RESULTS: Nov. 6, 2018 Election, Warrants and Polls: How the Midcoast voted

I am writing to urge people in my community to vote for Erin Herbig on June 12t and again in November.

As a clinical social worker who has worked with children and familiesin Waldo County since 1998, I have seen the public discourse deteriorate and regress to the point that it’s hard to find anyone in elected office who has the ability to articulate their point of view, AND the good manners,…

I am writing this letter in support of Erin Herbig and her campaign for the Maine State Senate.  Ever since childhood, I have had the joy of knowing Erin as a very active member of the greater Belfast community, where she is from.  Erin has always supported my endeavors as a young college student from Waldo County, including inviting me to spend the day with her in Augusta observing her day-to-day activities!  I believe that she is a fantastic asset to…

ROCKPORT – Democratic candidates for governor held their own against a panel of teens, Saturday, May 26, at Camden Hills Regional High School. The level of depth and directness of the teens caught some candidates off guard, forcing them to respond, and in some cases defend themselves, while an audience of adults listened acutely.

Betsy Sweet, Mark Eves, Janet Mills, Mark Dion, Diane Russell, Adam Cote, and Donna Dion each presented a one-minute opening statement before taking the Hot…

BELFAST — Potential democratic gubernatorial candidates gathered before a crowd of approximately 100 at Belfast’s Hutchinson Center May 21, as Indivisible Waldo County hosted a panel so voters can familiarize themselves with their options ahead of the June 12 primaries.

With current Governor Paul LePage set to leave the position when his term limit is reached in January, the position will be left open for whichever candidate can convince the majority of Mainers he or…

Mainers have a unique chance, in the coming gubernatorial primaries, to vote in a way that is both practical and idealistic. Ranked Choice Voting allows citizens to give their greatest support to those who will uphold their values, while ranking the remaining candidates in further order of preference. Even if you've already made your number 1 decision, RCV invites voters to learn more about all those running so that the outcome can reflect our vision for Maine.

Because I will be…

With ranked choice voting set to debut in the June 12 primaries after a contentious legislative journey, some critics have expressed concern over potential confusion about the new system.

Whereas in the past voters have been given a single choice between several candidates and a write-in option, ranked choice voting allows voters to rank the candidates by marking candidates as their first, second, third, and so on choice, according to the …

In November 2017, Camden residents passed an Unencapsulated Polystyrene Ordinance designed to eliminate the use of unencapsulated polystyrene in dock floats and buoys on Camden’s lakes, rivers, harbors and waterways. 

Polystyrene (sometimes referred to as “Styrofoam” or “blue foam”) is a petroleum product that is often used in dock floats because of its buoyancy.  However, it is not biodegradable, and when it is exposed to the elements, it fragments into unsightly, small pieces…

The Midcoast Chapter of League of Women Voters has had a busy spring working locally to help high school and college students register to vote for the first time.  The weekly snow storms of March caused a few cancellations but they were rescheduled in May in time for students to be eligible to vote for the first time in the June 12 election. 

In March, 79 students at Camden Hills Regional High School filled out voter registration cards, according to news release from the League of…

Dodge, “Driven to run, ready to serve” is the motto of a Belfast native running for House District 97.  Jan’s life has been preparing her for this moment - to represent Belfast, Northport and Waldo at the Maine State House.

Jan’s passion caught my attention as President of the Waldo County Retired Teachers, running the meeting with humor, efficiency and speed! She retired after teaching H.S. music Downeast for 30 years.

Jan is an…

 I first met Caitlin Hills when we parents serving on our children’s elementary school Parent Teacher Group.  This was during some of the darker days of school budgets.  Our PTG was working hard on fundraising in order to help off set some of the cuts in our budget.  Our PTG was the teacher supply budget that year! Caitlin was always there with her can do attitude. That same year, for the same reason, a group of concerned parents got together to look for solutions to our school funding…

The citizen initiative to allow Maine seniors and people with disabilities to stay in their homes and receive needed care cleared a legislative hurdle in the Maine House of Representatives April 3, with a 75-68 vote to send the measure directly to voters.

