Brunswick Officials Acting Irresponsibly

Where was the Brunswick fire chief when it came time to budget for the maintenance of the facilities the town’s taxpayers so willingly entrusted to his care? Where was the Town Council when the Fire Department failed to request those funds as the buildings were allowed to deteriorate? Public officials have a fiduciary responsibility to the people who elect them to see to their affairs and their assets. That responsibility seems to have been sorely neglected in order to pay the town’s personnel and particularly its managerial and supervisory staff more money each year for performing exactly the same functions. I would be more than happy to pay for their delinquency if in addition to replacing the fire station and now a new school if the Town Council would resign after firing the entire management of the town’s affairs.

Fred Blanchard,

Brunswick

Paper Bags are Harmful to the Ocean

In regards to the letter of date Nov. 29 from Dorothy Burgess: I agree that it is very important to protect our oceans and to protect Maine jobs. I am heartened that the Brunswick Town Council voted unanimously to move forward with a hearing on banning on plastic bags at all retail stores.

While banning single use plastic bags is an excellent first step, I think we also need to limit single-use paper bags.

Carbon emissions from the manufacture and transport of paper bags contribute to ocean acidification, which is threatening ocean life, including some of the sea creatures that we eat. Shell fish are having trouble making their shells because the water is more acidic. The UN warns that “shifting ocean chemistry could have a “considerable influence” on the world’s marine life, including fisheries that supply the primary source of protein for more than 1 billion people worldwide.”

So, using paper bags threatens health of our oceans and the livelihoods of Mainers who work in fisheries.

Single use bags, whether paper or plastic, use up natural resources at a great rate and cause significant pollution. Every time you carry your stuff in a reusable bag, you are contributing to a better world for yourself, your family and your neighbors in our great state of Maine.

John Bartlett,

Brunswick