Elections 2020 results: An election cycle like no other in recent history

ROCKPORT — The Rockport Select Board voted earlier this autumn to place two municipal questions before Rockport votes on the Nov. 3 ballot. One has to do with regulating fireworks; the other concerns solar farm oversight rules.

The Select Board of the Town of Rockport will hold a public hearing on Monday, October 26, 2020, at 5:30 p.m. to give interested members of the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed ordinances. The meeting will be live-streamed at …

While the national insanity rises to a feverish pitch, we have a single woman representing Belfast, Waldo, and Northport in Augusta who has been serving us steadily with distinction: State Representative Jan Dodge of Belfast.

We are so lucky to have Jan in our corner. Her energy and her conviction in causes that affect the biggest needs and smallest pocket books in the county reflect her belief in a government that discards no one and looks away from no problem, no matter how…

What do you want in an elected official? If honesty, transparency, commitment to listen to voters, and skill in marshalling support for legislation are what you look for, then Jan Dodge is your candidate . Dodge is running for re-election to the Maine State House from district 97, covering Belfast, Northport, and Waldo. She has already proved herself by being trustworthy, hard-working, energetic, and successful in reaching across the aisle. A Belfast native,…

Many people are justifiably angry and frustrated about their circumstances today and seem to need somebody to blame. It is often other people who act, look and think differently from them.

But people different from us are not the primary reasons for our misery. In many cases things, not people, are to blame: things like automation, rampant capitalism, global markets, foreign competition, climate change and pandemics, all things we have to confront and deal with. Yet there are…

Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate running for U.S. Congressional seats, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their position on issues important to the state and nation.

Candidates responding with their individual written answers will have their responses stored in the …

As residents of Rockland and Owls Head, we have an opportunity to elect someone as our State Representative who has demonstrated an enduring love and concern for this great mid-coast community.  Her name is Valli Geiger.

As a healthcare professional, Valli has practical experience working on health care reform both in Augusta and at Pen Bay.  She is committed to making healthcare accessible and…

I am voting for Dave Miramant for Maine State Senate from District 12.

Senator Miramant has served this district extremely well during his time in Augusta- this will be his final term before being term limited.  Dave brings great awareness of the way things work in Augusta and has the ability to effect change by working there and with his constituents. He also is a great advocate within the district providing a good ear and strong ability to…

When senseless acts of racism and anti-Semitism were occurring throughout our country, Bill Pluecker stepped up to help our synagogue secure a Homeland Security grant to insure a safe haven of worship inside our 112-year-old building.

When my neighbor’s son was unable to get the life saving insulin he needed because of a Medicaid issue, Bill intervened so that the family’s case was reviewed and the issue was ultimately resolved.

When we all feel the ever increasing burden of…

As a longtime advocate of safe, affordable housing and as a past president and current director at Midcoast Habitat for Humanity, I am pleased to endorse Councilwoman Valli Geiger in her bid to become State Representative for District 93. Valli has many outstanding qualities that she will bring to this new role, but the one with which I am most familiar, and excited by, is her demonstrated advocacy for affordable and workforce housing for our area. …

I enthusiastically support William “Bill” Plueker for State Representative, serving Warren, Hope, Appleton, and Eastern Union. 

I’ve known Bill for about 12 years.  He and his wife are hard working farmers, small business owners, and devoted parents. Bill is active in his community and church.  Every Thursday…

Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate running for U.S. Congressional seats, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their position on issues important to the state and nation.

Candidates responding with their individual written answers will have their responses stored in the …

It is my pleasure to enthusiastically support Mr. Gordon Page for Maine Senate District 12.

Gordon was literally the first individual to extend a memorable warm welcome to the Midcoast community, when he approached me at the Captain Lindsey House in Rockland, which hosted a Rockland-Thomaston Area Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours.

As a result of our friendship, we ended up serving together on the chamber board for many years, including as president.…

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been endless debates how the world, the United States, each state, and each municipality should respond to the pandemic. 

Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate running for Maine State Legislature, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their position on issues important to the state. Candidates responding with their individual written answers will have their responses stored in the…

I am voting for Mike Mullins for the Maine State Legislature for House District 93, Rockland and Owls Head.  We need someone in Augusta with vision and fire in the belly enthusiasm to bring it off, an achiever for whom two plus two gets you to five.

