The Rumford Free Press

Why Does Obama's Teleprompter Hate America?

2009-03-30T18:21:00.001-04:00

Without a doubt, many of the attacks from the far-right against President Obama have amounted to nothing more than the political equivalent of speaking in tongues. The attacks are only marginally more coherent than Steve Carell's Brick Tamland character from Anchorman shouting "LOUD NOISES!" for the sake of shouting something. Anything.

The most ridiculous of the loud noises are the ones that entirely ignore the legacy of the previous president. Specifically, the very same people making the loudest noises about President Obama have also spent the last eight years spastically applauding President Bush's worst trespasses every step of the way. The far-right's staggering disregard for the significant flaws of the former Republican president confounds logic when measured against their ridiculous attacks on the current president.

ATTACK: President Obama took a vacation to Hawaii.
REALITY: President Bush set a record for presidential vacations during two wars and a major hurricane.

ATTACK: President Obama's budget could double the national debt.
REALITY: President Bush's spending actually did.

ATTACK: President Obama is "shredding the Constitution."
REALITY: You mean there's a Constitution left to be shredded?

ATTACK: President Obama chuckled while talking about bailing out the auto industry.
REALITY: President Bush routinely smirked and grinned while talking about the significantly more serious issues of war and military casualties.

ATTACK: President Obama is incompetent.
REALITY: Do I even need to do the list?

ATTACK: President Obama is presiding over a one-party fascist government.
REALITY: This is not a joke.

So. Loud noises!

This is sort of like a fan of the Jonas Brothers accusing Death Cab for Cutie of selling out. Devoid of logic or basic consistency, these attacks are reduced to being nothing more than angry shouting. Speaking in tongues. All told, there isn't a single Bush flaw that hasn't been hamhandedly projected onto President Obama, and we're not even three months into the Obama presidency.

But wait. There's more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20090326/cm_huffpost/179288

In her own words

2009-02-19T22:57:00.005-05:00

JSN has written many negative things on her website about the RPD and the RFD. Often times these things are cloaked under fiscal or other concerns. Most of us here have known that this was personal from the amount of venom spit on those providing town services.

The following is taken directly from the TRR forum (legally accessed), the only modification being parts are bolded and underlined. It clearly indicates that JSN is not as concerned with the needs of the citizens of this town as she is with revenge.

Despite this being obvious for some time, our selectmen have continued to support her presence on decision making boards.

Admin 5 days ago
ActivityRank: 2266
He needed to seriously think about if being poor is a crime!!! Lou, you did nothing wrong but provide a perspective that doesn't fit into the agenda of the RPD. They need the poor to commit crimes so they can boost their call volume. Why don't they help them and refer them to services if they are druggies? Why don't they work with them and give them defect cards if they are not drunk? Why don't they stop showing up to their houses like a bunch of "gestapos" looking for something to get them on? It is so incredibly sad to be marked in Rumford, Maine. I am especially sensitive to it because my brother was marked and he couldn't do anything without them turning it into a crime. He was a good kid who was beat down by the man and it only made him feel worse about life on this Earth.

lou 5 days ago
ActivityRank: 1082
The crappy part is that it is so hard to actually prove harassment and do anything about it.

Admin 5 days ago
ActivityRank: 2266
I know. Therefore, you cut their budgets in an effort to stop them. And, then maybe they will think twice before they shit all over people.

It is time that she is removed from these boards and replaced with someone that won't use their positions of power to exact their own personal revenge. When anyone does this, they are exacting their revenge on every single member of this community. Our selectmen know this. It's past time for them to put a stop to it.

SPENDING BY CASINO PROPONENTS NEARS $2 MILLION, OUTSPENDING OPPONENTS 4-1

2008-11-03T20:05:00.001-05:00

NOV. 3, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PORTLAND – Olympia Gaming of Las Vegas has spent close to $2 million in just over six weeks – or more than $40,000 a day – since taking over the campaign for Question 2, the Oxford casino.

The latest campaign finance reports at the state Ethics Commission show that Olympia Gaming, the owner of the proposed Oxford casino, is the sole contributor to the casino campaign, spending $1.94 million in less than two months.
In contrast, the major opposition group CasinosNO! has spent just under $550,000 on campaigns to defeat the Oxford casino and a proposal for slot machines at Scarborough Downs. Its contributions come from a variety of Maine businesses and individuals.

