Hostages. A word you hear on the evening news. Right now in our quaint town, we are hostages. While we go about our lives, RSU 5 is attempting to prevent Freeport from having a chance to a fair vote on withdrawal. After countless meetings, a consultation with the Maine Department of Education and five expensive hours with a mediator, we still have no agreement.

I don’t use the word hostage lightly. Our town voted to explore withdrawal.

Freeport’s Town Council appointed the Withdrawal Committee and authorized a budget. This is not a game. Up or down, Freeport residents have the right to a vote – without the RSU running interference or inserting a poison pill.

The Freeport High School building is the latest target. The last item to negotiate – the financial settlement – is being held up because the RSU won’t let us have our high school building back unless their terms are met. Many Freeporters may be surprised to know that when the RSU was formed, we were required to sign away the title of the FHS building with zero consideration – a building our taxpayers paid millions of dollars to construct and maintain.

While it is appealing to think, “Let them have FHS and we will go build something new,” I ask, why won’t they simply let Freeport vote? Interesting that some of our hostage takers are the folks that got us into this mess in the first place.

The recent budget vote validates the irreconcilable differences. RSU 5 is quickly becoming the ex you can’t wait to get away from.

Anne Fuehrer

Freeport