Letters to the editor: Election endorsements and denouncements

On Thelander’s conspiracies

I am writing in response to the top story in Friday’s Times Record (“Thelander says touting fringe myths was a mistake”).

Given how “out there” the rumors were, and how they were accepted and repeated by Mr. Thelander, my reaction is to say how glad I am to have Rep. Pingree as my voice in Congress. I was appalled by the obvious falsity of the stories about students dressing as cats and having litter boxes provided for them by the school and of the “Cat Lady of BIW” and of voter fraud in Bridgton. By his own admission, none of these fever dreams can be verified. This would be laughable on its face except that certain right-wing figures use such fictions to enrage their “base.” Alex Jones has learned this recently and I’m sure he would say “touting fringe myths was a mistake,” too.

I would ask anyone thinking of voting for Mr. Thelander to consider the impact of having someone as gullible and as impulsive as him involved with creating and voting on laws that govern our lives and society. These kinds of outbursts may titillate and motivate a small fraction of the voters here, but it is a display of very poor judgement to repeat them thinking that they will resonate with most Congressional District 1 voters.

Mr. Thelander, I would suggest that you return to your small business in Bristol and leave the serious work of legislating to cooler and more level heads.

Thomas Walling,
Bowdoinham

Linda Baker for Legislature

I will vote for Linda Baker to represent Topsham in the Maine House, and you should, too.

During the past year, I have grown to know Linda as an intelligent, compassionate and tireless advocate for Topsham and Maine. She represented this area in the state Senate serving on the Insurance and Finance Services Committee. She will approach the budget with experienced common sense, knowing that budgeting is much more than just cutting taxes. She totally advocates for policies that support our fishing and forest industries. She served as chair on the Joint Marine Resources Committee.

As a teacher with more than 30 years’ experience, she knows the value of parents and will support policies that give voice to those parents in the education of their children. She is a strong supporter and advocate for our first responders and will support programs and policies that better serve our veterans, police and fire fighters.

Linda is running as a Republican, but her heart, soul, and partisanship is for the best interests of the people of Topsham. She will not be a rubber stamp for her party and believes that your representatives should fully read and understand bills before voting on them. When the interests of Topsham are at stake Linda will cross party lines and work to get the job done which she did as our Senator and will do as our Representative. Linda Baker has the knowledge, experience, and integrity to best represent Topsham in the Maine House. Vote for her!

Dan Konieczko,Topsham

Hepler for re-election

I strongly recommend your vote for Allison Hepler in the coming election. I worked directly with Allison on the Popham Beach Boardwalk and Accessibility Mat project. I have never been so impressed with a representative.

She was directly involved in helping us navigate the government system from proposal to completion, approximately 3 years. All along, she informed us of the most effective way and time to reach the people who were making the decisions, upcoming hearings, budget and agenda items, and when we needed to appear at hearings. Allison, herself, was tirelessly contacting people and promoting the project. I have found out she has been personally involved in more projects in our communities than I can count. She and her husband put in untold hours volunteering on the Virginia ship project, as well as appearing at every community function that came along.

Her personality is even and incredibly positive. She truly wants to not only lead our district into the future, but also be part of the effort in every way. Her communication was excellent. I received email or text responses within the day, if not hour. I can’t remember many weeks that I didn’t see her in the paper attending a local function or fundraiser, but not just in name or presence — she is never afraid to pitch in and get her hands dirty! Please don’t miss a chance to vote for Allison Hepler for District 49!

Margaret Mullin,
Phippsburg

Vitelli for Maine Senate

There are many reasons to vote to return Eloise Vitelli to the Maine Senate for District 24. One is that we can all applaud her for is her very personal commitment to making sure we protect Maine fields, forests, farms, lakes and ocean. Vitelli has sponsored legislation to do just that by transitioning to green, renewable energy which will make electric rates more affordable, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Sen. Vitelli shares our concerns about PFAS contamination of Maine soil and has supported efforts to clean up high-risk sites. She has sponsored legislation to build a reliable, modern grid that optimizes energy derived from wind and solar power. Sen. Vitelli said, “We must come together to: reduce, reuse and recycle, especially non-renewables like plastics.” We are fortunate in District 24 to have many grocery stores which recycle plastic film to protect our ocean and rivers.

