I’m wondering if I am wrong and/or the only person concerned that the election process this June may have been in violation of Maine state law? If I am interpreting the town charter correctly the selectmen are in charge of making sure the election procedure follows the general law of the state. The law of the state says that the selectmen must appoint election clerks who take an oath before assuming their duties. The election clerks, NOT the selectmen, count the ballots by separating them into stacks of 50 which are then labeled with the tally and the name of the election clerk. - the selectmen's hands should have been no where near the ballots during counting. Does anyone know if there was a recount? Or even if the ballot tally and the voter checklist were compared? I’ve heard nothing. If I'm not interpreting the charter and state law correctly, could someone please clarify it for me?
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I noticed that the selectman that handled my ballot took a second to stare at the ballot before sending it into the machine. He looked at every ballot handed to him. I'm sure he was checking how people were voting. It was VERY uncomfortable.
Secret ballot should mean just that - secret
I think you are 100% correct about this. However, there is also law stating that recounts have to be asked within five days of the election. If Greg wants a recount this needs to take place on Monday or Tuesday. The people of Rumford should find out more information about all this. Everything that people have posted on this are true and factual. Now it is time to act.
This may or may not be the correct blog to post this is but, I have a question. Why do we have a member on the Finance Committee that has filed Chapter 7? Should we really be taking financial advise from someone like this and shouldn’t the selectmen look at things like this before appointment is made? It’s all public knowledge.
Why did you hand your ballot to a selectman?? I placed my own ballot in the machine.
I am told that everything they did was checked out before it was done.
TO the Chapter 7 questioner - you own a toilet plunger, don't you? Do you like to think about using it? I don't. Nasty, disgusting situation. However, a plunger is a tool, like any other, and has a time and a place. Chapter 7 and 11 bankruptcy is a tool as well. No one likes to think about using either, but just like the plunger, there's a time and a place for those tools as well.
So that makes it acceptable, because it is a tool? I think that would be like getting the next police Chief from Oxford County Jail.
Where is your proof on the Chapter 7?? All I hear is rumor.
Sadly, given the rising cost of fuel and the state of our economy, we will probably hear of many more bankruptcies and foreclosures.
Let's talk about issues. I think the issue is "Should someone who files Chapter 7 be permitted to serve on a finance board? All opinions are welcome. There is no need to personalize it.
This Chapter 7 question is not rumor. I could provide the name and all the info for anyone to hear it for themselves but the RFP said there is no need to personalize it. Actually all I would need to do is provide a phone number and case number and the auto mated system would tell you who it was.
I think we are all aware who this person is, the point the editor is trying to make is that there is no need to make an example of this person in particular when conceivably it could have been anyone serving our town. I don't think anyone predicted our economic decline when making prior investments. We're all feeling the pinch- some more than others. That really isn't the issue at hand. I will start another topic under which that question will better fit.
I think it was obvious that we would have an economic decline here in Rumford. The national decline had indictors as well. It is presumptive to state that nobody expected it. I am amased that the mill is still operating in town. I have been warning people since I was on the board that we cannot continue to rely upon the mill for tax revenue. When I was advocating we develop a tourism based economy, Les Otten addressed the Chamber and told them that we should not. They listened to him, and look where we are. If we are to turn things around, it will take more than fancy street lights and an ad-hoc committee of people running without any direction or vision. We need a full time leader and a Board of Selectmen who have stated goals. Success doesn't just happen.
Les Otten's position was selfish. He didn't want to mix the "ugliness" of industry with the "beauty" of tourism. He wanted to keep industrial developemnt in Rumford/Mexico and tourism in Bethel/Newry.
I agree with you Kevin, this area is ripe for tourism. Of course Les Otten wouldn't have wanted that for us! I shake my head when I see the potential here that everyone is ignoring. It is a market that wouldn't cost much to tap into and has much better payoff potential than these high cost "industrial" parks and buildings.
Why can't we pursue both? Industry and tourism.
As for someone filing chapter 7 and working for our town government. Maybe, just maybe, he/she has a better view of the road the town is going. Having been through bad times they know how they got there and will luckily not bring the town down the same road because of their experience. I know myself I went down that road 11 years ago and I now know what roads to keep away from.
In response to Kevin's comments: Why is it obvious that we would have an economic decline in Rumford? Rumford's economy is based largely on the paper mill, which is a commodity. There aren't huge swings in this commodity market. Maine's economy as a whole is largely insulated from the US economy. We typically lag 6+ months behind the rest of the country. It's not finance or real estate, the mill is continuing to produce paper. It continues to pay employees. We can talk about 11 shutting down, but how many people were laid off from that? Not many. They're drying pulp with it now. Why should we be amazed that the mill is still operating in town? How big an investment is it? $500 million? Who walks away from that investment while it continues to make money? Is the mill going to be here forever? I don't think so, but you don't fold up shop on a half-billion dollar investment when there's money to be made. As long as the mill is profitable it will be here.
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