Mikes innovative vision could convert our abandoned quarries into carbon spongers that reduce greenhouse gases, attract federal grant money, and be a major boom to Maine's forest industry. This is…

As an architect, I have, over the years, had the opportunity to work with both state and federal housing agencies in the development of affordable housing for the people of Maine.

For three decades our firm worked with HUD (the federal housing assistance program), the Maine State Housing Authority, and the USDA Farmers Home Administration on elderly and multifamily housing developments from Presque Isle to Wells.  In this work I had the opportunity to work with developers, towns, and…

Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate running for Rockland City Council, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their positions on issues. There are five candidates competing for two seats, both of them three-year terms. The candidates are Sarah Austin,…

Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate running for Rockland City Council, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their positions on issues. There are five candidates competing for two seats, both of them three-year terms. The candidates are Sarah Austin,…

The following letter has been posted to the Town of Union website addressing the proposed sidewalk project being voted on as part of the November 3 elections. 

The letter is being shared by PenBayPilot.com as an election resource to readers within the Town of Union. 

The ballot question, a yes or no question, reads: “To see if the Town of Union will vote to continue with phase one of the sidewalk improvements project on Depot Street, funded by a $400,000…

Mike Mullins is a problem solver.  Since moving to Maine he has taken an abandoned quarry, once an ecological disaster, and made it into a natural wonder. On one occasion we watched as the geese came flying overhead in a tight formation before making a water landing. The wildlife is now thriving there, and Mike’s love of nature is on display with the grand quarry ecosystem filtered with carefully chosen aquatic plants and materials.

On September 11, we welcomed Mike into our home to…

I’ve always been a people person.  What I mean by that is that I judge people by who they are, not what political party they align with, the color of their skin, their sexual preference, or whatever.  Election Day is coming right up and it’s important that you vote.  People are willing to die so that you have the privilege to go to the polls this November, so honor…

The only question before the voters on the Town of Camden November Ballot is Article 2, asking to approve an “Order of Condemnation,” with “just compensation,” for 120 square feet at 225 Washington Street, for the purposes of sidewalk improvements. 

The Camden–Rockport Pathways Committee endorses the approval of Article 2 because it reinforces the construction of sidewalks and pathways throughout town to ensure safe transit for pedestrians, a hallmark of healthy communities.

…

Why is Maine so attractive to born-elsewhere politicians? It’s not as if we can’t grow our own. Senator Angus King hails from Virginia and went to law school there. Early in this current election cycle former Obama Administration official Susan Rice, born and raised in Washington, D. C., put up a trial balloon about running for our senate seat. Her rationale was that she summered here as a child and “liked” Maine. When that balloon plummeted, the dark money-Schumer-Majority Forward axis…

With a payroll of more than $350 million, Bath Iron Works is critical to our state’s economy. It employs more than 6,000 people and supports families and businesses in all sixteen of Maine’s counties.

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Susan Collins has secured more than $16 billion for shipbuilding at BIW since 2009.  The fact is – no one fights harder for these men and women than Senator Collins.

Recently, Senator Collins’ campaign released a…

As a recent transplant to Knox County, I offer my support of Senator Dave Miramant for reelection to the Maine Senate for many reasons, several very close to me.

It’s heartening to know that Dave’s focus on the protection of our environment aligns with my passion for protecting and enjoying the world’s ocean. With the Gulf of Maine being the fastest-warming body of water on the planet, we have a front-row seat to climate change. Dave’s ability to balance and manage the needs of the…

As Maine has several methods of voting and with concerns abounding on a national scale, the Boothbay Register has received many questions on when and how citizens can vote absentee for the Nov. 3 election.

Options this year include voting in person, voting early in person, completing an online or mail-in paper application to receive an absentee ballot by mail (to be returned in person or by mail), and requesting an absentee ballot to be completed by a third party before your town…

HOPE — Voters in the Town of Hope are deciding on three municipal referendum questions when filling out their ballot for the November general election. 

Referendum Questions

1. Shall the Town appropriate up to $2000 from the undesignated fund balance to purchase, lease and/or rent camera equipment and subscription fees to have live stream capabilities and video availability on the Town website for all Town public meetings until June 30, 2021, at which time any…

Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate running for U.S. Congressional seats, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their position on issues important to the state and nation.

