#2023-November-ballot

• Communication, transparency, honesty and integrity will be the foundation of my work

  Wed, 11/15/2023 - 2:30pm

  Thank you to all the voters who came out last Tuesday and elected me to serve on the Thomaston Select Board. I am deeply humbled and grateful for your support. But whether you voted for me or not I want you to know that I will serve you the best that I can. I will listen to your concerns and try my hardest to follow up on each phone call, text, or email. My campaign would not have been possible without the help of many friends and neighbors who canvassed door to door, displayed yard signs on...

• Union voters approve path forward to save Thompson Community Center, seek developers for senior housing

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 11:30pm

  

  UNION – A large majority of voters approved a path forward to find a developer to create senior housing in part of the Thompson Community Center building, adjust zoning to allow this housing, and use Tax Increment Financing for rehabilitation of the remainder of the Community Center. Voters narrowly defeated an article that would have authorized the Select Board to dispose of the entire Community Center property. The Community Center, commonly referred to as the ‘brick building,’ was built in...

• Central Maine Power releases statement on Maine Ballot Question 3

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 11:00pm

  AUGUSTA — The following statement was issued just after 10 p.m. Nov. 7 by Avangrid, owner of Central Maine Power, as election results predicted that Question 3 to create a consumer-owned utility, Pine Tree Power, would be rejected by Maine voters. “Fifty years ago, in 1973, voters in Maine soundly rejected a proposal to seize Maine’s electric grid and replace it with a political board. Maine voters have once again overwhelmingly rejected this idea. Next year...
• Constitutional amendment

  How Knox and Waldo counties voted on Question 5: changing timeline for checking written petition validity

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 11:00pm

  

  Knox and Waldo County voters have mixed opinions of statewide Question 3, “Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to change the time period for judicial review of the validity of written petitions from within 100 days from the date of filing to within 100 business days from the date of filing of a written petition in the office of the Secretary of State, with an exception for petitions filed within 30 calendar days before or after a general election?”

• RSU 40 $81 million bond fails at the polls

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 10:45pm

  Regional School District 40, comprising K-12 public schools for students from Friendship, Union, Waldoboro, Warren and Washington, asked voters Nov. 7 to approve an $81 million spending package. The voters declined the request, 4,166 to 1,370. Projects included in the proposed funding package were MVHS renovations, such as a new $9 million front entry addition, and investing in energy efficiency upgrades and maintenance plans at all of six elementary, middle and high schools. Objectives laid...

• UPDATE: Camden and Rockport voters approve spending $1.9 million for heating/cooling repairs at elementary school

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 10:45pm

  

  Camden and Rockport voters overwhelmingly approved a $1.9 million bond proposal for School Administrative District 28 (Camden-Rockport K-8 schools). This article has been updated following the Town of Rockport correction to the number of ballots cast in opposition to the measure, from 33 to 333. Camden voted 1,780 in favor and 417 against, while Rockport voted 1,024 in favor and 333 against the article, which read: “Do you favor authorizing the School Board of Maine School...

• Knox and Waldo County voters approve Maine Question 2: Banning foreign entities from influencing candidate, ballot questions

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 10:45pm

  

  Knox and Waldo County voters favor the Citizen Initiative Question 2, “Do you want to ban foreign governments and entities that they own, control, or influence from making campaign contributions or financing communications for or against candidates or ballot questions?”
• Citizen initiative

  Knox and Waldo County voters overwhelmingly support Question 4: standardizing auto diagnostic systems

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 10:30pm

  

  Knox and Waldo County voters are approving the Citizen Initiative Question 4, “Do you want to require vehicle manufacturers to standardize on-board diagnostic systems and provide remote access to those systems and mechanical data to owners and independent repair facilities”
• Citizen initiative

  How Knox and Waldo counties voted on Maine Question 1: electric utilities, debt

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 10:15pm

  

  Voters in Knox and Waldo counties are favoring Citizen Initiative Question 1, “Do you want to bar some quasi-governmental entities and all consumer-owned electric utilities from taking on more than $1 billion in debt unless they get statewide voter approval?” Waldo County voted ???? to approve/defeat the same statewide question.
• Citizens initiative

  Knox and Waldo County voters oppose Question 3: Do you want to create a new power company governed by an elected board

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 10:15pm

  

  Knox and Waldo County voters are helping to defeat the statewide Citizen Initiative Question 3, “Do you want to create a new power company governed by an elected board to acquire and operate existing for-profit electricity transmission and distribution facilities in Maine?”