“Spending $2 million in less than two months should give voters an idea of the kind of return this Las Vegas company expects to make if it is successful in bringing big-time gambling to Maine,” said Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO! “And its profits will come almost entirely from hard-pressed Maine people, not high-rollers from out of state. Olympia Gaming is not here to help Maine people, they are here to help themselves to our wallets.”

CONTACT: Dennis Bailey, 207-749-4963

ANALYSIS: CASINO PROMOTERS EMPLOYING NEGATIVE TACTICS

2008-10-27T06:38:00.001-04:00

Oct. 24, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PORTLAND – Two university professors who analyzed a pro-casino television ad for Maine Public Broadcasting concluded that the Yes on 2 ad employs “classic…negative advertising” and is “a genuine attempt to frighten voters.”

Ironically, the pro-casino ad attempts to accuse CasinosNO! of these same tactics by purporting to show a transcript of a tape recording, secretly made by disgraced Rumford attorney Seth Carey. The audio recording is from a two-minute snippet of a one-hour seminar two years ago led by Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO!

MPB says on its website (www.yourvote.me/AdWatch_question2yes.html) that it is impossible to determine the accuracy of the transcript because Yes on 2 refused to provide a copy of the actual recording. Gregg Lagerquist, a news reporter at WGME, however, has heard the actual recording and reported that the transcript provided by Yes on 2 does not match what is said on the audio recording by Bailey.

“This is a new low by the promoters of the Oxford casino,” Bailey said. “Recording me without my permission or knowledge, then twisting my words out of context and inventing things I didn’t even say. This is real sleaze, brought and paid for by Las Vegas.”

The two university professors, Amy Fried and Ron Schmidt, associate professors of political science at the University of Maine and the University of Southern Maine, respectively, called the ad “unusual” and questioned its effectiveness.

“If this had been an ad for a campaign involving candidates, it would be characterized as personal, negative, and focused on character,” said Fried. “The ad doesn’t play the recording of the statements made and so it is hard to determine if they have been taken out of context and thus have been misinterpreted.”

Schmidt agreed: “It is…an attempt to deploy the strategy the [pro-casino] group is ostensibly opposing. Shaky, vague images, mapped onto the questioning of one’s opponent’s real intentions, are classic strategies in negative advertising. [The ad] is both about the attempt to frighten voters and a genuine attempt to frighten voters.”

Bailey said if the ad wasn't so sleazy, it would be comical. "The real irony is that the only TV ad that mentions crime and prostitution at casinos is the from the side that wants a casino," Bailey said.

The ad was produced by CDM Communications in Portland.

Contact: Dennis Bailey, 207-749-4963

MAJOR MAINE NEWSPAPERS URGE NO VOTE ON OXFORD CASINO

2008-10-27T06:08:00.000-04:00

Oct. 25, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PORTLAND – Editorials in all of the major Maine newspapers and several weekly newspapers have urged a NO vote on the Oxford casino, referendum Question 2 on the Nov. 4 ballot.

So far, ten newspapers in Maine have urged readers to vote no on Question 2 while there have been no endorsements of the casino proposal by any Maine newspaper. Newspapers urging a no vote include the Lewiston Sun Journal, whose circulation covers Oxford County, and the Bangor Daily News, which is home to the state’s only other casino, Hollywood Slots.

In an editorial Thursday, the Bangor newspaper declared, “A casino is not economic development,” and said the money the casino is promising to state government pales in comparison to the amount of money that would be leaving Maine for Las Vegas, home of the owner of the proposed Oxford casino.

The Bar Harbor Times called Question 2 “one of the most deeply flawed pieces of legislation in Maine history.” The Brunswick Times Record called Question 2 “a fiasco” and criticized casino proponent Pat LaMarche for suggesting that the Legislature will fix the problems with the bill after it passes. “In other words,” the editorial said, “she wants voters to trust legislators who have yet to be elected to rewrite a law that doesn't work as written. Isn't that akin to betting the mortgage that a fifth ace will show up in your poker hand?”

Newspapers editorializing against Question 2 include:

Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram
Kennebec Journal
Morning Sentinel
Lewiston Sun Journal
Bangor Daily News
Brunswick Times Record
Bar Harbor Times
Ellsworth American
Belfast Republican Journal

“If this proposal was really about jobs and economic development, like the proponents claim, don’t you think at least one Maine newspaper would be supporting it,” asked Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO! “Fortunately, they’ve all seen through the deception, sleaze and scare tactics of the casino promoters and urged their readers to do the same.”

