Letters to the Editor

Election letters

To the editor,

Vote yes to revise the Kennebunk Town Charter. It’s not what’s in it, but what’s not in it that is the problem. It’s lack of specificity and clarity led directly to the school board recall fiasco, requiring lawyers and court actions on both sides, costing the town tens of thousands and exacerbating the public angst.

Kennebunk’s town charter is 21 pages, 18 are substantive. I’ve signed rental leases longer than that.

The charter grants, guarantees or defines the local regulations of the town of Kennebunk. It will require high quality, professionally and educationally equipped wordsmiths to research, parse and write a concise, coherent, comprehensive document.

Susan Bloomfield has these skills in abundance – strong leader, experienced investigator, professional writer and committed to collaborating in spirited public input. She’s indispensable to getting a charter widely acceptable that truly meets the needs of Kennebunk residents.

Vote yes on the charter issue. Yes for Susan Bloomfield.

Jane Card

Kennebunk

To the editor,

On Nov. 8, Maine voters will have the opportunity to vote for their representatives for the Maine House and Senate. For voters living in District 32 (Arundel, Biddeford, Dayton, Hollis, and Lyman), I invite you to join me in voting for Henry Ingwersen, who is running for Maine Senate.

As a woman raising a teenage daughter, having continued full access to reproductive choices is critical to me and my family. During his time in the Maine House, Henry supported laws that ensured health insurance coverage for all reproductive care, including abortion, and that expanded access to reproductive health care from physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners.

Through my many personal discussions with Henry, I am confident that he will continue to do everything he can to keep abortion legal and accessible in Maine. Henry knows that abortion is essential health care that allows women to be fully adult humans who can decide what’s best for their bodies and their futures.

Please join me on Nov. 8 in voting for Henry Ingwersen for Maine Senate District 32.

MaryBeth Luce

Arundel

To the editor,

$2.1 million dollars? Question B should be a no vote in our opinion.. Question B was voted down in June and it should be voted down again. There will always be personnel openings, presently two police officers, but spending $2.1 million is not the way to fix it. Furthermore, by lowering the retirement service years to 20 from 25, we project more openings.

By bonding this question, Kennebunk town management has decided to waste $600,000 of taxpayers money. Town management could have used another option of changing the plan for future service only, thus avoiding $600,000 cost to the taxpayers.

Kennebunk town management needs to look in the mirror with regards to human capital. The voters approved a 19 percent increase in the town’s budget last June. If the Kennebunk town management wanted to spend more on salaries, they should be taking it from the 19 percent increase and not by asking taxpayers to dig deeper into their pockets, especially when $600,000 of Question B is waste.

Please vote on Nov. 8 and vote no on Question B.

Lionel and Cindi Menard

Kennebunk

To the editor,

Henry Ingwersen is running for Maine Senate District 32 (Biddeford, Arundel, Dayton, Lyman, Hollis). I am hoping you will vote for him on Nov. 8.

I have known Henry for over 30 years, initially as a teacher for my two sons. Since that time, Henry has become a valuable friend. I have enjoyed watching his family grow, with him and his wife Christine serving as role models for good parenting.

Let me tell you why Henry is the right person to represent us in the senate. He is not only a doer, but he is a great listener, compassionate and hard-working. When presented with a problem, he is extremely thoughtful about looking at it from all sides before deciding on a solution.

Henry has my vote, and I hope he has your vote, too.

David Strassler

Arundel

To the editor,

I wholeheartedly support Elizabeth Jordan for State Representative in House District 134, Kennebunkport, coastal Kennebunk, and coastal Biddeford. Elizabeth is passionate about the important issues facing Maine: Supporting Maine’s struggling small businesses, especially our lobstermen and women, reducing bloated state spending so we can give Maine families tax relief, and allowing parents a say in their children’s public education.

Most of all she believes in freedom and Maine values. Please vote for common sense. Please vote for Elizabeth Jordan, House District 134.

