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

My litmus test when selecting between presidential candidates is twofold. First, a president must be our chief “cheerleader” in support of our country and its people with the ability to inspire for the betterment of our society. Our President, Donald J. Trump freely admits he loves our country and all her people, including the unborn.  Secondly, the president must have the clearness of mind and strength of character to be in control of the “red button”--i.e. crisis situations. By closing our…

As Maine enters Stage 4 of Governor Janet Mills’ reopening plan this month, a bumpy road ahead remains for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and micro-business owners across the state. 

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…

As a retired teacher, I greatly respect Senator Susan Collins and the work she has done in Washington to support Maine children and young people from Head Start through high school and college. 

In these uncertain times I get up each morning and ask in what way can I have a positive impact for my community, for my family, and for the planet. I am not interested in wasting time on unimportant efforts. One critical issue is climate change. Our success in meeting the challenges we face because of climate change will require action and leadership at every level of society, from personal, local, state, national, to international.

I support Chip Curry for State…

Sarah Gideon’s supporters mimic the challenger’s false and hypocritical attacks that simply equate to the laughably absurd.

Let’s begin with the theme that Susan Collins “..has changed” with her votes for tax repeal that show she aligns with Trump.

Fact: Collins voted in 2011 for tax repeal that passed in the House 422-0, and the Senate 95-0. Looks pretty bipartisan to me.

Next comes the staggering hypocrisy of claiming Collins benefits from “dark money” ads – with a…

  In this extraordinary year of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of our routines have taken a backseat as we work to maintain our  health, safety and economic security.  One of these that we may not have thought about is making sure our young adults and other family…

I have known and worked with Chip Curry for over 20 years and I support his election as our next senator to represent Waldo County.

Chip has the experience from working with and around government in many capacities to step seamlessly into the position as our state senator. His experience gives him a solid understanding of the unique issues facing all of us who make Waldo County their home.

He has always worked to make Waldo County a better place for kids and their families. I…

As a university professor for the past 35 years, the last 17 of which have been in my home state of Maine, I understand the importance of producing bright and educated young adults.  

There is no political candidate in Maine who is more dedicated to education than Chip Curry.  That's one of the many reasons I'll be casting my vote for Chip Curry.  He's the real deal, and we need him now more than ever.

I hope you will  join me and support Chip Curry as the next Waldo County Senator for the Maine Senate.

I have served as Mayor or City Councilor in Belfast for 20 years and when it comes to Maine state senators and representatives and Maine government I only think of how their actions will affect the people of Belfast.

Waldo County Republicans are running under the banner of “Make Maine Great Again.”  They want to take us back.

Every property owner, school child, parent,…

My late husband drove our Representative S. Paige Zeigler to meet his constituents for his first two election cycles. When my husband complained that Paige wasn't liberal enough, Zeigler said, “Remember, I represent all the people of my district.”

Paige also must see how our district (Belmont, Liberty, Lincolnville, Montville, Morrill, Palermo and Searsmont) best fits into the state of Maine's needs.

Representative Zeigler is particularly passionate about two subjects he knows…

I listened to a discussion on WRFR-93.3 LP the other evening between Maine House District 93 candidates Valli Geiger (D) and Michael Mullins (R).

Mullins stated that a main issue for him is civil rights.

On September 14, Mullins posted on his Facebook account that his campaign van was vandalized. He states, “I have spent almost the entirety of this year volunteering for community service (making masks), or campaigning for issues like Civil Rights, Environment, and Education. I’…

I have known and worked with Dave Miramant for over 12 years.  As a former Representative, I saw Dave in action in the Senate: always hard working, always focused on the needs of his constituents.  Due to term limits, Dave is running for his last term and this may be the most important term for legislators to have  knowledge and experience.…

Despite all the things I’ve heard and read, I can’t help wondering why good, intelligent family and friends feel so differently from me over politics, whether we can ever bridge that divide and if so, how. 

