To the Editor:

I have been dismayed since the beginning of August with the dismal performance of Mary Mayhew, Maine’s Secretary of Health and Human Services.

In particular, she has overseen the demise of free rides to medical appointments for the elderly and disabled who are on MaineCare. She has outsourced our once-local service, which worked well in our part of Maine for many years, to a regional company in Connecticut.

This company is a black hole, swallowing money from Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services while not providing rides.

Here’s the nub of the problem as I understand it. Mayhew pays this company not to give rides. So the more rides they do not give, the more money that company makes.

This strikes me as sheer lunacy. Thus, those who most need help with transportation, have been forced to cancel vital medical appointments or are unable to even get out to buy needed food.

Mayhew claims that she is “studying” the problem. Well, I have also studied the problem, and I have concluded that Mayhew ought to be fired immediately. Then someone who actually cares about Mainers that are not as “wellfavored finacially’’ as she is, be quickly appointed to replace her by Gov. Le- Page.

It is well past time that this disgracetul harm to the poor, sick and elderly of our state to be ended.

Phil Koonce
Bath