CONTACT: Dennis Bailey, 207-749-4963

FORMER LEDYARD, CT MAYOR WARNS OF CASINO COSTS, RISING CRIME

2008-10-21T17:10:00.001-04:00

Request to post:

SOUTH PARIS – The former mayor of Ledyard, Connecticut, home to the Foxwoods casino, today told the Oxford County commissioners to be prepared for higher costs and more crime if voters approve a gambling casino for Oxford.

Susan Mendenhall, who served eight years on the Ledyard Town Council and just completed a four-year term as mayor, told the commissioners that the casino has placed numerous costly burdens on the town without little economic development spinoffs.

“The biggest impact that we faced was on our emergency services people,” she said. “Prior to 1996, responses averaged 500 a year. Now, responses are almost double, and remember, the town population has remained relatively flat. Our town dispatch center had three full time dispatchers. Now we have six full timers and 10 part timers. Call volume has risen from 3,000 calls a year to over 50,000 last year for routine and emergency calls.

“Another issue that has put additional burden on our police department is the rather unpleasant reality that crime follows the money. Although some of these crimes are a sign of the times, we have had a rise in gun and drug related issues, and assorted issues that track the money.”

Mendenhall also dispelled the myth that towns surrounding a casino will see new businesses or economic growth. She said Ledyard has seen little change in the 15 years of hosting a casino.

“Will you see economic development spin-off – we have seen little,” she said. “The reality is that the casino resort becomes a destination – incorporating all that patrons need – hotels, bars, restaurants, gaming and entertainment.”

Mendenhall appeared as a volunteer without payment to warn the Oxford County Commissioners that they should look very carefully at the costs connected to a casino, costs that ultimately end up being paid by the taxpayers.

“Over the years, our local towns have absorbed into our yearly budgets the…associated costs [from the casino],” she said. “However it has been painful on the local taxpayer. Don’t let that happen here.”

Mendenhall appeared at the meeting with Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO! who gave the commissioners a 20-page report detailing the experiences of other communities in the US who are hosts to gambling casinos.

“Voters shouldn’t listen to me or the proponents of this casino,” Bailey said. “All they need to do is examine the communities that have casinos and find out what their experience has been. At best it’s mixed. At worst, casinos are a disaster providing no economic benefit to area communities and costing taxpayers money.”

Contact: Dennis Bailey, 207-749-4963

FORMER MAYOR OF LEDYARD, CT TO MEET WITH OXFORD COMMISSIONERS TUESDAY

2008-10-21T07:22:00.000-04:00

PORTLAND – The former mayor of Ledyard, CT, home to the Foxwoods casino, will join Dennis Bailey of CasinosNO! for a presentation at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at a meeting of the Oxford County Commissioners in South Paris.

Susan Mendenhall, who served as Ledyard’s mayor and a member of the town council, will relate her experiences dealing with the a nearby casino. She will warn the commissioners about the cost of providing town services for the casino and other related impacts.

Bailey will present the Commissioners with a 20-page report in response to an economic impact study given to the Commissioners two weeks ago by the casino promoters.

The meeting will be held at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21 at the Oxford County Courthouse, 26 Western Ave., South Paris.
CONTACT: Dennis Bailey, 207-749-4963

CASINOSNO! ASKS MAINE TV STATIONS TO PULL MISLEADING AD

2008-10-18T18:27:00.001-04:00

CasinosNO! has written a letter to Maine TV stations asking them to cease airing a Yes on 2 campaign ad featuring a state legislator pledging to fix the many serious problems with Question 2 if it passes, when in fact the legislator making the pledge is prohibited from running for re-election and will not be a member of the Maine Legislature next year. CasinosNO! believes the ad is a deliberate attempt to mislead voters into believing that a consensus exists for "fixing" the law should it pass, when no such consensus exists. It is particularly misleading and deceitful to have a Maine Legislator pledging to fix a law when in fact he will have no role in doing so.

See the attached letter sent to Maine television stations today.

Dennis Bailey
207-749-4963

Don’t Gamble Away Maine’s Future

Oct. 18, 2008

Dear Station Manager,

An advertisement airing on your station by the Yes on 2 campaign is false and misleading.