• How Knox and Waldo counties voted on Question 7: Petition circulators and federal decision

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 10:15pm

  

  Knox and Waldo County voters are giving a thumbs down to Citizen Initiative Question 7, “Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to remove a provision requiring a circulator of a citizen's initiative or people's veto petition to be a resident of Maine and a registered voter in Maine, requirements that have been ruled unconstitutional in federal court?”
• constitutional amendment

  How Knox and Waldo counties are voting on Question 8: Remove provision prohibiting person under guardianship for reasons of mental illness from voting

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 9:30pm

  

  Knox and Waldo County voters are weighing in on Citizen Initiative Question 8, “Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to remove a provision prohibiting a person under guardianship for reasons of mental illness from voting for Governor, Senators and Representatives, which the United States District Court for the District of Maine found violates the United States Constitution and federal law?”
• Constitutional amendment

  How Knox and Waldo counties voted on Question 6: Printing all provisions of Constitution

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 9:15pm

  

  Knox and Waldo County voters are weighing in on Citizen Initiative Question 6, “Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to require that all of the provisions of the Constitution be included in the official printed copies of the Constitution prepared by the Secretary of State?”

• Rockland elects Nathan Davis and Kaitlin Callahan to City Council

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 8:30pm

  

  ROCKLAND – Rockland voters have elected Kaitlin Callahan and Nathan Davis to the Rockland City Council. Four candidates competed for two open seats on the Council, with both seats representing three-year terms. Those running for office were Adam Ackor, Callahan, Davis and Louise MacLellan. Votes were: Adam Ackor, 806 Nathan Davis, 1,253 Kaitlin Callahan, 1,255 Louise MacLellan, 473 Total number of voters, 2,161

• Camden approves zoning amendments to encourage housing, adopts pier regulations

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 8:30pm

  

  CAMDEN – On Nov. 7, Camden voters approved town-wide zoning changes to encourage housing development and approved new regulations for structures including piers and land-attached floats in the outer harbor. Changes to the Town Charter relating to the budget process were approved . Voters also approved the $1.9 million SAD 28 (K-8 schools) bond issue for replacement of heating and cooling systems at the elementary school, due to failure of the existing geothermal system. To...
• letter to the editor

  Louise says thank you

  Tue, 11/07/2023 - 6:45pm

  It’s a crazy time in our world. Whatever happens on Tuesday, I am at peace. Win or not, nothing will really change for me. I will remain an active participant in the Rockland community. Creating events like Name Tag Day, volunteer appreciations, organizing coastal clean-ups and cookouts, supporting our veterans and first responders, and continued work on the Rockland Harbor Trail foot by foot. And more. I will continue to support AIO, St. Bernard’s and other non-profits that attend to basic...
• letter to the editor

  Quality Senior Housing in Union

  Mon, 11/06/2023 - 8:15pm

  ATTENTION ALL QUALITY SENIOR HOUSING DEVELOPERS! The Town of Union is intent on attracting your senior housing project expertise to the redevelopment of the yellow school building on Common Road. How do I know? The Select Board and the Thompson Community Center Working Group are openly displaying this objective by seeking Union citizens’ nod of approval on Articles 2, 3, 4 and 5. What do the articles offer? Article 2 commits to senior housing and cooperative negotiation. Article 3 assures...

• On the issues: Rockland City Council Candidate Adam Ackor

  Mon, 11/06/2023 - 5:45pm

  

  Four candidates are competing for two open seats on the Rockland City Council, with elections set for Nov. 7. Both seats represent three-year terms. Those running for office are Adam Ackor, Nathan Davis, Kaitlin Callahan and Louise MacLellan. Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their positions on issues. Here, candidate Adam Ackor responds:...

