By Michael Dumas, unverified — Thu, 11/05/2009 - 20:54
This mayor and council has lost all legitmacy. They could have done great things, but they chose to micromanage and pick petty fights and have disrespected the voters. I even had faith that this Council could come together. I really wanted to believe it, but they have disappointed. Good riddance to them.
By Michael Dumas, unverified — Wed, 11/04/2009 - 10:04
Despite the sad results, I've got a good feeling that this new Council won't give him one inch of room outside of calling the meeting to order and cutting ribbons. His dreams of increased power are fantasies. 2011 isn't too far away....
By Michael Dumas, unverified — Tue, 07/28/2009 - 16:20
Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. When we start giving young professionals the economic and recreational reasons (or at least give them more) to come back/stay, or attract new ones to the area, we'll start to reap the benefits. We won't get that if we don't show our willingness to invest in ourselves. We need the jobs of tomorrow to be in the Lewiston/Auburn region. Financial services, healthcare, maybe even alternative energy manufacturing (wood pellets, tidal technology components?), are the types of 21st century jobs we need to be attracting. I'd even go as far to say that we need some type of magnet school here in the region, similar to the Maine School of Science and Math in Limestone. It isn't an effort that just Lewiston, or just Auburn can undertake. It needs to be a joint effort, and a state effort. This topic does tend to lend itself to the future of the mills. The mills were put in place to provide goods that their eras demanded. As times change, we need to adapt to the changing needs of a global economy. The world is advancing. We need to make sure we aren't left behind.
By Michael Dumas, unverified — Tue, 07/28/2009 - 15:08
Didn't realize the sarcasm. My bad.
I normally wouldn't indulge on a blog, but here's hoping the SJ picks it up and runs with it.
1. I'll publicly advocate for a four-day week at city hall, with extended hours of operation. Working families often have difficulty between two working parents, kids, and the general rigors of life, making it to city hall to pay their taxes, get a fishing license, register their dog, ect ect. We need to make the services of the city more accessible to the people who are supposed to be benefiting from them. Not only that, but in the winter, we'll only have to warm up the building on four mornings, rather than five. Given the volatility of oil prices, I think it is not only cost-effective, but a smart way to reduce our energy usage.
2. We need to be smarter about the way we deliver our services. There are things like IT and assessing that Lewiston has to do, Auburn has to do, Greene has to do...(you get the idea), that a "Smart Services" approach can help facilitate cooperation with and ultimately reduce the operating expenses of those services. I won't use the word "consolidation", because I think that is too broad of a term. We are two cities, but one community. There's no legitimate reason to not work together behind the scenes.
3. I'd like to raise the bar on the educational goals of our students. We've made great strides here in Lewiston, thanks in large part to a former teacher of mine, in getting students interested in, and applying to colleges. We need to build on that, not only here in Lewiston, but across our region. I've gone on record as pledging to put my money where my mouth is. I'll donate, once elected, $1000 of my own money as a scholarship to a graduating LHS senior, and I'll call on other community organizations to match that, just as an additional incentive for students to further their education. We show our willingness to invest in education and our community, and businesses and residents will take notice.
By Michael Dumas, unverified — Tue, 07/28/2009 - 14:30
Hi everyone-
I debated on whether or not I wanted to post here, but I would like to make a couple of quick points.
First, anyone who thinks the Mayor runs "an $80 million corporation" should be encouraged to read the City Charter, where the roles of the Mayor are expressly defined. Running, or in any way managing the day-to-day operations of the city are not granted to the Mayor. In fact, few powers are given to the Mayor.
Second, I'm really not sure why it would be suggested that I'm running for office to "help [my] job search." Last time I checked, sending out resumes and professional networking were the most advisable routes to take.
Regarding the issues, please remember that I was neither the interviewer nor the author of this article. I had no final say on what was printed. My interview with WCSH6 got into a little more detail in regards to what I'm about. I'm not simply running "so the rest of the state won't make fun of us."
Finally, regarding my age, I'm not too concerned with any "age discrimination", whether real or imagined. One hundred fifty years ago, a 26 year-old named William Frye was elected as the County Register of Probate, and four years later, as a State Representative, and that was just the beginning. I don't think anyone questions how important he was to putting Lewiston on the map. I'm not comparing myself to the great Mr. Frye, but doubters of "younger" people should keep certain things in mind.
