Letters

• letter to the editor

  Are we cash-cows for an emir?

  Mon, 05/29/2023 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: If someone were to prove to you that $255,000,000 of Central Maine Power’s 2021 profits left Maine and the United States, to enrich Iberdrola — a Spanish multinational corporation whose largest shareholder is the Qatar Investment Authority, a non-transparent, sovereign-wealth fund controlled by the emir of Qatar to manage oil and natural gas surpluses — would you consider voting Yes on this November’s ballot initiative to replace CMP and Versant with our very own, consumer-owned...

• Fly our flag first

  Mon, 05/29/2023 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: Because it continues, and with Flag Day coming up in a couple of weeks, I will repeat myself. Before our political leaders let our country go completely down the drain, if you support another country, it’s all well and good. However, fly an American flag first for the proud veterans, especially for those who gave their lives and made it possible for you to do so. No reply, no response needed. Just do it. Munro Dodge East Boothbay
• letter to the editor

  Grateful for donations

  Mon, 05/29/2023 - 2:30pm

  Dear Editor: We recently offered the communities we serve the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. We were so humbled by the response. Most of us know that not everyone is fortunate enough to live in a household and community that are safe and welcoming. And many might back away from even the mention of domestic abuse or prefer not to get involved. But our recent fundraising challenge shows otherwise. Although our initial ask was for the community to match $10,000, we...
• letter to the editor

  Destructive and false rhetoric

  Mon, 05/22/2023 - 4:30pm

  Dear Editor: The media and politicians (mostly Democrats) keep throwing around the threat of a "default" if Congress does not increase the debt limit above the already staggering $31.4 trillion. This is either a lie or a threat to violate our Constitution. The 14th Amendment prohibits the country from defaulting on our sovereign debt. When we hit the debt ceiling, the government may no longer borrow money. However, there is plenty of ongoing revenue coming into the government every month to...
• letter to the editor

  Flag placement volunteers

  Mon, 05/22/2023 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: On Saturday, May 20, the American Legion, area Boy and Girl Scouts, and other volunteers placed the American flags on each of the veterans graves at our local cemeteries. These flags will stay out until June 10. It is inevitable that we will miss a grave, although every effort is made to ensure this doesn't happen. But, if you know of a veteran's grave that doesn't have a flag, call the Hall at 633-4487 and leave your contract information. Someone will call you back to get the...
• letter to the editor

  Questioning BHWP’s wisdom

  Mon, 05/22/2023 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: In recent weeks, Boothbay Harbor Waterfront Preservation has adopted a new and aggressive legal and PR strategy against the town. It started with the filing of a new court appeal against the town, and culminated with a coordinated march on the Select Board and Planning Board to protest that the Board of Appeals’ recent recission of the park’s shoreland zoning permit had caused a “dockage crisis for lobstermen.” As to the lawsuit, we must ask the same question asked by Board of...
• letter to the editor

  Re: CSD budget increases

  Mon, 05/22/2023 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: None of us on the School Committee who voted “yes” loved voting for the school budget for next year. But we did so because, just to maintain our current level of education, we had to support an overall 15% increase. This happened even though we hired only one new staff, and did not create any new programs. Here are the big reasons why we have the increase for this upcoming year. First, the district will lose $200K in state funding over this year. Second, we had budgeted so tightly...
• letter to the editor

  Offering Pre-K is a good investment

  Mon, 05/22/2023 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: As local law enforcement leaders, we frequently speak about crimes after they have been committed and about our efforts to apprehend the criminal. But today we want to talk about an opportunity to stop criminal activity before it happens; before there are victims and shattered lives. We belong to the national anti-crime organization Fight Crime: Invest In Kids which is made up of chiefs, sheriffs, and prosecutors nationwide. In Maine, almost all of our sheriffs and about 80 percent...
• letter to the editor

