The issue of money in politics is one that is a centerpiece of my legislative advocacy since I arrived in the legislature at age 21. I believe it’s the barrier, that when addressed, would break the log jam of the long term substantive issues facing our state. We spend too much time debating and being […]

Editor, On behalf of the Board and Volunteers of the Biddeford Food Pantry—and on behalf of the families we serve—I would like to thank the entire community for the generous outpouring of support that saved our pantry. When we learned in August that we might lose our home on Elm Street, we turned to you […]

Some Christmas presents are a wonderful surprise, others a big disappointment. We try to be polite about the clunkers, figuring it’s the thought that counts. But the new Republican tax law — what President Trump has described as a “big, beautiful Christmas present” for the American people — is the worst Christmas present ever. And […]

This past week has seen South Korea and North Korea engage in friendly overtures not seen in recent history, amid discussions over North Korea’s possible participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. While that may seem a small or routine issue, it is nonetheless the first official dialogue the two countries have engaged […]

When government reverses an established policy, the move can range from a “flip-flop” to outright “nullification.” A “flip-flop” is a switch in policy. Nullification is a move to ignore the law. President Trump and his administration have been busy reversing measures adopted by his predecessor, President Obama. Executive orders go back to George Washington. Obama […]

Some think that the Bundy’s got off scot-free when U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro dismissed cases against Cliven and sons Ammon and Ryan and co-defendant Ryan Payne and accused their prosecutors, the government, of willfully withholding evidence from Bundy lawyers in violation of the federal Brady rule thus denying them due process.  She referred to […]

Editor, As State Representative Don Marean returns to Augusta this January to make decisions about solar energy, I’d like to thank him for supporting solar power last summer by voting to overturn the flawed Public Utilities Commission rule. Using the power of the sun that shines on Maine homes and businesses—and putting Mainers to work […]

With the Maine Legislature at the start of the second session of the 128th Legislature, it is time to reflect on the amount of work ahead of us. The Maine Legislature is broken into two separate sessions, one in each year of the two-year legislative calendar. The first regular session is considered the long session […]

Editor, As a result of the 2016 minimum wage referendum, 59,000 hard-working Mainers got a raise last week. That overdue increase went directly into families’ pockets and the cash registers of our local businesses, strengthening Maine’s economy and our communities. And this increase isn’t just good for workers, it’s good for businesses. Across the state, […]