Lane/Tommy: It’s that time of year again to put on the old thinking cap in order to choose which local candidates one will vote for on Election Day. There are also two bond questions on the state ballot dealing with wastewater treatment and repairs to our transportation infrastructure. We will also discuss who shouldn’t have the right to vote in the state of Maine.

Lane: The right to vote is an important issue for me because of my 20 years of military service defending our right to vote. I feel that it is my American duty to vote at every election so my vote counts. I feel it is also my duty to make an informed vote and not vote for a candidate or issue because they look good. I have no compassion for voters who cast ballots while not having a clue as to whom or what they are voting for. Every American should make themselves an informed voter. Take a look at Windham or Maine where voters constantly elect the same people while complaining their taxes are increasing at a rate they cannot afford.

Tommy: One of the things I hear lifetime politicians say is that it takes a newly elected person years to come up to speed in order to understand the political process and make informed decisions. Isn’t this a deceptive statement in order to keep the status quo and the same old faces in power? Remember that we have a representative form of government. We elect people who make the decisions in our government at all levels. Some of these people who we elected feel that once elected they, and they alone, should make all the decisions of government without any interference from us. Recently in Windham, items over $25,000 are no longer voted on by us although the town charter states otherwise. Some school board officials have publicly stated that they should have the final say on the school budget because we are not qualified to make such a decision.

Lane/Tommy: Bonds, what are they good for? In our opinion, absolutely nothing unless Maine has an emergency situation that needs immediate funding. The governor and legislature have loved transportation bonds for decades under the excuse of Maine’s greatly underfunded transportation infrastructure. When it comes to fuel taxes, someone in Augusta is going to have to show us the money and where it went and that is something Augusta fears in any department or bureau. So where has all that money gone? The state of Maine has a budget. Bonds are an excuse to go above and beyond that spending limit with the excuse our bridges and roads need improvement.

Lane: Should nonresident college students be able to vote in the state of Maine? As a member of the military I had two choices to vote. One was to go home on leave and the other was to vote by absentee ballot unless I changed my place of residence when reenlisting. Nonresident college students have the right to vote by absentee ballots in their home states so why should they have the right to vote in our state when members of the military serving here from other states do not have that same right? That is nothing less than blatant discrimination from our state government and yet our legislators and governor lack the intestinal fortitude to change it.

Tommy: Do you think prisoners in Maine should have the right to vote? After all, they are in incarcerated because they violated someone’s rights. I have no problem in restoring their right to vote once they have completed their sentence and returned to society.

Lane and Tommy, of Windham, support Donna Chapman, Blaine Davis and Kaile Warren for the Windham Town Council because they are fresh faces without deep political connections who can make significant decisions regarding Windham’s future. They cannot say the same of the majority of school board candidates. Vote for the one who is not on the school board to make a difference.