We have a very large and diverse country, with many polarizing differences: economic, educational, ethnical, informational, geographic, philosophical, political, racial, religious, tribal and more. They often seem to loom large, especially…

Besides coronavirus response, postal sabotage, health care, transfer of power, racism, economic devastation, global warming, and forest infernos, not to mention basic human decency, there is another issue I hope readers will consider on election day: science education.Some religious conservatives want to curtail the teaching of science in public schools. They say that educating children about things like climate change, different cultures, social justice, the history of the Earth, the human…

As a young person, I know there are multiple reasons to be worried about my future: climate change, a global pandemic, student debt and other issues dominate headlines and give me and my peers serious doubts about our future prosperity. Fortunately, I take comfort knowing there are incredible public servants working hard every day to right these wrongs and help create a better tomorrow for young people.  Paige Zeigler, my state representative, is one of these people.

Paige believes…

I am supporting Stanley Paige Zeigler for House District 96 because he has proven himself to be extremely responsive to the concerns of his constituents. During a time when our state is faced with unprecedented challenges and schools are forced to deliver education in new technologically advanced ways, expanded access to broadband internet in rural areas of Maine is more important than ever.

I see this need first hand in my role as a speech-language pathologist providing telepractice…

I am writing to voice my support for Jeffrey Evangelos, Independent for House District 91: West Union, Waldoboro, Washington, and Friendship.  I have known Jeff for more than 40 years and found him to be intelligent, honest, hardworking and willing to listen to all sides of an issue, allowing for negotiation and compromise. 

I also know Jeff to be dedicated to civil and human rights, personal…

I have known Jeff Evangelos for about 30 years.  During that time, I have watched him in different settings, and he is always thoughtful and committed to fixing what ever he observes that is on a wrong track.  I don’t know anyone with a stronger sense of what’s right and what’s wrong.

As State Representative, he has work tirelessly to support local businesses, and in particular, the working…

Would any parent take their child to an ice cream shop that features a few dozen flavors on the menu and tell them they can only get vanilla or chocolate?

Surely not, unless they’re prepared to face a lot of protest about why they can’t have a different flavor, one they really want.

Yet, that’s essentially what all too many political polls do when they limit respondents to only two choices.

The Quinnipiac University poll of 1,183 Maine voters, conducted Sept. 10-14, is…

Sarah Gideon does not believe in our system: due process, separate branches of government, and the rule of law.   

In August 2018, I asked the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices to convene an investigation on both Rep. Dillon Bates and Speaker of the House Sarah Gideon regarding allegations of serious sexual misconduct that involved a potential cover up. My request was blocked. …

Waldo County's current Senator, Erin Herbig of Belfast, has had a successful decade in Augusta because she is smart, conscientious, energetic and fair. Erin has, of course, become Belfast's city manager and is not seeking re-election. So it makes sense that she be replaced by a candidate who is smart, conscientious, energetic and fair. And creative to boot.

Chip Curry is my choice. I have known him for a few years and enjoyed his ruminations on life and politics after hard-fought…

We are writing to urge readers to vote to make Sara Gideon our next United States Senator.  Gideon is the daughter of immigrants and has been described as a smart and down-to-earth woman with a track record of getting things done.

We attended a recent online event for Gideon and were very impressed by what she said.  Twelve years ago, when she first ran for the Freeport Town Council, Gideon said her goal was to overcome preconceived ideas by imagining solutions and hammering them out…

AUGUSTA — Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced Thursday the launch of a new online service that will provide an accessible absentee ballot option for qualified voters with disabilities.

The Accessible Absentee Ballot option will become available Friday, Oct. 2, as one of the options on the online absentee ballot request page for the Nov. 3 General…

AUGUSTA — Two Maine companies have donated more than $44,000 of personal protective equipment for election workers to stay safe while administering the Nov. 3 General Election.

L.L. Bean, based in Freeport, donated 8,000 face coverings for this election, while Flowfold, of Gorham, provided 8,000 face shields.

