Saturday, November 21, 2009 in Lewiston, Maine
Cheers and jeers from around the news:
• Jeers to whatever has gotten into selectmen in Andover. The River Valley town is weighing a second recall of Selectman Susan Merrow, which turned a recent meeting into a screaming match. Merrow narrowly kept her seat in a recall vote last November.
There are differences of opinion all the time in local government and, oftentimes, these differences seem to get loudest where population is smallest.
Tony previews this weekend's editorial:
Affixing labels on restaurant menus to broadcast each item's calorie count is a small-fry approach to Maine's problems of nutrition and obesity, and one that should be done. Having more information about what we are eating is always worthwhile.
Legislation sponsored by House Speaker Hannah Pingree, LD 1259, would mandate calorie labeling for all restaurants with 20 or more locations, including one in Maine.
Tony previews tomorrow's editorial:
What do the Maine Legislature and Red Sox manager Terry Francona have in common? Both made unpopular decisions regarding important people this week, in response to present conditions and to improve the long-term viability of the organization.
They did what needed to be done.
On Francona's part, it was acknowledging that David Ortiz cannot hit third anymore. Whatever the storied slugger is experiencing has transcended a slump and is, perhaps, signaling decline. The manager knew his team was suffering.
Tony previews tomorrow's editorial:
In the past week, some officials in Lewiston have discussed altering the city's Charter to allow for greater balance of power between city councilors and city administration.
Tony previews tomorrow's editorial:
If you live in Lewiston-Auburn, or Aroostook County, odds are that you'll find either a leaflet, or a person, on your doorstep advertising a "public option" for health insurance. Don't be alarmed if or when you do.
The idea is not that scary.
A public option is a government-run health insurance program to compete with private insurers. If this sounds like socialized insurance and contrary to capitalist principles, don't listen.
The contradiction of Memorial Day is that it occurs during the season of new life, as an occasion to mark the ultimate sacrifices of our soldiers. We're asked to engage in solemn remembrance, while being afforded the opportunity to relax, celebrate and travel.
Some may say these approaches are at odds.
Rumford, we have a problem.
Or, more precisely, Carlo Puiia has a problem. He is about to start astown manager in Rumford, a place lacking in accountability.
On April 20 - Patriots Day, ironically - selectmen met in secret. At a secret time. In a secret place. For a secret purpose. Selectmen convened a meeting at the Region 9 school in Mexico to conduct interviews for the town manager, including an interview with Puiia.
Cheers and jeers from around the news:
• Cheers to Congress for passing tough new credit card regulations to protect consumers from confusing, predatory terms. While it's true the legislation essentially duplicates rules instituted by the Federal Reserve, the Congressional endorsement is worthwhile, even as punctuation. Stronger consumer protections from credit cards are overdue, and popular.
Tony previews this weekend's editorials:
To see other vid-editorials that Tony has done, visit our archive.
Bathrooms are renowned as places where one can think deeply about things, but deciding which bathroom to use in a restaurant - men's or women's - really shouldn't occupy the gray matter.
The Maine Human Rights Commission, however, has made this simplest of selections way more difficult, by upholding a discrimination complaint from Brianna Freeman of Lewiston - given name Bruce - after Freeman was barred from using the women's restroom at the Denny's in Auburn.
Freeman was a regular customer, and was dressed clearly as a female.
Editorial Page Editor Tony Ronzio gives you a sneak preview of tomorrow edition's editorial:
Those concerned the government shouldn't be in the automobile business may have fresh material from the "cash for clunkers" bill before Congress.
On Wednesday, the Senate co-sponsors of the bill - Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Dianne Feinstein of California and Chuck Schumer of New York - introduced its latest version, which creates vouchers for consumers to junk their gas-guzzling "clunkers" for newer, more efficient vehicles.
The legislation is branded as economic stimulus and environmental protection. There are 27 million vehicles on U.S.
Editorial Page Editor Tony Ronzio gives you a sneak preview of tomorrow edition's editorial:
Deciding value, though, comes from deciding what the next EL should be. In a live chat on sunjournal.com last week, Tom Morrill, the superintendent of Auburn schools, described the next school as improving on space and technological inadequacies of the current EL.
What's needed from FairPoint Communications are fewer questions and more answers. If the company is not going to fulfill its promises to Maine regulators, it must be upfront about it. There have been enough unpleasant surprises following its takeover of Verizon so far without more to come.
A smooth transition was unlikely.
The city of Lewiston did the right thing Friday by releasing a three-page legal opinion from its attorney, Martin Eisenstein, about Wednesday's closed council meeting. It needed to be done.
Councilors wouldn't talk about the 3.5-hour session, though some spoke liberally about why it was convened: There is discontent among their ranks, a great deal of posturing is occurring, and the actions of some councilors caused concern among their colleagues.
They went into the meeting spouting, then came out silent.
There's nothing wrong with our gadgets, until we hurt ourselves or others. Two stories over the past few weeks in New England should give the technologically distracted among us pause.
In Warwick, R.I., recently, a teenage girl walking toward her high school on a rainy morning was struck and killed by a passing school bus. She was wearing her earbuds and had donned her sweatshirt hood to avoid the droplets.
There is some justifiable concern about LD 290, which would allow the interstate sale of health insurance policies in Maine. Opponents believe it is a disaster waiting to happen, because insurers beyond Maine would erode the state's regulatory ability to protect the insured here.
This is true. There is no guarantee that if Mainers buy policies from a Connecticut company, they would be protected from harm - or afforded due process - under Maine guidelines.
Cheers and jeers from around the news:
• Cheers for historic preservation. Three buildings and one city block in Lewiston have been honored for their importance to the city's heritage - the Dominican Block, the Franco-American Heritage Center, Bates Street Senior Housing and Frye Street adjacent to Bates College.
It's an odd mix - a finished project, an ongoing project, a new building, a whole district. But that's history, isn't it? Open to interpretation, as long as social and cultural significance is unquestioned.
To recap: Lewiston City Councilor Denis Theriault says he's dissatisfied with City Administrator Jim Bennett's job performance and that he has secured the council votes to effect Bennett's ouster. (A claim so far unproven.)
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the city held a remedial "City Councilor 101" session to review, for everyone, the responsibilities of a city councilor. This came on the heels of Theriault's recent unannounced visit to a weekly city staff meeting, to which Bennett objected. Lips were tight after the 3.5-hour session.
On its face, it looks like a simple policy matter. But at its core, how lifetime health benefits were conveyed to spouses of deceased Androscoggin County employees embodies everything wrong with how this county government operates.
This week, the county commission decided to "re-interpret" this benefit. The commission had received legal advice the benefit was never intended to exist, and therefore the county is not obliged to continue it.
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