As a lifelong resident of the Katahdin region, fully supportive of the proposed Maine Woods National Monument, I thank U.S. Sen. Angus King for hosting his meeting in Orono, helping further discussion about the proposal and the opportunities it would provide.

After graduating from Katahdin High School and before settling in Patten with my wife and children, I joined the Army. I wanted to do everything I could to protect the things I so value about this state and my country: the right to clean air, water and resources with which we have been so blessed here in Maine; the right to economic well-being; the right to quality education for our children; the rights to freedom of speech, to petition our elected officials and take part in our own government; the right to assembly.

Many of those values were on display when Sen. King and National Parks Service Director Jonathan Jarvis sat on stage for hours in front of people from every part of Maine — the 1,200 or so people who were there in support and the few dozen opposed.

Sen. King ensured that the conversation was respectful and that people for and against could share their views and ask questions. I also want to thank Mr. Jarvis for traveling to Maine, listening attentively and answering questions. But I mostly want to thank him for recognizing the beauty, history and culture we have here in Maine’s North Woods, rightly acknowledging that it would be a unique and worthy addition to the nation’s most treasured and important places.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin recently hosted an altogether different meeting in the Katahdin Region. He invited congressmen from Utah and Arkansas to come and listen to witnesses who are opposed, the only ones invited to testify, to the economic opportunity. However, here, too, many of the values we hold dear and for which many of us have, in different ways, fought for, were on display.

Despite the structure of Poliquin’s meeting, when the public was eventually allowed to, we spoke in favor of the monument — in overwhelming numbers. I kept track, as I hope Rep. Poliquin did, and there were about 50 people in favor, all of them from the Katahdin Region.

There were only a dozen opposed and some of them had traveled to the region from Augusta, representing lobbying groups opposed to the economic diversity and conservation this proposal could bring to our communities, region and state.

I say “many of those values were on display” at both meetings because some were not.

Meetings like that held by Sen. King, forums for the public to speak openly and freely to the officials we elect to help us govern, are important. But they don’t jump-start struggling economies. They don’t keep open community libraries. They don’t help increase local tax bases so our towns can repair roads and maintain buildings. They don’t slow or reverse the steady increase in abandoned and foreclosed homes remaining in the wake of an industry that has left our communities without many of the things we value.

I thank Sen. King, Director Jarvis and even Rep. Poliquin for their meetings. But the time has come to take the next step. They have seen the support — overwhelming doesn’t really cover it — in the Katahdin Region and throughout Maine. Every day that they do not step boldly forward and tell the president that their constituents throughout Maine support this historic gift, each day that they do not tell the president that they support this historic gift is another foreclosed home, another empty locker at the start of the next school year, another pothole we cannot afford to fill and another day they make a choice about Maine’s future and their own place in history.

I fully support the creation of the Maine Woods National Monument and frankly, look forward to Patten acting as the gateway community for the thousands of people who will visit. Many will buy goods and services from our local small businesses; some moving here, revitalizing our tax bases, refilling our schools and helping ensure the things we love and value about our state and nation are protected forever.

Richard Schmidt III is chairman of the board of selectmen, town of Patten.