Didn't you turn your papers
Didn't you turn your papers in intending to run for your seat again, and then back out after the deadline?
This mayor and council has
This mayor and council has lost all legitmacy. They could have done great things, but they chose to micromanage and pick petty fights and have disrespected the voters. I even had faith that this Council could come together. I really wanted to believe it, but they have disappointed. Good riddance to them.
I do believe that a Charter
I do believe that a Charter change requires ratification by popular vote
Despite the sad results,
Despite the sad results, I've got a good feeling that this new Council won't give him one inch of room outside of calling the meeting to order and cutting ribbons. His dreams of increased power are fantasies. 2011 isn't too far away....
Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. When we
Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. When we start giving young professionals the economic and recreational reasons (or at least give them more) to come back/stay, or attract new ones to the area, we'll start to reap the benefits. We won't get that if we don't show our willingness to invest in ourselves. We need the jobs of tomorrow to be in the Lewiston/Auburn region. Financial services, healthcare, maybe even alternative energy manufacturing (wood pellets, tidal technology components?), are the types of 21st century jobs we need to be attracting. I'd even go as far to say that we need some type of magnet school here in the region, similar to the Maine School of Science and Math in Limestone. It isn't an effort that just Lewiston, or just Auburn can undertake. It needs to be a joint effort, and a state effort. This topic does tend to lend itself to the future of the mills. The mills were put in place to provide goods that their eras demanded. As times change, we need to adapt to the changing needs of a global economy. The world is advancing. We need to make sure we aren't left behind.
To answer the first part of
To answer the first part of your question (what I've been up to since graduating): working, and serving the community.
Didn't realize the sarcasm.
Didn't realize the sarcasm. My bad.
I normally wouldn't indulge on a blog, but here's hoping the SJ picks it up and runs with it.
1. I'll publicly advocate for a four-day week at city hall, with extended hours of operation. Working families often have difficulty between two working parents, kids, and the general rigors of life, making it to city hall to pay their taxes, get a fishing license, register their dog, ect ect. We need to make the services of the city more accessible to the people who are supposed to be benefiting from them. Not only that, but in the winter, we'll only have to warm up the building on four mornings, rather than five. Given the volatility of oil prices, I think it is not only cost-effective, but a smart way to reduce our energy usage.
2. We need to be smarter about the way we deliver our services. There are things like IT and assessing that Lewiston has to do, Auburn has to do, Greene has to do...(you get the idea), that a "Smart Services" approach can help facilitate cooperation with and ultimately reduce the operating expenses of those services. I won't use the word "consolidation", because I think that is too broad of a term. We are two cities, but one community. There's no legitimate reason to not work together behind the scenes.
3. I'd like to raise the bar on the educational goals of our students. We've made great strides here in Lewiston, thanks in large part to a former teacher of mine, in getting students interested in, and applying to colleges. We need to build on that, not only here in Lewiston, but across our region. I've gone on record as pledging to put my money where my mouth is. I'll donate, once elected, $1000 of my own money as a scholarship to a graduating LHS senior, and I'll call on other community organizations to match that, just as an additional incentive for students to further their education. We show our willingness to invest in education and our community, and businesses and residents will take notice.
Hope that helps to answer some questions.
Mike
Hi everyone- I debated on
Hi everyone-
I debated on whether or not I wanted to post here, but I would like to make a couple of quick points.
First, anyone who thinks the Mayor runs "an $80 million corporation" should be encouraged to read the City Charter, where the roles of the Mayor are expressly defined. Running, or in any way managing the day-to-day operations of the city are not granted to the Mayor. In fact, few powers are given to the Mayor.
Second, I'm really not sure why it would be suggested that I'm running for office to "help [my] job search." Last time I checked, sending out resumes and professional networking were the most advisable routes to take.
Regarding the issues, please remember that I was neither the interviewer nor the author of this article. I had no final say on what was printed. My interview with WCSH6 got into a little more detail in regards to what I'm about. I'm not simply running "so the rest of the state won't make fun of us."
Finally, regarding my age, I'm not too concerned with any "age discrimination", whether real or imagined. One hundred fifty years ago, a 26 year-old named William Frye was elected as the County Register of Probate, and four years later, as a State Representative, and that was just the beginning. I don't think anyone questions how important he was to putting Lewiston on the map. I'm not comparing myself to the great Mr. Frye, but doubters of "younger" people should keep certain things in mind.
Have a great summer day everyone.
Mike