Troublemakers.

The moniker has such a negative connotation. The word “trouble” is right there at the front of it. But Maine needs more troublemakers, especially ones like Gordon Chamberlain.

Chamberlain is taking on illegal junkyards in an effort to get property owners to clean up their acts. He’s been working on the issue in Otisfield for years. He says he’s found more than 100 illegal junk heaps on his own and that the town has been handicapped in its efforts to force people to clean up.

To prove his point, Chamberlain built his own junk heap a few years ago and has been waiting for the town to come after him. Last year, it finally did. He’s waiting to see if his junkyard permit is approved.

We take property rights seriously. People should be able to do with their land as they see fit – up to a point. Illegally dumping old cars, appliances, tires and other junk in the woods crosses the line.

Otisfield Selectman Mark Cyr recognizes the problem and says it’s not unique to his town. It’s a statewide problem. We can bear witness to that statement. There are illegal dumps in every Maine county, and perhaps every town. They pose a significant environmental hazard and shouldn’t be tolerated.

Cyr says he wants his town to be more aggressive in its code enforcement. That’s right on.

Luckily, there’s a troublemaker in Otisfield who was willing to draw attention to the problem. The real trouble is that there aren’t a few more.