November brings to Mount Desert Island a struggling mixture of summer and winter moods. Frosty mornings contrast with afternoons so warm you may hear a peeper hopelessly calling for a mate! Nature is winding down but as we know quite well there is always something of interest going on in the out-of doors. Watch these …
The din of campaigning has been replaced by the joyful noise of the winners and the sobs of the losers. Sadly, the results came well after the deadline for this writing. Commentary will have to wait until next week. It is safe to say that some expectations were dashed and some victories won against all …
The mid-term elections are just days away now, and the deadline for opining about the candidates has passed. So now, in the final frenzy, we must look elsewhere for subject matter. We could talk about skunks, which are unusually abundant on Mount Desert Island this fall. Likewise, deer in Gouldsboro. We could talk about birds, …
Hancock County has a great batch of candidates running for seats in the legislature. To their credit they have said nary a word about each other. They are eager to tell you why they are running and what they hope to accomplish, but they are universally disinclined to speak ill of their opponents. We don‘t …
Two state Senate districts have territory in Hancock County. One is District 7, the seat from which Republican Brian Langley is retiring due to term limits. Two termed-out legislators from the House of Representatives are vying to replace him. Republican Richard Malaby of Hancock is owner of the Crocker House in Hancock, and campaign season …
On we go with legislative candidates. In House District 137, Republican Larry Lockman (Amherst) is being challenged by Democrat Doug Bunker (Franklin). An avowed conservative, Lockman is no stranger to controversy based on his views about women, abortion, gays and immigrants. Those views, and the language he uses to support them, have been sufficiently extreme …
In the District 136 House race Downeast the candidates are both Winter Harbor natives. Both have served as selectmen. Both have been lobstermen. Democrat Kylie Bragdon, “Winter Harbor born and bred,” grew up on the water and now fishes when she can but works as the principal of KidsPeace in Ellsworth. She has taught in …
The lawn signs are up and the candidates are out, many of them new to politics. District 132 has Democrat Nicole Grohoski (Ellsworth) up against Republican Mark Remick (Trenton). Grohoski, a cartographer, works for a Maine organization that assists with community-based planning through GIS mapping technology. Grohoski sees plenty of room for improvement in …
Five months beyond the April 18 statutory adjournment date, the 128th Legislature finally called it quits, but they could not avoid letting the door hit them on the way out. Governor Paul LePage accused departing legislators of everything from “shifty financing” to “insouciant oversight.” He reserved special ire for Senate President Mike Thibodeau, whose efforts …
A midterm State of the Union assessment By Fred Benson Forty-six days from now, voters will go to the polls to set the nation’s political azimuth for the next two years. Most midterm elections are unconvincingly described as being far more important than others, but this time it’s real. It is widely acknowledged that the …
