Vote Arford

I am writing to encourage residents of House District 49 to elect Poppy Arford to the Maine state legislature.  Poppy has lived and raised her family in Brunswick for 35 years, and is devoted to our community. She will work tirelessly for the best interests of everyone if elected to serve in the House of Representatives.

It goes without saying that we are living through challenging times, especially because of the COVID 19 pandemic. Quality, affordable health care is essential for all Maine people, and Poppy’s highest priority issue is making sure that all citizens can receive the health care they need.  With the Affordable Care Act under attack by the Trump Administration, we need every capable advocate for access to medical care on duty where it counts.

Poppy’s passion for quality health care comes from her own experience.  Some years ago, her husband was seriously ill, and was hospitalized for a month.  Fortunately, the family had good health insurance.  She realized that many families were less fortunate. That experience propelled her into the realm of patient advocacy and led her to becoming a founding member of Maine AllCare, an organization committed to universal access to affordable health care.

Poppy has also worked effectively to protect Maine’s environment.  While on the Brunswick Town Council, she was a leader in creating and strengthening the town-wide recycling program.  She also founded a program for schools and nonprofits in central and mid-coast Maine, ShareCenter, which collects reusable material from the commercial sector and makes it available to educators. She has always been a passionate outdoorswoman, having led wilderness expeditions for Outward Bound early in her career.

Poppy will listen to all constituents and will do what is best for Brunswick and Maine.  Please vote Poppy Arford for House District 49.

Brownie Carson,
Harpswell

Vote Bailey

As a Ward 1 resident and voter, I am casting my vote for Phyllis Bailey for Ward 1 Councilor. Phyllis’s work as a dedicated city councilor for Ward 1 has been well-documented during her term.

I have had the chance to get to know Phyllis this year and watch her work supporting so many different groups here in Bath. She truly cares about people and looks for solutions that will work for all concerns, not just a single group. This type of team effort is so needed when working with this kind of government body structure, Phyllis understands this. In the middle of a pandemic, it is so important to have someone like Phyllis who has the experience needed to help with the day to day struggles of all residents and the understanding of what kind of recovery effort will be needed after.

Phyllis understands that this is not a part-time job as some have suggested. Her tireless efforts are greatly appreciated, as are the goals she has articulated for the city of Bath. Phyllis’s dedication to all residents and being a positive voice for Ward 1 won my support.

I believe she will be a true advocate for ALL residents of Ward 1. I wish her the very best on Nov. 3 and urge my Ward 1 neighbors to cast their vote for Phyllis Bailey for their Ward 1 Councilor.

Vince Bayard,
Bath

Vote Paulhus, Vitelli

The Times Record printed a letter by Bath state Rep. Sean Paulhus a while back, where he congratulated Bath Iron Works on ending the strike. In his letter, he noted the need for better wages and good jobs with strong benefits and security. Those are things still offered by the few unions that have survived the “anti-union” wave started by Ronald Reagan. My dad — a Reagan man — was a union worker, without a college degree, who was able to provide the American dream for his family. We had a nice house with a swimming pool, 100% covered orthodontia for all the kids, great health insurance and a new car every other year (he was proud of his success).

Rep. Paulhus wrote: “It seems clear that both Congress at the federal level and the Legislature here at the state level will need to take action to empower essential workers, especially those in the service and retail sectors, to organize — not just for better pay, but for basic and fair ground rules that ensure they are safe, healthy and able to meet childcare needs. Yes, it would be a big change, but surely a major crisis like COVID requires a robust, no-nonsense response.”

If you value things like a stronger middle class, and Social Security and Medicare in particular, I strongly encourage you to vote Democratic this year, and locally to re-elect Rep. Sean Paulhus and Senator Eloise Vitelli. Did you know that Republicans once strongly denounced both Social Security and Medicare as “socialism” that would ruin our country?

You can thank Democrats for these important programs.

Lorry Fleming,
Bath

Comments are not available on this story.