Editors note: Letters in support of political candidates must be received at editor@scarboroughleader.com by Wednesday, May 25 at 5 p.m. to appear prior to the June 14 election.

Caterina for State House District 126

To the editor,

Jean-Marie Caterina is a friend of mine, a well-respected leader of the Scarborough Town Council, a successful small business owner and the best candidate running for the newly created State House District 126. The District primarily includes north and west Scarborough plus adjacent areas of Saco and Westbrook.

One of the principal issues facing all these communities is management of urban development growth and, of special interest to me, conserving land to protect wetlands, streams, farms, and recreation areas for all to enjoy.

Jean-Marie has the experience on our local level in balancing land conservation with planned development. She will fight for the interest of residents in the new House 126 in the State Legislature with pragmatic solutions to tough problems.

I hope you will vote for Jean-Marie Caterina in the June 14 Democratic primary.

Mark Follansbee
Scarborough

To the editor,

I would like to express my support for Jean Marie Catarina for House District 126. We worked together as fellow Town Councilors for a number of years and several things stood out from that experience. Here are a few.

Jean Marie always starts her analysis of a problem with what is best for the community and its citizens. For example, her leadership in advancing the senior property tax credit was instrumental in its passage. As well, I have rarely ever seen a harder working official than she.

Jean Marie is a listener, a collaborator, and a problem solver. She will work with you to reach solutions that take account of more than one point of view. The recent community survey she championed is just another example of these skills.

And last, she is an empathetic person who cares about people. Having driven with her around West Scarborough I have always been amazed at how many of her constituents she personally knows and about whom she expresses a kind word.

Jean Marie is a rare gift to Scarborough and will do us all proud in Augusta.

Bill Donovan
Scarborough

Freilinger for Town Council

To the editor,

I am writing to express my support for Peter Freilinger to fill the vacancy on the Scarborough Town Council. Having known Peter since he was a young boy, I have long been impressed with his intelligence and his ability to succeed at whatever motivates him.

Peter has generously served our town on the Zoning board and the Long-range Planning committee. I had a recent conversation with Peter in which, among other things, he spoke about two issues that he and I both feel are very important to our town: well planned growth and protection of our large marsh area.

In electing Peter Freilinger to the Town Council, we will have a young, smart, energetic and enthusiastic new member… just the kind of person our town needs to guide it into the future.
Peter has my vote and I hope he has yours.

Janice Drinan
Scarborough

Reelect Jonathan Sahrbeck as Cumberland County DA

To the editor,

Jonathan Sahrbeck’s bid to be re-elected Cumberland County District Attorney begins on June 14th. On that day a democratic primary will be held. I urge all Democrats to vote and to support Mr. Sahrbeck. He has earned our support by his actions. Many candidates talk a good game — but Jonathan acts! My personal experience with him has come from many directions. He’s a true reformer who has found a balance between protecting the public and providing opportunities for people suffering mental health and substance use disorder challenges. Jonathan believes strongly in treatment courts that offer the opportunity for recovery. He started a county collaborative that brings providers of human services together for valuable networking . He consistently goes above and beyond as exemplified by his participation in a statewide review panel to examine overdoses to discover how people fall through the cracks. He attends dozens of community events monthly where he shows his support to organizations involved in helping fellow Mainers. Mr. Sahrbeck is a true working district attorney who has earned an additional term.

Ron Springel, MD
Scarborough

Council should not grant GMO exemptions

To the editor,

I am writing this letter on Tuesday, May 10. Having been away, I have just read about the Enterprise project and the possibility that the developers may request a GMO exemption because their project is half finished (sound familiar?).

The Downs’ first exemption opened the door for their recent second exemption request which opens the door to a possible Enterprise request which if these exemptions are granted, opens the door to other developers requests.

It is imperative that both the Downs’ request and any other exemption requests are denied.

At the same time, the GMO needs to be revisited in order to heed the will of most Scarborough Citizens who are deeply concerned about the growth of our town. I trust that the elected Council members will listen to Scarborough residents and “do the right thing” by denying all exemptions requests and by revisiting the GMO in order to have an ordinance that will control growth in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Nina T. McKee
Scarborough

Scarborough needs Town Center

To the editor,

As a mom to three young kids, and a small business owner in Scarborough I will be sincerely disappointed if plans for the Town Center don’t move forward. I have lived here my entire life and as long as I can remember, people have wanted two things: a community center and a downtown. Now we are so close to making both of those things a reality and again, Scarborough residents are fighting over it. Our town has a history of battling over everything ­­– from the budget, to the turf replacement, to consolidate the primary schools or not – it is exhausting. Scarborough has already become known as a difficult place to live and work and if we don’t begin to act as a community, it will hurt all of us. Our civic pride will be degraded, our reputation as a business-friendly community will diminish, and our overall reputation will be harmed. Right now we are once again seeing controversy take over where none should exist.

We have developers trying to deliver a privately-financed town center (see also: no taxpayer dollars!) and we’re fighting about that! Do we want to further perpetuate our dysfunction, or do we want to see this public benefit materialize? Right now we have a choice – support building a Town Center, or allow the developers to abandon this idea and build whatever they’d like? To me the answer is quite clear.

The future Town Center in Scarborough will become a destination that all residents can enjoy; will create enough revenue to pay for our public safety building debt, finance a new community center and a variety of other local projects residents want, and it will become the heartbeat of our community. It is upsetting that a group of residents who don’t want to see any change in Scarborough can consistently make enough noise to derail a win-win project for the majority. Can we recognize that we’re all on the same team? Scarborough is evolving and growing, regardless of whether you want it to or not. We have a chance right now to shape our future.

Aili Desrochers
Scarborough