Please get your absentee ballot from your town hall and vote for Eloise Vitelli to keep Maine beautiful, safe, healthy, and sustainable for our children and grandchildren.

Margaret Leitch Copeland,
Bath

Damage of election denial

Maine has two election deniers running to be elected on Nov. 8, Paul LePage and Bruce Poliquin (from “The Washington Post” with the motto Democracy Dies in Darkness).The motto is worth repeating because in typical American Democracy fashion, the efforts to see if Bruce Poliquin’s and Paul Lepage’s Big Lie (that duly elected President Biden actually lost in 2020) have been robust, honest, trustworthy and sound. Not a scintilla of evidence has been found to support the Big Lie allegations. Billions have been spent in the effort to investigate.Bruce Poliquin and Paul Lepage now must own the Big Lie as their own Big Lie – forget about the fiercely self-absorbed (to the point of delusion) guy who thought it up in the first place.This letter is for every town clerk, poll watcher, election clerk, volunteer who has stayed up until 2 AM counting votes, recounting as necessary, so that voters can trust the credibility of the process and know their votes would prevail. Those folks keep the light that prevents Democracy from dying in darkness. Poliquin and LePage who ignore the profound honesty and credibility of all who investigated The Big Lie and showed it to be just that, do not.

Susan Cook,
Bath

Building in hurricane zones

I applaud columnist David Treadwell’s advocating that we all should put more effort into taking care of each other. I thought his choosing to make the damage caused by Hurricane Ian the center of his column was misguided. We need to stop building and living in coastal flood zones. It is a certainty that they will be subject to storm damage. Insurance companies have broken the code. The rest of us should as well.

Douglas Robb,
Bath

The specter of Paul LePage

This Halloween, the scariest thing facing Maine voters is the idea of Paul LePage back in the Blaine House. The repeal of Roe v. Wade sent shockwaves across the country. In a televised congressional debate between Chellie Pingree and Ed Thelander, Pingree reminded Maine voters that if LePage and the Republicans take control of the Maine Senate and Legislature, “Maine would become Alabama tomorrow.”

Janet Mills will continue the fight for women’s’ reproductive autonomy. Mills is Maine’s safeguard, protecting women now and in the future.

Paul LePage supports “Maine Right to Life,” which aims to turn pregnancy into punishment. With inflation and other equity issues impacting the lives of Maine women, we need Janet Mills more than ever. This November vote for Janet Mills for Governor. If Maine turns into Alabama that would be a nightmare.

Marianne O’Connor,
Lisbon Falls

Cluchey for State Rep.

I am writing in support of Sally Cluchey for State Representative in House District 52 (Bowdoin, Bowdoinham and Richmond).

As a public school teacher, I can tell you that the past few years have been particularly challenging. Teachers work hard to provide a safe environment for their students while also planning engaging lessons. School teachers have the honor to educate children and help them grow into future citizens. Sally understands this and that educators have their students’ best interests in everything they do.

Through it all, Sally has been a strong advocate for schools, students, and teachers. She knows that teachers are professionals, and she honors their hard work. Her preparation, organization, and voice of calm in often uncivil debates has been encouraging for educators. Standing up for these important principles provides needed support for education.

I have seen all of these things firsthand while witnessing her advocacy at school board meetings, when she is cultivating support in the parent group at Bowdoinham Community School, and when she is an active parent working with teachers in partnership.

We are fortunate to have Sally running for Legislature and I know she will represent us well in Augusta. Please learn about her and join me in voting for Sally Cluchey on (or before) Nov. 8!

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