“We are incredibly grateful to have these two upstanding Maine companies recognize the importance of supporting our election workers with protective equipment this year,”…

CAMDEN – The Town Office in Camden has installed a secure absentee ballot drop box into which voters can deposit their ballots. 

Public Works employees Rick Siebel, Jack Orestis and Rodney Feltus worked to secure the box and pedestal into the Elm Street sidewalk with large bolts to the left of the Town Office main entrance. 

Camden voters can safely deposit their completed absentee ballot envelopes into the box any time of day or night. 

Camden’s Town Clerk Katrina Oakes…

Valli Geiger is running for Maine State Representative of Rockland and Owls Head. As State representative she will be replacing Pinny Beebe Center.  The first year in office in Augusta is always challenging. Pinny and Valli have worked closely together over the past years, communicating regularly about what is going on in Augusta and Rockland. This history and Valli’s wide work experience as health administrator, as a nurse, and her local service of…

AUGUSTA — A federal district court granted a preliminary injunction Monday against changes made by the United States Postal Service (USPS), according to a news release issued by the Maine Attorney General. 

The released proclaimed the changes resulted in mail delivery delays and have raised concerns about the timely delivery of absentee ballots to millions of voters across the country.

The injunction, per the news release, was granted in response to a multistate lawsuit which…

I am writing to ask you to support and vote for Valli Geiger for State Representative for Rockland and Owls Head. As many of you know, I am not running for a fourth term; I have asked Valli to run.  She and I share similar passions, concerns, and dedication to our community. 

Valli is just finishing six years on Rockland’s City Council.  As she says: “I’ve…

It’s hard to grow up in the United States without learning about our nation’s painful history of racial disparities. We know about the legacy of slavery and the work of abolitionists, like Maine’s Harriet Beecher Stowe, to end this inhumane system. We learn about the division caused by the Civil War and the incredible sacrifices made by Maine soldiers, like Joshua Chamberlain, to keep our nation united. We have also been taught about the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, and pivotal events…

We entrust our elected officials with certain obligations and decisions, and we vote for those whose values and commitment to our community align with our own, but I would and have literally trusted Senator Dave Miramant with my life, and boy am I glad I did.

Several years ago, Dave took me on a glider flight over Knox County. His love and connection to our community was never more clear on that flight. He…

Boy, it sure doesn’t feel like two years have gone by since I wrote my last Letter to the Editor, but it has.  Paige Zeigler has been your Representative now for two terms (the last four years) and he has done a great job. I held this seat once, and was disappointed I couldn’t run again, but I was happy to know that some of the hard work I put in would be continued by Paige. 

He works diligently on issues concerning the environment and education.  He was successful in passing a bill…

I met Sarah several years ago and noticed how keenly she paid attention to what makes Rockland tick. She recognized deep concerns for income and housing, struggles around harbor and marine issues, community health and safety, the creative economy, and our aging population. She observed and joined committees and gradually offered ideas and built teams to meet several challenges our community faces. Over time she took on more volunteer work, and saw and heard more of our community expressing…

We are all getting tired of the large amount of written, viewed and audible noise surrounding the upcoming election.  In truth, I hesitate to add my words.  I hope my letter of support for Jan Dodge is as positive and as unbiased as is the candidate.

Jan has spent her first term in the house trying her best to be a servant, not a ruler.  She has added her…

I have known Chip and his family for the 16 years I have lived in Belfast.  I look up to him for reasons that have zero to do with politics.  I consider him a decent and caring person, dedicated to his family and community.  When he reaches out, I am certain to listen!

In many ways, I try to emulate Chip.  He is level-headed, listens well, and considers Education for all people as a path to success for the future of Waldo County.  He is always on the lookout for others, while caring…

I’m writing to support the reelection of S. Paige Zeigler as District 96 state representative.

