Thumbs up to the York County Commissioners for moving forward with a code of ethics for county employees, board members and officials. Conflicts of interest and other ethically questionable behaviors have gotten many people into hot water over the years, at all levels of government, and there is no better way to help people understand the boundaries than to have a clear policy in place.

The code that is being proposed also sets up a process for censure, and while its details could certainly lead to discussion and some revisions, we believe having a code in place is a good idea overall. For those who reside in York County, it will help instill trust in all of our leaders and employees, and they, in turn, will know how to avoid complications during their time in office or on the job.

Thumbs up to the Lyman Charter Commission for its continued work to create a guiding document for the town. The commission has been hard at work, creating a charter in just eight months. The document they’ve proposed addresses many of the issues that have plagued the town in recent years, from the recall process to bidding on town projects, and would give the board of selectmen much more guidance in running the town than they’ve had previously. The final public hearing for the charter is tonight, and we hope residents will attend to learn more about it and share their opinions. Having a charter to follow could signal a new, less turbulent era for the town, and we hope to see it approved in November.

Thumbs down to the postponement of improvements for the Hill Road/Route 111 intersection. The Maine Department of Transportation identified this intersection as a problem area a few years ago, and plans were presented last spring, but the project was never sent out to bid this past winter as planned. The project is awaiting environmental approvals and an OK on its final design, according to MDOT, so in the meantime motorists are still dealing with the dangers there. Just last week, a motorcyclist and his passenger were seriously injured when a van pulled out of Hill Road in front of their travel path on Route 111. MDOT has said the project, which would add a turning lane and improve visibility, got put on hold due to personnel shortages, and the focus has been instead on improving the K-shaped intersection of New Road and Route 111. Most who travel Route 111 would agree that Hill Road needs to be addressed first, and we hope MDOT steps up its efforts before someone else is seriously injured or dies as a result of another collision there.

Thumbs up to the combined effort of the Heart of Biddeford downtown revitalization organization and the University of New England to expose college students to the offerings of the downtown and mill district. By hosting a scavenger hunt for the Biddeford campus’ resident assistants last week, the city is making them a reference point for incoming freshmen who might be wondering what’s on tap in town. Thanks to this partnership, now in its fifth year, these students will be able to spread the word about the variety of restaurants, shops, theater productions, community events and more in Biddeford. Drawing this younger population into town is an important step in the renaissance of the area, and we hope the relationship between HOB and UNE continues to grow.

Thumbs up to the Newton Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care for its handling of an incident in which maggots were found on a resident’s skin Aug. 6. While the disgust factor of such a finding caused a lot of hubbub, it was clear from the full story that the problem was addressed within a reasonable amount of time and several precautions have been taken to ensure that it’s unlikely to happen again. The Newton Center was cleared by a Department of Health and Human Services inspection last week, which turned up no deficiencies in its operation, and we hope locals are able to see the full picture and realize that the incident was handled as well as it could have been. In a facility dealing with individuals who are sometimes incapacitated in one way or another, it is no easy task for staff to monitor every aspect of their well-being at all times. The fact that the larvae were discovered at all, during a regularly scheduled skin check, shows that the Center employees were doing their jobs. And their response ”“ reporting it to the proper authorities, despite the media flurry they knew it would create, and taking steps to shore up the facility against flies ”“ shows their professionalism, as well as their respect for their patients and the law.

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Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you would like to respond, please write the Reader’s Forum via email at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford office.