  Memorial Day 2023

  Mon, 05/22/2023 - 2:30pm

  Dear Editor: Memorial Day is a day to honor those who served our country when we needed them most. Remember – all gave some and some gave all. So, to my friends, Stott, Miles, Roger, Fran, Frank, Phil, Paul, Linc, Barry George – to name a few – thank you for your service to our country and our community. May God bless all our veterans, past and present, as they serve our country all over the world. Stay strong, stay safe. May God Bless America. Munro Dodge East Boothbay
• letter to the editor

  Shelters for asylum seekers

  Mon, 05/15/2023 - 4:15pm

  Dear Editor: Last year when what is still known as “LD 2003” was enacted as an emergency, there was a looming immediate emergency that this bill did not address. That was the families composed of 1000 asylum seekers who were staying in hotels subsidized by the federal government and those subsidies were set to expire in January. Somebody must have seen that throwing families on to the street in the dead of winter is a bad visual, so now those subsidies are expiring on June 30. Despite those...
• letter to the editor

  Questioning school budget vote

  Mon, 05/15/2023 - 4:00pm

  Dear Editor: Why does it cost local taxpayers over $28,000 per student at BRHS while neighboring Lincoln Academy only costs $14,500? This is one of many questions that should be answered before any vote on the $9.41 million school budget Thursday, May 25 at 6 p.m. in the BRHS gym. There are no absentee ballots permitted, so you must show up in person to vote. I don’t think there was nearly enough public discussion this spring about ways to reduce that huge increase of 15%, although...
• letter to the editor

  Thankful for the dock space

  Mon, 05/15/2023 - 4:00pm

  Dear Editor: On behalf of the fishermen of Carter's Wharf, we would like to thank Paul Coulombe for the gracious offer of dock space at the former Lobster Dock. Not only had we lost dockage but parking and skiff space as well. Mr Coulombe's generous gift to the fishermen will make what looked to be a very difficult time much easier. It certainly goes to show what can be accomplished as a town when we all work together. Again, many thanks! Bill Hallinan Boothbay Harbor
• letter to the editor

  Solutions?

  Mon, 05/15/2023 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: Tom Perkins was right on the “money” suggesting that the trustees, school committee and community members perhaps search for alternative solutions towards our changing community dynamic. While I don’t have the perfect “solution”; I do think that the communities on the peninsula, including Edgecomb and extending to Wiscasset should put their collective heads together and consider the potential, the possibiities of a regional high school. As a teacher of some 40+ years in both...
• letter to the editor

  Association helping lobstermen

  Mon, 05/15/2023 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: I attended the selectboard meeting on Monday evening, May 8 and am writing to introduce myself and the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association (MCFA). MCFA is an industry-driven nonprofit working to restore the fisheries in the Gulf of Maine and sustain Maine's fishing communities for future generations. We are located in Brunswick but work with commercial fishermen all along Maine's coast. As the Director of Community of Programs for the organization, I run our Fishermen Wellness and...
• letter to the editor

  Sen. Collins willing to help

  Mon, 05/15/2023 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: Most parents have roughly 18 years to worry, save, and figure out how they are going to afford to send their child to college one day. But they only have about nine months to figure out how they are going to afford an even greater daily expense: child care. Every morning in Maine, tens of thousands of parents go to bed wondering how they’re going to afford to send their kid to child care the next day. New analysis from First Five Years Fund has found that the Child Care and...
• letter to the editor

  The emperor has no clothes

  Mon, 05/15/2023 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: If you didn’t otherwise view the May 8, 2023 Boothbay Harbor Selectboard meeting you should check it out on boothbaytv.org’s website or their Facebook page. What did you miss? The real Mike Tomko, demonstrating a disgusting form of gamesmanship to incite Selectboard and Planning Board members to support, at all costs , the Boothbay Harbor Waterfront Preservation’s desire to obtain permitting to install docks. He vilified the “abutters” who exercised due process and won a...
• letter to the editor

  A scene out of ‘Young Frankenstein’

  Mon, 05/15/2023 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor, The theatrics at Monday’s (05/08/2023) Boothbay Harbor Selectmen’s meeting were reminiscent of the scene from Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein.” You know. the one where a town official whips up a mob who show up at the castle with torches and pitchforks. Of course, in this case they showed up to intimidate an elected board into forcing a town employee to allow a pet project to proceed. It seems pretty apparent that this scene recreation was orchestrated by recently ousted...
• Letter to the editor

  Where has all the forsythia gone?

