Vote Berry
The successful effort to bring high-speed internet service to Bowdoinham’s unserved areas was a long effort that involved a large number of committed citizens. Unfortunately, Peter “Tony” Lewis, in his run for the State Legislature, is claiming a primary role in this effort. While Tony was a part of the original ad hoc committee that got things started, much of the leg work was done by Bowdoinham’s Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) who picked up the effort in 2015 after the ad hoc committee disbanded. CDAC interviewed numerous service providers, mapped the unserved households, and moved the project to completion. I serve as chairperson of CDAC and don’t remember seeing Tony at any of those meetings.
A team of people went out to collect signatures door to door to document support for the project when the town submitted a ConnectMe grant. Tony was just one of many who helped collect signatures.
Thanks to this army of people, the final houses in our unserved area were connected this summer. It is a lifeline for those who have children attending school over the internet, elders who need to meet remotely with their medical team, and folks who want to stay connected with the world during the shutdown. Social distancing has made this service more important than ever!
I am very proud to have been a part of this effort, and am grateful to all who made it possible.
Because of the many ways in which Seth Berry has served our community, I plan to vote for him for the State Legislature. He was a founder of the Broadband Caucus in the Legislature, supported repeated funding for ConnectMe grants, is an advocate for sustainable energy, and responds quickly to constituent needs. He has been and will continue to be an excellent State Representative
Wendy Rose,
Bowdoinham
Vote Arford
Rosalie Paul’s letter supporting Fred Horch for the legislature says that he “is free to act on his skills and experience without having to repay the contributions of corporations or party” (The Times Record, Letters to the Editor, Oct. 15.)
This statement overlooks the fact that Mr. Horch is the Maine Green Independent Party candidate and is not a so-called independent or unenrolled candidate. I checked out the Maine Green Independent Party website and it is clearly a party like the Democrats or Republicans, with an elaborate set of processes and a fairly long platform.
If Mr. Horch doesn’t have to repay contributions, that is because of the clean election law. The law was enacted in 1996 as a citizen initiative. Democrats have fought off attempts to repeal it ever since.
To have their voices heard and acted upon in the House of Representatives, the voters of Legislative District 49 should elect Poppy Arford, a Democrat and Clean Election Candidate, as their Representative.
Charlie Priest,
Brunswick
Vote Meunier
I am pleased that Yvette Meunier is a candidate for Select Board in Topsham and this a wonderful opportunity for our community to elect a smart and passionate leader to represent the citizens of Topsham. Yvette has the career public service experience, education, communication, and organization skills that drive positive results. She has been a Topsham representative to the Brunswick & Topsham Water District board of trustees for seven years and has made many positive contributions to the district in that time as a board member. She worked with the Water District to implement solar power at the District’s facilities to save thousands of dollars per year for all district customers. Yvette provided leadership and expertise for recent solar power implementation in the town of Topsham, which will save the town taxpayers about $38,000 per year over the next 20 years and lead the creation of our new energy committee in Topsham.
Yvette is also an advocate for her Topsham Heights neighborhood and strongly supports more affordable housing and responsible financial management of town government. She will balance the needs of our neighborhoods and support our recently adopted Comprehensive Plan Update, which promotes more open governance and transparency, environmental sustainability, protection of Topsham’s rural character, and improving street safety.
I think it’s rare to find a volunteer with Yvette’s skills, experience, and drive to improve our local community. She would be an excellent Select Board representative for Topsham. Please consider voting for Yvette Meunier on Nov. 3.
Daniel J Flaig Jr,
Topsham
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