Candidates responding with their individual written answers will have their responses stored in the …

The topic of expanding housing opportunities, particularly for low income individuals or families, has been a longstanding topic throughout the years. Before the pandemic, the topic moved towards the forefront of issues advocates wish to address in Maine. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the issue has become much more prevalent for affordable housing advocates.  

Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate running for Maine State Legislature, providing the opportunity for…

I am voting for Chip Curry to represent all of Waldo County in the Maine State Senate and writing to urge others to do so too.

Over the last few decades, Chip has lived in Knox, Unity, and Belfast, giving him personal knowledge and connection to a variety of Waldo County communities. He knows our county and he’s focused on solutions to help its residents.

Since 1975, I have worked to protect the nature of the Maine I love. I think Chip Curry is the best candidate to protect our…

My name is Nicole Poland. I run the Maine Operations for Sierra Peaks Corporation, formally known as Tibbetts Industries. I met Gordon Page over a year ago, we spoke of my career and my needs to move my operations into a more functional building. Soon thereafter Gordon had me connected with all the right people to help put my plan in action. One year later Sierra Peaks was up and running in Rockland.

I have grown to know Gordon on a professional and a personal level, his ability to…

Dear Editor,

I want to say thank you to Senator Susan Collins for sponsoring the bi-partisan National Clean Energy Week resolution that passed in Congress. Clean energy and a clean environment are something we can all get behind.

In Maine, September has brought the introduction of a new era for Maine energy. Bipartisan legislation passed earlier this year by our state legislature has taken hold that will guide the state’s transformation to 100% renewable energy and 80%…

I’m writing to recommend a YES vote on Article 2 on the Town of Camden. Passage will enable Camden to move forward to build a half-mile-long new sidewalk along Washington Street that will provide safe pedestrian access to the town’s Shirttail Point public park. To reach this swimming area, walkers have had to navigate along the shoulder around parked cars, trees and culverts as passing cars veer into the opposite lane on a blind rise and corner to steer clear.

Improving the safety of…

I'm supporting Valli Geiger in her run to represent House District 93 - Rockland and Owl's Head in the state legislature. Honestly, when I heard that the seat was coming open, I thought about running. But then I heard that Valli wanted to run, and I realized that she would do a far better job than I would.

Over the last four years, I've worked with her on the city council, and though we don't always agree, I respect her opinions, and her passion for Rockland.

Disagreement isn't…

I was happy to see your October 9 article on the new Wales Park Community Garden in Belfast. But perhaps Nordic Aquafarms, which, according to the article, contributed to the acquisition of a water line for the garden, could instead give the garden a much bigger gift by abandoning its ill-conceived Belfast industrial fish farm scheme, which threatens the entire water supply of Belfast by annually devouring at least 630 million gallons from our limited aquifer and watershed.

This…

Jan Dodge is running for re-election in House District #97 Belfast, Northport and Waldo. During the previous legislative session Jan worked tirelessly for us. When she is re-elected she certainly will continue in those efforts. I wholeheartedly support Jan as our representative for many reasons, her intellect, work ethic and energy to name just a few.

But above all I admire her approach to legislation, in her view a good idea is a good idea regardless of which side of the aisle it…

As a staunch defender of the First Amendment, I was disappointed that a Trump supporter had her sign painted over. As a volunteer who placed Biden/Harris signs around my town, I was discouraged at their disappearance.  Other volunteers for Biden/Harris placed a large wooden sign on my property, but a couple of weeks later it was pulled out and thrown behind brush, forcing me to use a crow bar to reposition it. My property, which presumably Republicans find sacred, covers three corners.…

I’ve known Chip Curry since he moved to Waldo County over 25 years ago. He is an exceptional person, who cares deeply about our region and people.  He possesses the experience, integrity, and knowledge of local people and issues to be an outstanding State Senator.

From my own time in the Maine Legislature, I know the kind of person who can make a real difference: someone who is smart but doesn’t think he has all the answers, self-effacing yet always willing to speak up for what is…

I strongly support the re-election of Representative S. Paige Zeigler for Maine House District 96. He is the candidate in this race who believes in science and educating the next generation to meet the future with a solid foundation for critical thinking. Ever since I was in first grade, I have always loved science. In the decades since, I have seen how theories evolve as we gain more knowledge and circumstances change. These studies are not part of a political agenda, but areas of…

It is a privilege to write this letter in support of the election of Louise MacLellan-Ruf to the Rockland City Council.  

