After attending the recent gubernatorial debate at the University of New England, I had several take-aways:

• All candidates were admirably civil – a vivid demonstration of the potential political culture once the LePage era is history

• Shawn Moody is a personable guy, which will make him hard to beat

• Alan Caron is honest and direct, which (unfortunately) he can afford to be because his chances are slim. Nonetheless, I applaud his efforts and commitment to public service

• Why is Terry Hayes still in this race? She is smart, experienced and embodies strong democratic values. But if she were not running, her potential voters would likely cast their vote for Janet Mills. What’s her point? She doesn’t appear to have an ego (shades of Eliot Cutler), so why is she risking being another independent spoiler?

I’m sorry that question wasn’t asked at the debate. I would have been interested in the answer.

Kate Reilly

Portland