As a teacher in Northport, I like the fact that Mr. Zeigler was a teacher and also served on a school board. He knows the problems schools face in normal times, and I trust him to work for sensible policies during the pandemic and after. Additionally, having worked on legislative staff, I understand how hard it is to write good legislation and then build the…

ROCKLAND — Adam Lachman has announced his candidacy for Rockland City Council, through a news release, with elections scheduled for Nov. 3.

A resident of Main Street, Lachman has spent his career, “working to improve the lives and economic prospects of Maine people,” he wrote, in the release.

Since 2013, Lachman has served as a senior aide for Senator Angus King and currently serves on the Governor’s Economic Recovery Committee, a council of public and private sector leaders…

For Lisa Savage, Candidate

I was alive

when the first bomb went off

you probably were not

being 78 as I am

does not allow enough energy

to run for Senate (U. S.)

but you energized by years of teaching

real work the others haven’t done

slim and attractive looking

years of picketing BIW.

were you there at the launching

of the Irwin S. Rommel?

Bath down…

I have been associated with Dave Miramant both personally and professionally for over 15 years.  Dave worked part-time for us at Downeast Air in Owls Head where he bases his glider operation.  He also rents space from us for his glider, and I was his co-pilot for a few years.  All my dealings with Dave have been excellent.  He was a terrific line service technician for Downeast, always staying constructively busy and helpful, exerting a positive influence on…

I am writing in support of Jan Dodge and her reelection to serve in the Maine House District 97 for Belfast, Northport and Waldo.  She cares deeply about the citizens she represents, and this motivates her to work hard on their behalf.

I met Jan when she first ran for office and drove her as she went door to door.  I was very impressed with her passion to promote change and her excellent organizational skills.

I have been a long time fan of your beautiful State of Maine. I, for years led many wilderness hiking and Outward Bound type trips throughout the Mount Katahdin and the Maine Coastal area.

I am inspired by your overall honesty and independence of the Maine voter, and thoughtful leadership. But Susan Collins is a big, bad stain on independence.

I really thought you folks could see right through Collins, who has been playing all of us for fools and suckers. She lied right to us…

America knows Joe Biden is thoroughly decent and compassionate, steeled by personal tragedy, with 47 years of exemplary public service without becoming rich in the process. America also knows Donald Trump is amoral, self-absorbed and a dictator wannabe, raised in privilege, with a corrupt presidency riddled with convicted felons, a bungled management of the pandemic that killed nearly 200,000, and a resulting economy driven into a depression. Let’s examine the facts.

Donald Trump has…

Representative Jeffrey Evangelos, I-Friendship, has been endorsed by the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine.

Evangelos earned an A+ rating from the group for his commitment to Maine's outdoor heritage and his perfect voting record in support of sportsmen and women.

In a letter received from the Alliance, Rep. Evangelos was informed that the sportsman's group "awarded your candidacy to the Maine Legislature our ENDORSEMENT and the highest grade of A+!" The rating was based on…

If you live in District 96, you owe it to yourself to vote to reelect S. Paige Zeigler as your representative in Augusta. I’ve known Paige for 20 years and followed his work in the State House for four. He takes the job seriously and works hard at it, and he knows firsthand the real problems confronting Mainers.

Zeigler worked in many parts of Maine as a professional logger, a teacher, a resident director of a community college, a night counselor for a drug-rehabilitation program, an…

A piece of negative mail was recently sent out against Chip Curry’s opponent in the Waldo County Senate Race. Chip immediately emailed his supporters to say that he neither authorized nor condoned the mailing that slammed his opponent for being “from away”. Chip’s response to the mailer was thoughtful, gracious, and on point. I would like to share some of Chip’s letter here:

The effort by the MDP to "help" by sending a negative mailer is not at all in keeping with the commitment we…

  “Oh The Times They are a Changin.”

 As you may recall, Bob Dylan wrote this folk tune in 1964, a time of uncertainty and unrest, a time when we,as a nation, were dealing with social injustices that existed in the Black community. Who would have known, fifty plus years later, that we would be addressing the similar issues of social injustice. Add to this the COVID-19 crisis.

So much remains…