Margaret Myatt

Kennebunkport

To the editor,

I am voting to re-elect Joe Rafferty (Senate District 34) and I am encouraging others to do the same.

Here are three of the reasons I support Joe:

1. He cares about working families. As chair of the Senate Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, Joe spearheaded an effort to help retirees by increasing allowable tax exemptions. He worked to increase funding for career and technical education programs, and free breakfast and lunch for all students.

2. He has earned a perfect score from the AFL-CIO, has been endorsed by the Maine Education Association, Maine’s People’s Alliance, and Planned Parenthood.

3. Joe has had a long career in education. He works hard, listens and mentors well, and cares about our community.

Louise Sandmeyer

Kennebunk

To the editor,

Dan Sayre has the expertise and experience to be a terrific state representative for District 135. He has specific ideas for how to grow and diversify Maine’s economy.

For example, during the past two years, he’s run a national collaborative – the Industry 4.0 Workforce Summit – to reveal the best practices in preparing students and workers for high-wage careers in manufacturing and technology. He’ll bring this expertise to the legislature so educational institutions, employers, and state and local government can work together on proven innovative ways to strengthen the tech and manufacturing sectors of Maine’s economy.

I’ve known Dan for nearly four years, primarily through his leadership role in the Democrats of the Kennebunks and Arundel and his oversight of its Scholarship Committee, and his recent service on Kennebunk’s budget board. Dan is a genuinely good listener, an excellent collaborator, and a hard worker. To learn more about Dan, I highly recommend these two non-partisan sources: the encyclopedia of American Politics, Ballotpedia at ballotpedia.org and the League of Women Voters Education Fund Voter’s Guide at vote411.org.

Please join me in voting for Dan Sayre. His pertinent experience and expertise working with businesses, educational institutions, community organizations, and local government make him the ideal State Representative for District 135.

Linda DeFelice

Kennebunk

To the editor,

During the darkest days of the pandemic, Gov. Mills led with a steady hand. She and Dr. Shah provided Mainers with facts and direction in stark contrast to the chaos caused by Trump.

Fortunately for Maine, Paul LePage had left for Florida and took with him his unpredictable behaviors, divisiveness, anger, incivility, crudity, and threats.

We are in recovery. Last summer Maine was in the top 14 states for jobs recouped, having brought back 98.5 percent of the jobs lost during the pandemic. Our GDP growth over the past three years was the 11th best in the nation. Our unemployment rate was down to 3.6 percent. Additionally Maine’s Rainy Day Fund is at a record high.

Nevertheless, Maine is facing increasingly serious issues. The pandemic and Putin’s war have caused serious economic challenges. Climate change will continue to make demands on our time, talent, and treasure. Our electoral process needs protection. Our human rights do, too.

Paul LePage is not option. He is a liability. Unhinged leadership harms pocketbooks, the environment and democratic processes.

Vote for Janet Mills. She will protect our pocketbooks, our elections, and the most basic of human rights.

Joanne Hulsey

Kennebunk

To the editor,

How lucky can we get. We always wish more people had the courage and desire to represent us locally and nationally. We want to support those willing to work for us and cherish new leadership as a gift.

This midterm election there are two new leaders that have my unwavering support – Bradley “Scott” Ducharme (Maine State Senate) and Elizabeth Jordan (Maine State Representative). Scott shares my views on lowering taxes, controlling spending, and addressing high utility and heating costs. Elizabeth thinks as I do on these issues as well as returning parents’ voices back to our schools, and supporting Maine businesses.

Both of these candidates have the courage to work in Augusta on our behalf and the stamina that it will take to get important things accomplished to improve lives here in Maine.

Please vote for Scott and Elizabeth on Nov. 8.

Diane Franz

Kennebunkport

To the editor,

I am writing in support of re-electing Sheriff Bill King as the York County sheriff. I have witnessed firsthand how Sheriff King prioritizes keeping our older adults safe.