As residents of Rockland and neighbors of Louise for more than 10 years, we have had a close look at Louise as a former council member, former Mayor, and Chair of the Harbor Commission.  She has always been a dedicated public servant.  She is energetic, passionate, determined and selfless in her concern for the welfare of the citizens of Rockland.  

Louise…

The Rockland City Council by a 3-2 vote put Councilor's Nate Davis local minimum wage ordinance on the ballot and I would like to urge the citizens of Rockland to vote no on it.  Please let me explain why.

This is a great example of an idea that has not been vetted publicly by the citizens of Rockland  during a pandemic.  Whether you think it is a good idea or not, you have to examine the contents of the ordinance to fully understand what it is saying. 

First of all, in my…

Please vote to reelect Stanley Paige Zeigler to represent House District 96. 

Paige has shown that his practical, common sense approach to the issues effectively brings people together for the benefit of all Mainers. His reasonable approach to environmental policy grew out of working with the National Science Foundation while at sea.

Working with scientists, he saw the need to keep our environment healthy.

As a logger in the north woods, he saw poor forestry management…

MONTVILLE — Four referendum articles are appearing on the municipal ballot in the Town of Montville for the November 3 election. 

Below are the four questions voters are being asked to vote on, as finalized by the town’s select board Monday, Oct. 5. 

Article 1: To see if the Town will authorize the Select Board to obtain a multi-year lease/purchase agreement for the purchase of a grader not to exceed $100,000.

Montville’s current 1989 Champion 710…

APPLETON — The Town of Appleton has installed a drop box for residents to be able to deliver their completed absentee ballots to the town hall, in person, when the town hall is closed.

You can also still send your ballots in via the postal service and drop them off at the town hall during open hours, according a news release.

The box was paid for by the State with COVID-19 relief funds, the release noted. 

UNION — Voters casting ballots for the November 3 general election are being presented with one municipal referendum question.

The question reads: “To see if the Town of Union will vote to continue with phase one of the sidewalk improvements project on Depot Street, funded by a $400,000 grant awarded from the Maine Department of Transportation and $100,000 appropriated from the Town’s sidewalk reserve account.” 

The ballot question further notes: “The Town has already…

The nation continues to grapple with the debate of reducing law enforcement budgets and appropriating those funds elsewhere in communities, and the discussion of how to improve the relationship between law enforcement and their communities. 

Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate running for Maine State Legislature, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their position on issues important to the state. Candidates responding with their…

WALDOBORO — The Town of Waldoboro has placed four binding referendum questions, as well as six non-binding referendum questions on the ballot for the November 3 general election. 

Referendum Questions

Question 1: Shall the Town (1) approve the refunding (refinancing), at a lower interest rate, of a portion of the Town’s outstanding lease/purchase agreements in the approximate…

AUGUSTA — Maine Attorney General Aaron M. Frey issued an advisory Thursday to election officials, law enforcement, and all Maine voters re-affirming the rights of all eligible Mainers to vote in this years election and pledging to vigorously enforce laws which protect those rights.

The advisory was sent, according to a news release, amid reports in the media raising concerns of planned activity at or near polling places that may cause voters to fear for their safety while waiting to…

AUGUSTA — In preparation for administering the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap has issued updated guidance to ensure that all voters can safely participate in casting their ballots.

He joined Dr. Nirav Shah of the Maine CDC for a brief discussion Oct. 8…

I first met Gordon Page 33 years ago when our sons played together in Little League. Gordon was a coach and a very good one. We served on the Board of Directors and we both have been Little League President. Over the years, I have been very impressed with his ability to get a job done and that is all you can ask for. He will do the same as your next Maine Senator.

Gordon is very fair minded and has lots of integrity. You already know that if you have met him and if you haven’t met him…

Jared Golden believes in siding with Nancy Pelosi and the Washington liberals who want a complete takeover of your health care. While he tries and says he doesn’t, Jared Golden sponsored a bill in 2019 that would lead to the closing of 19 rural hospitals, limit your access to doctors and specialists and ban employer-provided insurance. Can you imagine?

During a pandemic,…