  Tue, 05/09/2023 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: Has forsythia forsaken us? For over 50 years we have had mounds and masses of forsythia blooming in our yard, waves of tiny yellow flowers resplendent on their branches, an unfailing herald of spring…until this spring. A neighbor says that it’s the same with his forsythia. Bare branches leafing out but no bloom. Is there a gardener out there who can tell us what has happened to the forsythia? Patty Krebs Southport
• Letter to the editor

  In support of St. Philips housing project

  Tue, 05/09/2023 - 8:30am

  Dear Editor: For those of us working with people who are homeless or are facing homelessness, the grant awarded to Amistad for the building of 12 housing units at St Philip's Church is more than welcome. The project will provide shelter and support and some hope, and a chance for a better life for the most vulnerable among us -those that are un-housed. I commend the people of St Philips who are opening their hearts for such an undertaking. I am sure that it has taken a lot of commitment,...
• letter to the editor

  Skyrocketing education costs

  Mon, 05/08/2023 - 5:30pm

  Dear Editor: Boothbay Harbor is projected to only have 40 students in the high school next year, but will be charged a total of over $3.54 million as its share of the Region’s overall education bill. Southport and Edgecomb actually have more high school students here, but those towns only contribute the state-regulated flat $12,558 per pupil tuition. I love our schools and teachers, but those numbers would suggest this “business model” is broken. This year’s whopping 16.8% increase will be...

• Thankful for grant

  Mon, 05/08/2023 - 5:30pm

  Dear Editor: Finding Our Voices sends a huge thank you to the Boothbay select board and voters for their generous support of Finding Our Voices, with a $500 grant. This grant is wonderful validation of our grassroots, survivor-powered, local and statewide efforts. The money will bring safety and freedom to Maine women and children, including those from Lincoln County, who are trapped in domestic abuse, through the nonprofit's Get Out Stay Out Fund. The fund pays for such items as emergency...
• letter to the editor

  Humanity in crisis

  Mon, 05/08/2023 - 4:45pm

  Dear Editor : How to create a humanitarian crisis. What do you mean you are not ready ? Southern border states had two years. Human beings are sleeping in the streets in El Paso and other towns. Where is the President? Where is the Vice President. Thousands of sex traffickers, poisonous narcotics from China, gang bangers, unaccompanied children are flowing in as a mountain stream. Call out the National Gard, fire Mayorkas, Impeach the executive. Perhaps Biden can address the nation and brag...
• letter to the editor

  Vote yes for Article #40

  Mon, 05/08/2023 - 4:00pm

  Dear Editor: Funds for public boating access is on the warrant again. This year we will vote by absentee or in person on May 20th. After a few years off due to COVID, I collected over 80 signatures on a petition to put article #40 on the warrant to add funds raised through boat excise tax in the Woodend fund to purchase land suitable for public boating access. I am one of the lucky ones who has access to the river through my wife’s family. I so enjoy boating on the river. I feel everyone should...
• letter to the editor

  How propaganda works

  Mon, 05/01/2023 - 3:45pm

  Dear Editor: A recent government report for the First Quarter of 2023: Real gross domestic product (GDP)* increased at an annual rate of 1.1 percent in the first quarter of 2023. So we are to believe our economy is growing, but, the annual inflation** rate for the United States was 5.0% for the 12 months ended March, following a rise of 6.0% in the previous period. So in other words our economy actually fell by @ 5%. We are in a recession.*** *Gross domestic product is a monetary measure of the...
• letter to the editor

  Caribbean Night at Opera House

  Mon, 05/01/2023 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: I am writing on behalf of Pan Fried Steel to express our wholehearted thank you to The Opera House of Boothbay Harbor for hosting us at Caribbean Night last Saturday, April 29. As has happened with each of the 15 years we’ve played at that beautiful venue, we all came away saying this was the “best gig,” “the perfect way to start our season,” “the most fun,” “the best and happiest audience!” Truly, our spring visit to the Opera House has become an all-time favorite for us and we...
• letter to the editor

