court system and jails provide real quality of life and security to our citizens. These are primary responsibilities of County government. Not hotdogs and hockey.

Citizens, exhausted with bailout fatigue, who voiced concern over this ill-advised extension of public debt and its “vital” economic impact outside the Portland area are dismissed as “just plain wrong.” Armed with no statistical data we are told the “trickle-down” effect is substantial. We have been “trickled” on before and we can’t take anymore.

The primary argument in defense of the renovation has been by doing nothing the Center will deteriorate and become, in the words of Center trustee Chairman Neal Pratt, “an albatross,” costing taxpayers more money in the end. On many occasions I questioned the extent of efforts to examine other options. Can we sell the building? Can we give it to the City of Portland, who donated the prime 4-acre parcel in the first place? Have we actively marketed the property, locally and nationally, to determine interest and value? Each time there was a less-than-robust response. There could be possible legal issues with the city’s gift. Some internal discussions were held at one time. Demolition costs, again undocumented, could be in the millions.

I pressed Mr. Pratt on this question at the Raymond Select board meeting, chaired by Joe Bruno, Raymond selectman and CC trustee, on Oct. 11. My simple inquiry was this: What is the appraised value of the land and building? The Center is a government-owned building and may not have an assessed value. Basic due diligence requires either figure. To my surprise, Mr. Pratt could not give me the answer. He did not know. Try getting a personal home improvement loan without an appraisal! It is apparent that no other options were examined by the trustees, Task Force or Building Committee, dominated by former Portland mayors, city managers and finance directors. No hard data was collected or serious studies conducted.

The facts are these. The Civic Center costs us money, $600,000 in the County budget alone. This is true now and will be the case in the future. There is no sound documentation that the Center is “vitally” important to the economic health of the outlying communities. Augusta and Bangor Civic Centers are owned by the cities, not the counties. Continuing the tax burden on the less-fortunate in our county, whether in Portland, Westbrook or Raymond, in these tough financial times is “just plain wrong.” Assuring entertainment in Cumberland County, or anywhere else, is not the business of government and is better left to the private sector. The State Theater revival and the planned Thompson’s Point Forefront project are recent examples.

Think of what else we could do with this $50 million investment. Or better yet, how about some tax relief as we have done in Raymond in the last two budgets?

We will soon be flooded by an onslaught of commercials funded by former City Manager and CC trustee John Menario’s “ Citizens for a Modern Civic Center” $85,000 political action committee. $35,000 of these dollars came from the CC trustees. Please resist! Renovating the Civic Center is not a good or bad idea, just not the best idea. Send this proposal back for a better idea by voting “No.” The taxpayer deserves no less.

Charles Leavitt

Raymond Selectman

Think twice before ?voting yes

Citizens of Bridgton, I first would like to make it clear that I am writing as a citizen of Bridgton. I have been reading over the Quitclaim Deed for Pondicherry Park. I must say that I have some serious concerns and encourage you to read up on this before stepping into the ballot box on Nov. 8.

Any improvements that we want or need to make to Pondicherry Park that require state, federal, or municipal permits and approval we would have to provide copies of these to LEA. This could get expensive over time. This is in point No. 1.

We would be required to restore native species and wildlife habitat as well as maintain views. We would be responsible for the removal of all invasive plant and insect species, whether it be in water, land, or trees. This is in section 5.

LEA would be allowed to hold fundraisers and make a profit on the Pondicherry Park even though it would be owned by the town. This would not be right as they no longer own it.

Section 6 it talks about abutters lands and waste disposal and what is stored on these lands. We would no longer be able to keep the salt shed for the town where it is because the town is an abutter. We also would not be able to dispose of snow there during the winter months like we have for the past several years.

Go to www.bridgtonmaine.org for more information.

Peter Morrison

Bridgton

Rosenblatt for County Commissioner

I would like to urge the voters to elect Annalee Rosenblatt for the office of County Commissioner in District 1, which encompasses Scarborough, Gorham, Standish, Sebago, Baldwin, Bridgton and Harrison.

As a County Commissioner, she will be involved with the budgets and policies of several departments: the Sheriff’s Office, the DA’s Office, Registry of Deeds, Registry of Probate, Emergency Communications and the Emergency Management Agency.

Some of my experience with Annalee involves her work on the Scarborough Board of Education (Chair), where she thoroughly combed through budgets to find savings to help find funding for technology programs. She also has an extensive background as a small business owner, a County and Municipal management consultant for many years including Cumberland County, and member of the Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce. Annalee’s impressive resume includes a Master’s Degree in Education, and she has the background credentials needed to serve as our County Commissioner. Her service experience includes-

Scarborough Chamber of Commerce – Past President

Scarborough Kiwanis- Executive Board Member

Scarborough 350th Committee- Former Chair

National Public Employer Labor Relations Association- Past President

Board of Arbitration and Conciliation- Former Management Member

State Civil Service Appeals Board- Former Chair

American Business Womens Association- Former Chair

Youth Alternatives Association- Former Chair

Girl Scout Leader

Junior Achievement Mentor in Scarborough and South Portland Middle Schools

While this particular election is non-partisan, Annalee is a registered Republican. As former chair of the Cumberland County Republican Committee and current chair of the Scarborough Republican Committee, she has been involved locally and at the county level. She is the only Republican candidate for County Commissioner on the ballot.

As a fiscal conservative, Annalee Rosenblatt will carefully allocate our tax dollars. I am confident that she will serve the citizens of Cumberland County with pride and professionalism. Of note, Annalee is not supportive of the proposed $33 million in public taxpayer money to renovate the Portland Civic Center.

On Nov. 8, please join me in supporting Annalee ROSENBLATT for County Commissioner.

Heather Sirocki, ?State Representative

District 128 (Scarborough)