Thumbs up to the proposal in Kennebunkport to increase lighting in the Dock Square area. Currently, there is inadequate light for those who choose to walk from the parking areas to the shopping areas, and it will be a good investment for the town to remedy that problem. Particularly at this time of year, which is the busiest shopping season, the light of day is gone by 4:30 p.m., so it makes sense to install some lighting to make the area more inviting to consumers. We’re glad to hear the Lighting Committee is considering economical, environmentally sound LED lighting with bulbs that will last for 140,000 hours. Hopefully this idea will be funded by the town and seen both as an investment in the business district and in the safety of residents and visitors.

Thumbs up to Regional School Unit 23 for its proposal to consolidate two high-paying positions into one, thereby saving the district $85,000 in salary and benefits for the position of business manager. We’re glad to see the district taking advantage of the  business manager’s resignation to reconsider how it operates. Beginning next year, the current director of operations will take on the business manager duties and become “assistant superintendent of business and operations.” Budgets are tight at schools, and it’s refreshing to see administration tighten its belt instead of having the students feel the pinch directly. With many people taking on more responsibilities at their own workplaces as staff is cut back, it’s nice to know they’re not alone in that struggle and not overpaying for the school system’s services.

Thumbs down to former Biddeford Mayor Joanne Twomey for failing to attend the inauguration ceremony of newly elected mayor Alan Casavant on Dec. 6 ”“ or congratulate him on the win. It is customary for the previous mayor to be on hand to pass the torch, so to speak, and we were disappointed to see that Twomey was not in attendance. The race was ugly, yes, but it was made uglier by Twomey’s decision to be a sore loser, publicly calling Casavant out as a pawn of the anti-casino groups when she learned of her loss. It would have been one last gift to the city for her to have publicly shown support for its future, but she has not so much as sent an email to congratulate Casavant, according to him. Twomey had said, after all, that she didn’t want to be mayor anymore if the racino was not approved, and since it was not, it seems she should have been more gracious in turning over the seat.

Thumbs up to the generosity of the Rochester, N.H. fire department, which has loaned a ladder truck to the Town of Sanford while its department has its truck out for repairs. It’s heartening to see that one town is willing to help out the other, particularly across state lines. Should the need ever arise for Rochester, we’re confident Sanford would agree to do the same for that department. Ideally, this helping hand will lead to more discussions about collaboration and mutual aid between the two municipalities.

Thumbs up to the mayors of Biddeford and Saco for making an effort to meet and discuss how the cities can promote themselves together and possibly consolidate services to save taxpayers money. Though the cities have had their differences in the past, particularly concerning the Maine Energy Recovery Company, it’s nice to see these newly inaugurated leaders moving forward and looking to the cities’ futures. Talk of a joint municipal power plant, community festivals and shared revenue from major developments are all exciting prospects and the mood is right for the two cities to move forward together on such projects.

Ӣ Ӣ Ӣ

Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you want to respond, feel free to write to the Readers’ Forum via e-mail at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.