• On the issues: Thomaston Select Board Candidate Kimberly Matthews

  Mon, 11/06/2023 - 5:45pm

  

  Two candidates are competing for one open seat on the Thomaston Select Board, with elections set for Nov. 7. The seat represent a one-year term. Those running for office are Patricia Hubbard and Kimberly Matthews. Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their positions on issues. Here, Candidate Kimberly Matthews responds: Please provide a concise biography of yourself. When I...

• On the issues: Rockland City Council Candidate Nathan Davis

  Mon, 11/06/2023 - 5:45pm

  

  Four candidates are competing for two open seats on the Rockland City Council, with elections set for Nov. 7. Both seats represent three-year terms. Those running for office are Adam Ackor, Nathan Davis, Kaitlin Callahan and Louise MacLellan. Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their positions on issues. Here, candidate Nathan Davis responds:...

• On the issues: Rockland City Council Candidate Kaitlin Callahan

  Mon, 11/06/2023 - 5:45pm

  

  Four candidates are competing for two open seats on the Rockland City Council, with elections set for Nov. 7. Both seats represent three-year terms. Those running for office are Adam Ackor, Nathan Davis, Kaitlin Callahan and Louise MacLellan. Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their positions on issues. Here, candidate Kaitlin Callahan responds...

• On the issues: Thomaston Select Board Candidate Patricia Hubbard

  Mon, 11/06/2023 - 5:45pm

  

  Two candidates are competing for one open seat on the Thomaston Select Board, with elections set for Nov. 7. The seat represents a one-year term. Those running for office are Patricia Hubbard and Kimberly Matthews. Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their positions on issues. Here, Candidate Patricia Hubbard responds: Please provide a concise biography of yourself. Maine...
• opinion

  Pine Tree Power will empower us

  Mon, 11/06/2023 - 8:45am

  

  Before moving to Camden, I spent 40-some years of reporting and editing about international energy issues. One thing I didn’t hear much about over those decades was the “customer base” of the big companies I covered, from oil majors like ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco to electric utilities such as Spain’s Iberdrola and its U.S. counterparts. Such firms don’t know or care – or talk to journalists -- about their customers. They know about commodity markets, big investors, and Wall Street analysts...
• opinion

  A (shorter) guide to Question 3

  Mon, 11/06/2023 - 8:15am

  

  In my (admittedly short) career as a journalist, I have never had as many conversations about a single topic as I have on Question 3 , the referendum on this year’s ballot asking Mainers whether they want to replace Maine’s two investor-owned utilities with Pine Tree Power, a nonprofit that would consist of an elected and appointed board, support staff, and a private third-party company managing daily operations of the grid. This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor...

• A Q&A on Question 3, the Pine Tree Power referendum

  Mon, 11/06/2023 - 8:00am

  

  Question 3 proposes replacing Maine’s two investor-owned utility companies — Central Maine Power and Versant Power — with a new company called Pine Tree Power. Pine Tree Power would be run by a 13-member board, staff to support them, and a private third-party operator they would hire to manage the day-to-day operations of the grid.

• Mayor and councilor elections on Belfast’s municipal ballot Nov. 7

  Sat, 11/04/2023 - 9:00pm

  

  BELFAST — All but the mayoral race are uncontested in upcoming Belfast elections Nov. 7. There are four races for elected office for the city government and one for the RSU 71 school board on the ballot. Incumbent Mayor Eric Sanders and Elvis Robbins are running for mayor. Incumbent Brenda Bonneville is running unopposed for Ward 3 Councilor. Christopher Bitely is running unopposed for Ward 4 Councilor. Mike Hurley, former Belfast mayor for three-terms and former Councilor...