The advertisement features two state legislators who say they will “fix” Question 2 “when it is passed” by voters on Nov. 4. However, the legislator making that pledge, Rep. John Patrick, D-Rumford, is prohibited from running for re-election this year and will not be a member of the Legislature during the next session to fix the casino bill or anything else.

In the ad, Rep. Patrick says, “We sit on the committee that oversees Maine gambling laws.” While it’s true that Rep. Patrick was a member of the Legislature’s Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee during the last session of the Legislature, he will not be a member of the committee, nor a member of the Maine Legislature, should this bill pass and return to the committee for action. The suggestion that he continues to have authority over Maine gambling laws is false and misleading. (A list of term-limited legislators can be found at http://janus.state.me.us/house/123_term.htm)

Rep. Patrick further states in the ad, “We pledge when Question 2 passes the committee will change it to meet existing Maine law.”

Rep. Patrick is in no position to speak for the committee since he will not be a member of the Maine Legislature. In fact, there is no guarantee the Legislature will do anything to amend Question 2 if it passes. As Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap noted in Sept. 22nd article in the Portland Press Herald, “the Legislature tends to be ‘extraordinarily reluctant to tinker too much’ with legislation that reflects the will of voters.”

This deceptive advertisement is a deliberate attempt to mislead voters into believing the many serious problems in Question 2 can and will be fixed, when in fact the Legislator making the pledge will have no role in making those changes next year, or whether any changes will be made at all.

In the interest of accuracy and fairness, we request that you cease airing this false and misleading ad.

Sincerely,

Dennis Bailey
CasinosNO!

MAINE LEGISLATORS IN YES ON 2 AD: “I VOTED AGAINST THE CASINO BEFORE I VOTED FOR IT”

2008-10-18T12:44:00.000-04:00

PORTLAND – Two Maine legislators appearing in a television commercial for the Yes on 2 campaign voted against the Oxford County casino bill when it came before their committee last April.

Sen. Deborah Plowman of Bangor and Rep. John Patrick of Rumford appear in the ad pledging to “fix” the many problems in Question 2 “when it passes” on Nov. 4th. “We fixed the racino bill and we can fix Question 2,” the legislators say.

The ad can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23emfSWlggo&eurl=http://72.32.87.19/

But when the bill for the Oxford County casino came before the Legislature’s Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee on which Plowman and Patrick sit, they both voted against it.

“They couldn’t hold their nose and vote for this stinker of a bill when they had it in front of them,” said Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO!, the grassroots organization opposing Question 2. “Now they’re telling Maine people they should vote for it, but don’t worry, the Legislature will fix it.

“If their actions weren’t so outrageous and irresponsible it would be funny,” Bailey continued. “They’re telling Maine people to vote for a law they know is bad, a law that they themselves didn’t vote for, and gamble that the Maine Legislature can improve it. I don’t think Maine voters will take that bet.”

Bailey noted that while Plowman and Patrick think the law can be changed, other state leaders aren’t so sure. Secretary of State Matt Dunlap told the Portland Press Herald that the Legislature is "extraordinarily reluctant to tinker too much" with legislation that reflects the will of voters. Sen. Lisa Marrache, who also sits on the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee, said the Oxford casino bill would require “an extreme makeover.”

When the Oxford County casino bill came before the committee last April, legislators had several options for dealing with the citizens initiated bill: they could vote it down and send it to voters in a referendum; they could pass it and then amend it; or they could have voted to place a competing measure on the ballot for a casino without all the problems contained in Question 2.

“They simply voted no and sent it to the voters,” Bailey said. “For some reason the casino bill was beyond repair last April, now they want Maine people to put this bad bill into law.”

Several statements in the ad are also questionable. Plowman says, “Some people have said the language in Question 2 is confusing.”

“Who said it’s confusing,” Bailey asked. “The language is crystal clear. It will lower the legal age to gamble from 21 to 19. It allows 18 year olds to work in the casino dealing cards. It gives Las Vegas a 10-year monopoly on casinos. It puts the president of the casino, a man from Las Vegas, on dozens of boards and commissions that have authority over health care, education and the environment. Nothing confusing about that.”

Plowman also takes credit for “fixing the racino bill,” the 2003 referendum that resulted in Hollywood Slots in Bangor.