From fighting to protect older adults from scams and scammers to educating about safe driving, Sheriff King has worked diligently for our older adults. Sheriff King has not only educated the public about the multitude of scams targeting older adults, but he has also traveled to Jamaica to speak with government officials there about the effects of harmful scams. Sheriff King has testified before the Senate Committee on Aging, as well, educating our government officials about scams to keep older adults safe.

These are just a few of the reasons I will be voting for Sheriff Bill King this November.

Robin Hewitt Bibber

Arundel

To the editor,

When you go to vote, please remember to go to the very last item on the ballot (at least in Kennebunkport) and there you will find a contested office of York County Commissioner.

Paul Bennett is a lifelong Mainer and a familiar face in the Kennebunks, having owned and managed Bennett’s Store at Sea Road and Western Avenue for the past 19 years and for having represented Kennebunk in the State House from 2010 to 2014.

He will add some balance to the Board of County Commissioners, representing Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Arundel and Biddeford.

Roger Hicks is a lifelong Maine resident with 25 years of experience in the York County Sheriff’s Office. His previous experience as a selectman in Hollis as well as work on various town and county budget committees makes him well suited to the job.

His desire is to provide a respectful, transparent and cost effective sheriff’s department. While here in the Kennebunks, we have police departments to protect us and provide community policing, small towns, such as Arundel, must depend on sheriff’s deputies to provide these services, so it is important to have someone like Roger in charge.

Please take the time to notice Roger Hicks on your ballot and give him your vote.

Thomas Boak

Kennebunkport

To the editor,

When running for office, visiting constituents seems to be a lost art. Take heart, as Elizabeth Jordan, Republican candidate for state representative in Kennebunkport, coastal Kennebunk and coastal Biddeford, has claimed this technique as part of her campaign. She is hard working, spending most days visiting homes in her district, actively listening to voter’s concerns. Her behavior during this campaign lends credibility to her promise of working tirelessly to represent all the people of her district,

Believing that overspending and over regulation have damaged our state, Elizabeth supports small business owners and trusts them to do what is best for themselves and their communities, minimizing intrusive government regulations. She supports parents and their right to know what is being taught to their children in school. If elected, she will be available to meet and listen to residents of her district.

If you are unhappy with the way state government has worked over the last two years, please join me in casting your vote for Elizabeth Jordan for state representative.

Susan Boak

Kennebunkport

To the editor,

I am writing to urge voters in District 134 to return Traci Gere to the legislature so she can continue to make a difference for Kennebunkport and coastal Kennebunk and Biddeford. Traci is a high energy, thoughtful representative who is always striving to help our communities and the state continue to thrive.

One of the largest issues facing southern Maine in particular is the extreme need for more affordable housing options for our year-round working families and older adults. Traci is passionate about finding ways to contribute to the solutions to this problem.

In my work over the past few years working with my neighbors to create more affordable homes in Kennebunkport, we were challenged by the limitations on the sales tax exemption that required us to pay that tax on half of the homes we have been producing.

Traci saw the issue clearly: that additional cost of the housing we created simply meant that we were challenged to
raise more charitable and public dollars to make those homes affordable to those priced out by local housing costs. She took up the issue and succeeded in getting legislative action to expand the exemption for nonprofit housing groups like ours.

I hope you’ll join me in voting for Traci on Nov. 8 so she can continue to use her intelligence and commitment to work for a better future for Maine.

Pat Clancy

Kennebunkport

To the editor,

I am writing to support Traci Gere for re-election as representative in the Maine House for District 134.

As many of us are aware, the availability of sensible, affordable housing for workers and families in our area is very limited, and market prices continue to rise. The well-intentioned and modestly successful programs of municipal, nonprofit, and private organizations at all levels have been helpful, but the affordability gap continues to widen.

As a volunteer and advocate for housing initiatives the past 20 years, I am excited by the fresh thinking and new laws that are not just addressing the financing of affordable housing, but also, and more importantly, addressing the plethora of rules that often choke housing development across the state.

Traci Gere has been an important contributor and driver in the complicated world of affordable housing in the House. Her innate intelligence, research abilities, and experience are critical to dealing with the continuing challenges and creating new opportunities.