• Union’s Thompson Center redevelopment on Nov. 7 ballot

  Thu, 11/02/2023 - 12:00pm

  

  UNION – Town officials have placed on the Nov. 7 municipal ballot a group of articles they hope will give voters the opportunity to either save or sell the town-owned Thompson Community Center property. Voters will also decide on a RSU 40 ballot request for approval to issue up to $81 million in bonds for capital improvement projects. The improvements may include, but are not limited to listed improvements to all seven schools for: heating and ventilation, safety and security...
• Letter to the editor

  Easy math, folks

  Sat, 10/28/2023 - 8:30pm

  Some facts regarding Question 3 on the upcoming Maine ballot The proposed decision makers of PTP will be elected officials. Once again NO DIRECT EXPERIENCE IN RUNNING AN ELECTRICAL UTILITY. The $13 billion price tag that CMP and Versant have established as a buyout is a price that will have to be paid for and passed directly onto Maine residents. A lower btu cost does not necessarily guarantee a lower bill once transmission and distribution are included. $13,000,000,000... that's a lot of zeros...
• letter to the editor

  Union citizens, please consider all the information before you vote 

  Tue, 10/24/2023 - 7:00pm

  Before I write this letter I want to point out that I am a member of the TCC working group and a member of the Thompson Memorial Association. I am writing as a citizen of Union and not as a member of either group. I don’t want the voters to be deceived and I want them to know the truth as I know it. If you as a citizen of Union are thinking of voting no on article 2-5 and voting yes on Article 6 because you have heard that we can have a brand new Community Center on the old BM Clark property...
• letter to the editor

  Support Pine Tree Power for Maine’s economic future

  Tue, 10/24/2023 - 7:00pm

  I plan to vote yes on No. 3, the Pine Tree Power Project, and urge other voters to do the same. I have listened to the arguments on all sides and believe that this initiative is our best opportunity to reduce power bills, increase grid reliability and ensure a future proof grid. I encourage you to go to the website, PineTreePower.org, to read the detailed plan and analyses of the proposal. Daily glossy mailings from CMP aside, this is a well thought out plan with significant expert support...
• letter to the editor

  What Rockland needs

  Tue, 10/24/2023 - 9:00am

  I am writing today in support of Kaitlin Callahan for Rockland City Council. As someone who lives and works in Rockland, it is obvious that someone like Kaitlin is needed to help support this community. I began my career in social services in 2018 and have worked in Rockland for the entirety of that time. Through this work, I have met many amazing people who share my passion for serving this community. Though we have not worked for the same organizations, Kaitlin’s name is one I soon became...
• letter to the editor

  I'll vote for Kaitlin Callahan and Nate Davis, and look forward to them leading us into our future

  Tue, 10/24/2023 - 9:00am

  Once again, Rockland has four good candidates running for our City Council, any one of them would serve us very well. But, we can only vote for two of them, so here's what I'm thinking. Three of them have already served on the Council, it's probably time to get someone new in there. They did a good job while they were on there, but it's time for some younger people to step up and get involved. Let's get some “new blood,” and maybe some new ways of dealing with our same old problems. I 've...
• letter to the editor

  How Union can move forward with housing plans without taxpayer pain

  Tue, 10/24/2023 - 9:00am

  In November, Union citizens will have yet another opportunity to decide the future of the old Union School (the yellow building) and the attached Thompson Community Center. Enough has probably been said about the value of converting the school to 15 to 23 apartments for seniors, and about the benefits of returning the Community Center’s gym, stage, and meeting rooms to safe use. What may not be clear to many people is how we can do all that without taxpayer pain. A team appointed by the Select...
• letter to the editor

  Question timing in Rockland

  Tue, 10/24/2023 - 8:45am

  During the October Agenda Setting Meeting of the Rockland City Council, Councilor Sarah Austin presented a Charter Change to Remove the Mayor of Rockland. Why now, when there are only a few weeks before the election, and the one-year term of the mayor(chair) ends in a few weeks anyway? Why now?? Current mayor Louise MacLellan-Ruf is running for reelection to Council. Councilor Sarah Austin is not. What are the facts? We all know that the mayor/chair of Rockland is selected by the five...

