The easiest way for a candidate to become Maine’s next governor is to convince voters that all their troubles are somebody else’s fault. That’s the legacy of current governor, Republican Paul LePage, whose boogeymen are welfare recipients and immigrants, and President Donald Trump, who blames everything on immigrants and the news media. In the opinions […]

A few weeks ago, as the country marked the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, I gained a deeper realization that the civil rights leaders and protesters of the 1950s and 1960s were true American heroes. That “greatest generation” of civil rights fighters were just as brave, just as disciplined […]

Each year, we give our proposed Portland Public Schools school budget a name. This year, the title for our 2018-2019 budget proposal is “Portland Public Schools at a Crossroads.” That title underscores that we in the Portland community face a clear choice. Do we support our current school system’s needs in the face of what […]

Watching the recent televised Democratic gubernatorial debate I was struck by the wealth of experience and expertise on display. But I was even more impressed by their commitment to the vision that we Mainers are “in this together,” and that investing in Mainers is the path to a prosperous state. While watching I found myself […]

The credibility of the Falmouth Town Council needs careful examination. We have watched our neighbors’ vain attempts to bring reason to the council’s decision-making process. The latest issue concerns “contract zoning.” Councilors clearly favor their own opinions over those of Falmouth citizens. The development of the plan to improve Route 100 was led by Andrea […]

How about building an 80-foot dock in Portland’s Back Cove that leads to a 900-square-foot floating platform with walls that raise and lower with the tides? Nothing if not clever if it works, right? I’m all for it. The Portland nonprofit TEMPOart has proposed commissioning Massachusetts artist Matthew Mazzotta to do just that: design and […]

The legal mess engulfing ranked-choice voting will continue to slosh around the state’s political digestive system for some time. But regardless of how it comes out, you’ll get to vote on the issue in June. In a perfect world, you’d find a question on your ballot that reads something like this: “Do you favor allowing […]

The backers of ranked-choice voting promised that the novel system would bring nicer candidates, each contestant hoping to be the voters’ second choice if the contest went to a second or third round. The theory goes, they wouldn’t want to alienate supporters of the other candidates. But the Democratic primary for governor has not played […]

It seems the mentally ill are the latest victims of gun-control enthusiasts who, in their haste to name, blame and shame, are grasping at straws to eradicate mass shootings. Around the country, state legislatures are considering “red-flag” bills that would allow governments to confiscate guns from people who are deemed a threat to themselves or […]

In October 2016, I wrote, “the general goal of proficiency-based education is to ensure that students acquire the knowledge and skills that are deemed to be essential to be college or career ready. Even if the statute did not exist, our goal would be the same.” When writing it, I had no idea how accurately […]