"This vote gives hope to Maine families who are making impossible choices to care for their loved ones, seniors who are afraid of losing their independence and homecare workers who do vital jobs for little pay," said…

CAMDEN — The Camden-Rockport (Camden and Rockport K-8) School Board and the Five Town CSD (Camden Hills Regional High School) School Board are holding public information meetings tonight, March 26, on their respective proposed 2018-2019 budgets. The meetings are held to provide time for the public to ask questions about expenditures and cuts as the annual budget process continues through to June Town Meeting, when voters consider the spending packages at the polls.

Both meetings will…

 The Maine Democratic Party, along with the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee and the House Democratic Campaign Committee, said March 15 that they have fielded “one of the strongest, most diverse set of candidates seeking election and re-election to the Maine House and Senate ever.”

“We could not be more excited about our field of candidates this year,” said Maine Democratic Party Chairman Phil Bartlett, in a news release. “They’re small business owners,…

Maine Senate President Michael Thibodeau, R-Waldo, said March 15 that Republicans will be on the ballot for all 35 senate seats in Maine.

All candidates have successfully gathered the 100 required signatures from their districts and submitted them to the Secretary of State’s Office where those signatures were validated.  

“I am very encouraged by the caliber of candidates we have for this year’s election and the support they received…

BELFAST – Jayne Crosby Giles of Belfast said in a March 14 news release that she is on the June Primary Ballot for Maine Senate District 11, which covers all of Waldo County.

Giles is a former Maine legislator who served in the House of Representatives representing Belfast, Belmont and Northport as a member of the budget-writing Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee.

“It’s official,” she said, in the release. “The…

Ann Matlack, of St. George, has submitted her nomination papers to run for House District 92. Matlack filed her papers March 6 with the Secretary of State's Office. She is a Democrat. 

Matlack is currently the Board Chairwoman for Penquis, a nonprofit serving residents of Knox, Penobscot and Piscataquis counties.

She served for 10 years on the Knox County Budget Committee and the St. George Budget Committee and two terms on the former School…

Local Berniecrats (Maine), a division of Bernie Sanders' "Our Revolution" movement representing all of Maine, has officially endorsed Sean Faircloth for governor in this year's election.

Faircloth, a progressive Democrat, is a former Mayor of Bangor and a five-term state legislator in both the Senate and the House, where he served as Majority Whip.

Faircloth is a clean elections candidate, and, for Maine's Local Berniecrats, was the hands-down choice for the…

BELFAST — With the Nov. 2018 Election Day eight-plus months away, the competition for the Waldo County Sheriff seat is already underway, with both candidates taking to social media in an effort to reach potential voters.

Waldo County Sheriff Jeffrey Trafton, of Thorndike and who is running on the Republican ticket, says his prime motivation for the early campaign start is an effort to battle misinformation he believes is leading to undue worry…

Victoria Doudera, of Camden, has filed papers with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices to seek the District 94 seat in the Maine House of Representatives in the November election.

Doudera will run as a Democrat and Clean Election Candidate.

“I see a need in our community for strong, positive leadership in Augusta,” she said, in a news release. “For more than 30 years, I've been active in our towns – as a…

ROCKLAND — After seven years as the Knox County Sheriff’s right hand man, Tim Carroll is stepping forward to assume top leadership for county law enforcement. It’s not a slam-dunk, given that the county sheriff seat in Maine is an elected position. But to Carroll, political parties and influence have little to do with it. He is running for sheriff, now that Donna Dennison is retiring from the job, because Knox County is his community at large, and he knows its people, warts and all.

…

BELFAST — It was standing room only at the Maine Second Congressional District Democratic Primary Candidate Forum at The University of Maine Hutchinson Center Jan. 21.

Organized by Waldo Indivisible, the event was cosponsored by Belfast Indivisible, Head of the Tide Indivisible, Midcoast Maine Indivisible, and the Waldo County Chapter of Maine AllCare.

The five candidates vying for the opportunity to run against Republican Bruce Poliquin…