  School charter online

  Mon, 05/01/2023 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: For those who may be wondering, the proposed new school charter can be found by entering “Boothbay” in the title line of the online Maine Bill Search, where you can also submit a public testimony. Susan M. Andersen Boothbay
• letter to the editor

  Don’t throw away our vote

  Mon, 05/01/2023 - 3:00pm

  Dear Editor: A recent Register included a letter urging support for the so-called National Popular Vote compact. This pernicious legislation would not only take away Maine's voice on the national stage, it would also disenfranchise Maine's voters. This bill, if passed and activated, would say that regardless of how the people of Maine vote, our electoral votes would go to whomever the voters of California, New York, and Chicago want to be president. Maine could vote 90% for candidate A, but...
• letter to the editor

  Re: Easter Egg Hunt

  Mon, 05/01/2023 - 2:30pm

  Dear Editor: The Boothbay Region Fire Auxiliary would like to thank Hannaford, Pinkham’s Gourmet Seafood and Frito Lay for their generous contributions to our first-ever Easter Egg Hunt. We also want to thank the firefighters and our junior firefighters for all of their help. Will and Isaac Sledge ... you were amazing! A big thank you to all members who planned, brought supplies and worked on this fun-filled event. Looking forward to next year! Kareen Nelson Boothbay Region Fire Auxiliary
• letter to the editor

  Vote for Mark Osborn for selectman

  Tue, 04/25/2023 - 7:45am

  Dear Editor: While we are not residents of Boothbay Harbor, we have been coming to Boothbay Harbor regularly since 1972, it essentially is our home-away-from-home and we care deeply about the town. We receive the Boothbay Register in our inboxes daily and keep up on the goings on around the Harbor. We have known Mark as a friend and Innkeeper for many years and we can attest to his integrity, intelligence and commitment to this village. In the many years we have been vacationing in Boothbay...
• letter to the editor

  Vote Tholl for school committee

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 6:30pm

  Dear Editor: Our local school system is a critical, foundational pillar of our community. As a parent of children who have graduated from the Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor CSD, I understand the importance of having a school committee that reflects our community values and Roy Tholl is the candidate that does just that. Roy is owner of Roy’s Cottage Care in Boothbay Harbor, a business he founded several years ago after he and his wife Lisa permanently moved to the area. Roy has been an entrepreneur...
• letter to the editor

  Elect Mark Osborn

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 6:15pm

  Dear Editor: I have known Mark and Buzz for many years and I was very excited when Mark told me he decided to run for the Boothbay Harbor Board of Selectmen. Mark’s vision for the Boothbay region is not to change what makes this area so great; he grew up coming here his whole life and that is why he chose to move here many years ago. Mark wants to preserve what is great about our area, the working waterfront, our historic buildings and businesses, and our small town sense of community and how...
• letter to the editor

  Vote for Roy Tholl

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 6:00pm

  Dear Editor: I was very pleased to learn that Roy Tholl is running for School Committee. He is a very friendly man with a warm personality and a genuine interest in our community. His wife Lisa has deep roots in the region dating back to her youth and we are lucky to have them in our community permanently. I was impressed how Roy used his high school education to build and sell several businesses - he understands the importance of the trades and how high school can prepare children for good-...
• letter to the editor

  Vote for Gimbel

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 5:30pm

  Dear Editor: As a business owner in the harbor and a long-standing volunteer on the Friends of Windjammer Days committee, I would like to express my support for Mark Gimbel for Selectman. I have observed first hand his leadership skills and exceptional understanding of fiscal management. Always seeking input and creative in revenue generation, he has kept the nonprofit on budget and stays ahead of fiscal issues. Mark is an effective communicator and great at seeing the big picture. He is...
• letter to the editor

