Shed for Brunswick Council write-in
Brunswick’s District 6 has the good fortune of having several write-in candidates vying for election to Town Council. I have voted for Nathaniel Shed and commend his qualifications to other voters.
I am always seeking a representative who will exercise due diligence, who will look behind the glossy claims and seemingly reasonable numbers, to flesh out a fuller picture. I believe Nathaniel Shed will think through complex issues and will influence his colleagues on the Council to make informed decisions.
I encourage voters who want to elect an active problem solver who will work to benefit District 6 and to advance the well-being of the entire Brunswick community to write in Nathaniel Shed for District 6.
Claudia Knox,
Brunswick
If you’ve not yet voted, I ask you to consider writing in Nathaniel Shed as your choice for District 6 Town Councilor. As you probably know, there is no candidate listed on the ballot because the incumbent, who was unopposed, withdrew her name too close to the filing deadline for anyone to replace her on the ballot.I’ve known Nathaniel (“Nat”) for some years and know that he has the experience to represent District 6 well. In his professional life, he spent 30 years as a nonprofit executive in Maine and has held positions on nonprofit and public school boards. He knows his way around organizational budgeting and finances.Nathaniel will bring that experience to good use on the town council. He will listen carefully to different sides of issues and ask questions to understand people’s concerns. He has a commitment to the creation of affordable housing and improving local responses to climate change. Having worked with children’s organizations, he supports funding for early childhood and public education. I know that he will represent District 6 well while taking a balanced, common-sense approach to overall town issues.Please join me in voting for Nathaniel Shed. To vote for Nathaniel, be sure to fill in the oval beside the District 6 Town Council slot and print the name “Nathaniel Shed” on the blank line. It will take a little extra effort to cast your vote for Nathaniel, but it will be worth your while.
Margo Knight,
Brunswick
Save Maquoit Bay
Maquoit Bay is an integral part of the culture of Brunswick. It currently shows signs of being less then healthy. If the out of state developer who recently purchased the triangle of woods between Mere Point, Rossmore and Maqouit roads, is allowed to develop his plan of over 800 units, it will negatively impact the bay as well as destroy a beautiful tract of land home to many animals and hiking trails.
Pleases contact your town councilor and urge them not to allow this development. We do not need another moratorium on building in this area, we need a decision. A decision to protect this parcel of land that was once deemed coastal protection would be a positive move for the town of Brunswick and the bay. Join us at the town meeting on Nov. 7 to show your support against this development.
Merry Harkins,
Brunswick
The health of Maquoit Bay is at risk. The bay suffered a devastating shellfish kill in 1988; luckily, it recovered, and the livelihoods of our shellfish harvesters were preserved. While measures were taken to protect against future kills, a more limited die off occurred this past summer, a warning that more must be done to protect the bay.
At the same time, plans are in the works for a large development – hundreds of homes – in the Maquoit Bay watershed. I urge the Town Council to enact a moratorium on development in the watershed. Time is needed to ensure that new development does not contribute polluted run off to the bay. Maquoit Bay is a natural asset to our town and it is up to us to ensure that it’s benefits are available to future generations.
Anne Hayden,
Brunswick
How to pick a governor when both are likely to hurt tribes
This year, more than any vote I have ever cast, I am struggling to choose which gubernatorial candidate to select on the ballot. It feels ethically wrong to choose either candidate because both have continued the Maine governors’ tradition of mercilessly undermining the most basic rights of our Wabanaki neighbors — peace and sovereignty — even when that hinderance hurts every other Mainer as well.
If you all recall, Mills was LePage’s attorney general, and one of the standout things Paul LePage and Janet Mills have done as a team is fight the Penobscot Nation on rights to include the river in their reservation. Yes, the river that is named after the tribe (and not the other way around – please be clear), they say isn’t a part of that tribe’s territory. And what is the crux of the issue? The tribe’s desire to have the river cleaned up. How many millions have been spent and continue to be spent on litigation instead of on cleaning up the toxic waste in Maine’s largest river?
And that is just one case. Our state spends millions of taxpayer dollars each year litigating against the tribes’ efforts on issues that most Mainers would love to see implemented – salmon running up the rivers again, the ability to eat the fish in those waters, having people experienced on the land helping make forest and wildlife management decisions. But rather than moving these efforts forward together, we waste money on litigation and building our walls higher and higher against our neighbors. I look at both candidates and am at a loss for the lesser evil.
So, I ask the two candidates, which one of you is going to break this cycle of hurting us all by hurting the tribes? Which one of you will finally stand up for sovereignty so that we can all stand in solidarity for what is good for Maine and the land? Which one of you has a heart stronger than all these generations of hate?
Nikkilee Cataldo,
Brunswick
Get informed, get voting
I’m a Bowdoin College student, born and raised in Woolwich. I believe that it is imperative that young people in our Maine communities vote and recognize the importance of educating themselves on local and national politics.
The decisions of my generation will shape our future, so we must get involved at the grassroots to champion the causes we are most passionate about and to support the candidates that also feel devoted to similar issues. We as a people get to decide what is “right” and “wrong” for our state and our nation. We cannot shy away from using our voices, for we are the cogs that make the clock of the nation operate.
The definition of democracy, quoted by Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address, is a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Young people should understand that despite their age, they are “the people” and have every right to participate in the decisions that will change their present and future as much as anyone else. So, I encourage all people, regardless of age, to vote in this crucial election on Nov. 8.
Eliza Schotten,
Woolwich
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