I recently attended our Northport Annual meeting. This was truly a community event with earnest debate and strong majority support of most actions. Having been a long time selectman in Liberty, I was reminded that local government brings people together to forge solutions based on local needs rather than outside dogma.

I was surprised by our moderator’s introduction of Senator Thibodeau as someone compared to Paul LePage and Donald Trump. This was hardly welcoming, as these politicians are often referred to in the press as bullies representing powerful interest groups. What really disquieted the crowd was the Senator’s offhand remark that if people had questions they should contact the “girls” at his office. A put-down like that, referring to grown women as girls, should not go unchallenged. Fairness and respect for women as equals need to be demonstrated by officials.

The one topic that could have benefited from discussion led by the Senate President was the issue of Northport’s trash—this topic was unwisely ignored! Senator Thibodeau has not been community-minded regarding energy and pollution issues in Waldo County either; keep in mind his lack of leadership of Republicans to support LD 1649, the solar energy bill which would have created new jobs.

I will vote for Jonathan Fulford for State Senate come November—he represents local needs first; he uses respectful language which promotes fairness for all, and he supports environmentally-responsible energy independence for Maine.

John Krueger lives in Northport