  Boothbay needs a town meeting

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 5:00pm

  Dear Editor: Boothbay needs to go back to an annual town meeting before next year’s election day to determine who gets tax dollars and who doesn’t and what amount of tax dollars should be donated to non-profits. A town meeting would give the non-profit organizations an opportunity to present their case for the donation dollars of the townspeople. I looked over the list and was shocked at the amount that some organizations are asking for. And I was shocked to see who some of the organizations...
• letter to the editor

  Mark Gimbel gets things done

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 5:00pm

  Dear Editor: During our 42+ years in Maine, I have had the pleasure of knowing and occasionally working directly with Mark Gimbel. Throughout that time, from my vantage point on Southport, I have seen him excel at every challenge he has set his sights on. I have watched with admiration as he expanded several business ventures, including buying the former Mountaintop Tee Shirt store in the Harbor – reopening it as an upscale Emporium and then dedicating part of the floor space to a historical...
• letter to the editor

  Vote for Mark Osborn

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 4:45pm

  Dear Editor: Change is good so vote for Mark Osborn for Boothbay Harbor selectman. He’s smart, kind and well-respected for his business ethics and his love for the Boothbay region. When I sold my family’s business, the Mid-Town Motel, to Mark and Brian, I knew it would be in good hands and knew they would keep the old ‘50s classic going for many more years to come. Cast your vote for Mark and you’ll have someone that will bring some fresh new ideas to the table; and he will keep Boothbay Harbor...
• letter to the editor

  Vote for Julie Roberts

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 4:30pm

  Dear Editor: If you are lucky, you have someone in your life that you can call for help, regardless of the issue at hand, and know that they will show up with positive energy and simply get things done. For me, that person is Julie Roberts. I have had opportunities to work with Julie many different times. Several years ago, after observing how effective she was, I encouraged her to run for Selectboard as I knew her kind of talent was both rare and severely needed in local government. The time...
• letter to the editor

  Praise for Harbor Theater

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 4:15pm

  Dear Editor: When asked by my friends from away, knowing that I now live in Maine, "but what do you do in the winter in Boothbay Harbor?" I usually tell them that one of the many joys of living here is the year round presence and success of "the best little movie house in Maine." Our non-profit community theater has been carefully revived through the efforts of volunteers, donors, and the steerage of Helen and Hamilton Meserve. We who live here year round have been treated to first-run...
• letter to the editor

  Endorsing Roberts for selectwoman

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 4:00pm

  Dear Editor: We are writing in support of Julie Roberts who is a candidate on the May 1 ballot for election to the position of selectwoman for the town of Boothbay. In our many years as residents of Boothbay what stands out about Julie is her energy, her positive “can do” attitude as well as her diplomacy and leadership in the endeavors where she gives of her time and expertise. This includes managing her own business as well as volunteering in the community (Chamber of Commerce, active in the...
• letter to the editor

  Supporting Cunningham and Roberts

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 3:45pm

  Dear Editor: I am writing this letter to strongly show my support for the candidacies for Chuck Cunningham and Julie Roberts for selectmen in Boothbay. Both peninsula natives, they have continually shown support for the community and the people who live here. Chuck brings to the table the experience of having served on the board and Julie will bring a fresh voice to a board who will be facing many challenges ahead. Elections have consequences as we are all aware. Let’s make sure we have the...
• letter to the editor

  Not another TIF zone

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 3:30pm

  Dear Editor: I am concerned about the TIF zone being proposed during the upcoming Boothbay Town Meeting vote. It feels unwise to set aside yet another section of town as a TIF zone. The proposed affordable housing development will significantly increase the value of that property, and thus the town’s income from future real estate taxes assessed on that property. By enveloping the area in a TIF zone agreement, the increased tax revenue generated will not come into the town’s general...
• letter to the editor

  Bertelsen is a leader

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 3:15pm

  Dear Editor: I have known Erik for a number of years. He is also a neighbor on Route 96. I see him doing his own yard work on a regular basis. He is very handy. Of more importance, he is a leader in many ways. Recently the paper has shown us how he and friend have supported local student athletics. That is also his field: young adults and athletics. I also know him in our church, St Columba’s Episcopal Church. He is a leader in that church currently. When I was still on the vestry (That’s the...
• letter to the editor

