While reading the April 14 article, “Auburn Planning Board supports Court Street development,” the word “recuse” jumped out to me. In checking the meaning, the dictionary showed “recuse” is to withdraw (oneself) from any decision making so as to avoid a semblance of personal interest or bias. This information led to questions. Why wouldn’t the […]

Recently I’ve read several articles about the disposition of the American Rescue Plan Act funds, both nationally and locally. I became curious about how the $13.5 million awarded to Auburn is being allocated. Mayor Jason Levesque appointed an ad hoc committee to oversee distribution, which included two city councilors and several city employees. So far, […]

I’ve worked as an RN at one of our local hospitals for well over 10 years. And let me say, we nurses are great at being practical, solving problems, and dealing with emergencies. Those qualities are exactly what I would want to see in my state representative. And who is a candidate in Auburn/Minot and […]

The April 22 paper contained an article about a Black man, Malik Hollis, who was attacked by four whites with pipes, baseball bats and a baton (“Federal appeals court upholds ruling allowing a prosecutor to dismiss a juror of color“). He was called racial slurs and threatened with death. None of the white men were […]

As a veteran, I am supporting Eric Brakey for Maine Senate. Why? I swore an oath to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution. To this day, I take that seriously. Every elected politician swears that same oath, but most act like it is a mere formality. Once they get into office, they forget our Bill […]

Reading about the town of Winthrop banning moorings for boats not owned by lakefront property owners has raised my ire. Water levels of many if not most of the lakes in the state are controlled by dams. These incredibly important structures, designed to last 100 years, are very expensive to maintain and replace. Seldom are […]

Eric Brakey cares about affordable health care. After decades of big business and big government in control, our healthcare system is worse than ever. One problem is the anti-competition law (called “Certificate of Need”), which protects monopolies by requiring providers to get permission from existing competitors before adding or expanding health care services. People should […]

With inflation decimating our paychecks, Mainers need Eric Brakey fighting for us in Augusta. Two years ago, most politicians were rushing to pass trillions in unfunded spending, pretending there would be no consequences to our economy. At that moment, Eric Brakey demonstrated bravery. Standing virtually alone in Maine politics, Brakey told an unpopular truth, warning […]

For Auburn, Form Base Planning was thoughtfully implemented during the mid-2010s. The focus was downtown, i.e., from the river to Goff Hill. Acceptable and effective FB codes resulted out of a public engagement process. It required time, involving professionally narrated walks, public discussions and vision consensus. Auburn is now attempting to reidentify “UR” (urban zone) […]

Priorities, according to my dictionary, are an order of importance, putting one thing ahead of another. The priority of some our representatives in Augusta is to pass a bill to allow alcohol sales in sport stadiums. But our legislative leaders are unwilling to take up a bill presented by Rep. Laurel Libby to suspend, until […]