• Ambitious school facility capital bond is proposed for Friendship, Union, Waldoboro, Warren, Washington taxpayers

  Mon, 10/23/2023 - 11:45am

  

  Regional School District 40, comprising K-12 public schools for students from Friendship, Union, Waldoboro, Warren and Washington, is asking voters Nov. 7 to approve an $81 million spending package. The funding would derive from a bond, although the district has cited the possibility of seeking state and federal grants to help with the cost. A public hearing on the bond is scheduled for Oct. 26 at Medomak Valley High School at 6 p.m. An RSU 40 slide presentation on the proposed bond can be...
• Letter to the editor

  Vote Yes on Maine Ballot Question 2

  Mon, 10/23/2023 - 11:45am

  I wanted to take a moment to write to you about an important proposal on the Maine November ballot. I am supporting the "YES on 2" campaign which will ban foreign government-owned entities from contributing to our elections. This is an important measure and a first step in reigning in out of control campaign spending. The stakes are high – since 2020, foreign government-owned entities have spent over $100 million to influence Maine referendum campaigns! You can learn more on the campaign...
• letter to the editor

  Vote yes on Pine Tree Power. Let's keep Maine dollars in Maine

  Fri, 10/20/2023 - 10:45am

  According to the Maine Beacon, Central Maine Power's profit for the second quarter of 2022 was $40.5 million. On an annual basis, that's $162,000,000, and that works out to an average of $248 for every CMP customer. And where does all that money go? Well, CMP is owned by Iberdola, a Spanish company, and those profits come out of the pockets of Mainers and go into the pockets of Iberdola's investors. And that's why CMP and Iberdola are flooding the airwaves and our mailboxes with ads: they want...

• What to know about Maine’s electrical utilities ahead of vote on ballot initiative

  Thu, 10/19/2023 - 6:00pm

  

  As voters decide whether to take over their transmission and distribution utility companies, we’re providing Mainers with some history of the power system in the region — and clearing up some confusion.

• Maine’s auto ‘Right to Repair’ ballot initiative part of national movement

  Wed, 10/18/2023 - 9:30am

  

  A citizen initiative on Maine’s November ballot brings the state into a national “right to repair” movement that backers say helps give consumers more control over how and who can fix the products they buy. Proponents say “right to repair” legislation levels the playing field and allows buyers more options in how they fix their products by allowing consumers the same ability to maintain their products as the manufacturers that make them. This story was originally published by The...
• letter to the editor

  Two votes for our community

  Tue, 10/17/2023 - 2:30pm

  Across the country we face unprecedented challenges — inflation, a housing crisis, an opioid epidemic — too many community members are living in unsustainable conditions without quality healthcare, stable housing, or the safety nets that make the difference between thriving and barely getting by. It’s easy to feel hopeless against these big problems. And that is why I look to our community leaders for inspiration—people who are making change now — doing good where they can, working hard every...
• letter to the editor

  Milked dry by the school district over last 81 years

  Sun, 10/15/2023 - 8:00pm

  As a lifelong dairy farmer it’s fair to say I know a thing or two about milking. As a taxpayer, I am nearing the end of my useful life and have little left to give. I feel as though I have been milked dry by the school district over the last 81 years. Every year, the majority of my property taxes are funneled from Union Town Hall to RSU 40 coffers. Last year’s school budget for one year alone, was just shy of $34 million. When I heard they want to borrow $81 million dollars plus interest more,...
• letter to the editor

  A  strong candidate for Rockland

  Sun, 10/15/2023 - 8:00pm

  I am happy to be writing this letter in support of Kaitlin Callahan who is running for a seat on the Rockland City Council. Although I reside in Camden, it is very important to me that Rockland takes advantage of her eagerness to participate. The problems Rockland residents face are the same problems we all face on the Midcoast and beyond. Kaitlin sees many of these problems firsthand through her work as a Recovery Partner for Maine Behavioral Healthcare. She is passionate about representing...
• letter to the editor