  A safe and green park

  Mon, 04/24/2023 - 2:45pm

  Dear Editor: The town’s Board of Appeals did not rescind the permit for the East Side Park over a technicality. At issue was the best known shoreland zoning standard: that you can’t build anything within 75 feet of the shoreline. This is the same environmental standard applied to all projects in the shoreland, from the rebuilding of cottages, to the location of septic systems, to structures within a park. The Board agreed that the park was indeed proposing a structure - its parking lot - too...
• letter to the editor

  Vote for Gimbel and Osborn

  Mon, 04/17/2023 - 6:00pm

  Dear Editor: If I was a resident of Boothbay Harbor, I would be marking my selectman's ballot for Mark Gimbel and Mark Osborn. Having been a year-round resident of the region since 1979 and working on the waterfront since the early 70s, I know both gentlemen very well. Both candidates are good businessmen and have the best interests of Boothbay Harbor residents and visitors in their minds at all times. They are both optimistic, creative with their thoughts and ideas for Boothbay Harbor's future...
• letter to the editor

  Osborn is hard-working and committed

  Mon, 04/17/2023 - 5:30pm

  Dear Editor: We are fortunate to live in a community whose greatest asset is its hard-working, caring and compassionate citizens who understand the importance of community. They are owners of businesses or work in government agencies providing services to our year-round and seasonal community and visitors. Our newly appointed chief and local police officer, as well as our volunteer fire personnel, members of our public works department, water department, refuse department and those working in...
• letter to the editor

  Vote Osborn for selectman

  Mon, 04/17/2023 - 5:30pm

  Dear Editor: I would like to urge all the voters of Boothbay Harbor to vote for Mark Osborn for selectman. I've known Mark for many years and he is one of the most intelligent, honest and capable men who would bring some "new" blood into the local political scene here. He is an outstanding member of the local business community and would be an excellent asset to our town. Carole M. Jordan and Joseph P. Malizia Boothbay Harbor
• letter to the editor

  Vote for Cunningham

  Mon, 04/17/2023 - 5:15pm

  Dear Editor: We are writing in support of Chuck Cunningham, who is a candidate on the May 1 ballot for reelection to the position of Selectman for the town of Boothbay. In our many years as residents of Boothbay what stands out about Chuck is his deep history of Boothbay, his experience with our municipal laws, codes and ordinances, and importantly his strong sense of good governance and decorum as a Selectman. We endorse him as a candidate for re-election wholeheartedly. Susan and Ernie...
• letter to the editor

  We support Griffin

  Mon, 04/17/2023 - 5:15pm

  Dear Editor: We stand in support of Denise Griffin’s bid for re-election to the Boothbay Harbor Selectboard. This town needs capable, caring leadership with deep roots in the community. Denise knows the local culture and history, and makes thoughtful, lawful decisions, taking all perspectives into account. We have been lucky to have her serving in this capacity, and could not do better than to re-elect her this year. Jamie and Tom Knobloch Boothbay Harbor
• letter to the editor

  Vote for Osborn

  Mon, 04/17/2023 - 4:45pm

  Dear Editor: I’m writing to encourage Boothbay Harbor voters to support and vote for Mark Osborn for Boothbay Harbor Selectman. I have known Mark for over 25 years as a friend and business owner and general manager of various businesses in town. In 2014, He and his partner Buzz bought the Topside Inn and have transformed the magnificent property into one of best small hotels in America. Mark currently serves on the boards of Hospitality Maine and the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and has been...
• letter to the editor

  Vote for Gimbel

  Mon, 04/17/2023 - 4:15pm

  Dear Editor: To my fellow “year rounders,” in my opinion, few persons are as invested in the future economic health as well as the historical roots of Boothbay Harbor than Mark Gimbel. His commitment over decades to numerous civic organizations such as our Chamber or Commerce, Windjammer Days, honoring and supporting women (and men) who have made significant contributions to the character of our Harbor. For over 50 years Mark and his wife Dianne have owned and operated Gimbel & Sons Country...

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