  Delightful surprise candidate in Rockland

  Sat, 10/14/2023 - 11:45am

  Kaitlin Callahan spoke at the Rockland City Council Candidate panel Thursday, September 28. Wow, she is impressive. She is new to me and I was thrilled to hear a smart, compassionate, well organized person speaking about housing issues offering specific solutions for Rockland. Kaitlin works statewide as a Recovery Partner with CIPPS (Certification of International Peer Support Specialist). In short, she knows first-hand the importance of neighborhood stability, community centers, non-tax income...
• letter to the editor

  Rockland will be well served if Adam Ackor is elected

  Sat, 10/14/2023 - 11:45am

  Although I have never been a resident of Rockland, I have great affection for the Lime City. During my pre-retirement years I was known to publicly state on many occasions, tongue-in-cheek, that I live in Rockland but I sleep in Owls Head. In the upcoming November election there are four candidates for City Council. I personally know the three who have already served on Council, having worked with them in my former role as executive director of Rockland's quasi-municipal downtown revitalization...
• letter to the editor

  Still time to act and make your voice heard concerning Mount Chase mine proposal

  Sat, 10/14/2023 - 11:45am

  Wolfden Resources Corporation is a Canadian mining company that purchased land currently zoned as a “protection district” near Mount Chase, Maine ,and the North Gate of Baxter State Park, as well as about five miles from the entrance to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. This current designation means “development would jeopardize significant natural, recreational and historic resources, including, but not limited to, flood plains, precipitous slopes, wildlife habitat and other areas...
• letter to the editor

  On Nov. 7, consider strain on an already overburdened community

  Sat, 10/14/2023 - 11:30am

  There is never a good time to borrow $154 million dollars, but with inflation soaring, now is an especially bad time. RSU 40 wants to borrow more money, which over the life of a 25-year loan at prevailing interest rates (assuming a 6% rate) will cost around $154 million, much more than the $81 million figure that will be identified on the November 7 ballot for voters in Warren, Washington, Waldoboro, Friendship and Union. The cost of groceries, fuel, and insurance are surging and many people...
• QUESTION 8 ON STATE REFERENDUM BALLOT

  Maine’s constitution says people in guardianships with mental illness cannot vote. Voters can change that in November.

  Mon, 10/09/2023 - 10:00am

  

  Nine words in the Maine constitution were found to be unconstitutional 22 years ago, yet remain in the state’s guiding document. Voters will decide in November if they should be removed. Every Maine resident aged 18 and over who is also a U.S. citizen can vote, “excepting persons under guardianship for reasons of mental illness,” according to the state constitution. This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor , a nonprofit civic news organization....
• question 6 on state referendum ballot

  Long-excluded section of Maine constitution may make a comeback

  Wed, 10/04/2023 - 4:00pm

  

  Hidden beneath the murky phrasing of Question 6 on the Nov. 7 ballot is an amendment that would reintroduce language, long out of print from Maine’s constitution, honoring the state’s historical obligations to tribal nations. Section 5, Article X of the constitution was taken out of circulation by a statewide vote in 1875 and hasn’t appeared in copies since 1876. The section has remained in “full force” legally, however, and is available on the state legislature’s website , though omitted...

• Vote yes on Question 3

  Tue, 10/03/2023 - 9:00pm

  Mainers made a deal with our electric utilities decades ago: we’ll give you an exclusive state-protected monopoly to provide us with electricity and earn a guaranteed profit; in return, you provide us with reliable, quality service at reasonable rates. Our two remaining investor-owned utilities, Central Maine Power and Versant, stopped honoring their end of the bargain years ago. They only want the protected monopoly with the captive customers and guaranteed profit and nevermind about the...
• letter to the editor

  Simple Solution

  Tue, 10/03/2023 - 8:45pm

  If the opponents of Pine Tree Power ( Question 3), CMP, Versant and $18 million in out-of-state money for lobbyists simply gave the $27 million they have spent on misleading adds to the 1.5 million people who live in Maine directly, we could each have about $20,000 dollars, enough for solar panels and heat pumps for everyone, definitely helping our electric bills as well as the climate. And if the $187 million in profits sent out of the State of Maine last year alone were kept in Maine, we...

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