“That’s certainly open to interpretation,” Bailey said. “The Legislature added things to the bill, like payouts to off-track-betting parlors, that the voters never approved. The committee was whipsawed by lobbyists representing every corner of the gambling industry. There’s no way to tell what we’d end up with if Question 2 passes.”

CONTACT: Dennis Bailey, 207-749-4963

OPPOSITION TO OXFORD CASINO GROWING

2008-10-15T20:42:00.001-04:00

On a day when local opponents of a proposed gambling casino in the town of Oxford are planning a news conference, the Sun Journal published an article concerning the Paris selectmen who failed to vote last night in favor of a motion supporting the casino. Two of the selectmen spoke out against the casino:

No vote on casino in Paris

By M. Dirk Langeveld , Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
PARIS - A vote of support for the proposed Oxford casino resort by Paris selectmen didn't materialize Monday after a motion endorsing the plan couldn't hold a second.

Selectman David Ivey had asked that the item be put on the agenda.

"The town of Oxford did it, and I think we should follow suit," said Ivey. "And I think other towns are going to be right behind us."

On Oct. 2, Oxford selectmen and that town's economic development advisory committee voted to support having a casino in town if the question passes a referendum in November. Olympia Gaming, the Las Vegas-based group backing the project, announced a week later that the casino would be sited in Oxford.

The proposed $184 million resort casino would include a hotel, casino with table games and slots, spa, and conference center. Proponents say that the resort will create 907 jobs with an average salary of $35,000, while opponents argue that the development would lead to social problems, profits being transferred out of state, and other issues.

Oxford would receive 2 percent of the casino's annual profits, or $2.8 million after its fifth year in operation. The county would receive 1 percent, or $1.4 million after the fifth year.

Selectman Lloyd "Skip" Herrick seconded the motion for the purposes of discussion, but later withdrew the second. Herrick said he believed the decision was an individual one rather than a municipal one.

"I don't think it's the economic answer for the state of Maine or Oxford County," said Herrick. "I've always felt that you can't open the door for one town, city, or municipality in this state and close the door on every other recommendation."

Chairman Raymond Glover said that while the project would create jobs and add value to the area, he was not sure if he could support the casino on behalf of the town.

"I do not support the gambling issue." said Glover. "I do not think economic development based on gambling is beneficial."

UPDATE ON PROJECT CANOPY

2008-10-15T20:36:00.001-04:00

10-15-08 submitted by Judy O'Neil

Last spring the town was awarded a small grant to form a commission which would then create a forestry management plan. This forestry management plan would encompass all town-owned properties and be included as a sub-topic in the Town of Rumford's overall Comprehensive Plan.

People have some great ideas about planting and we will want those ideas soon, but remember, we had applied for two grants. We did not receive the monies to fund any planting in front of the Town Hall. The grant received does not provide monies to plant anything. The sole purpose is to create a plan for the management and care of our town-owned trees and woodlots.

As the commission begins formation of a plan, projects that include tree planting and things of that nature may then be recommended. Once we have completed formation of the commission and have created a plan, we will then be able to pursue further grants to fund tree plantings, etc.

At this point, we have four members of a commission, including grant writers Terry Palmer (grant paperwork administrator), Tim Gallant (Rumford Parks Department) and Judy O'Neil (volunteer), plus our newest volunteer Brian Milligan (Forestry Consultant). We will be placing ads (see below) in the local paper advertising for volunteers for the commission. Jan Santerre, Department of Conservation, Maine Forest Service is Project Canopy Coordinator and will advise our newly formed commission.

PROJECT CANOPY MEETING

Town of Rumford seeks volunteers to develop policies & procedures on Town-owned wood lots & properties. Project includes complete tree inventories and free training. Informational meeting to be held on November 13, at 5:30 pm in Town Auditorium. FMI contact Tim Gallant, Rumford Parks Department at 364-7758. ALL WELCOME

The truth from the THOMPSON'S

2008-10-13T21:41:00.002-04:00

by Jason & Stephanie Thompson

This letter is being written by both Mr. & Mrs. Jason Thompson. This is the ONLY letter/submission that Stephanie has had anything to do with; minus a Selectman's meeting minutes that I did once about a year ago.

To set the record straight, the rumors about us moving are true. We are moving out of Rumford. Because we will not be Rumford citizens, we both will be resigning from our Boards, respectfully. Stephanie will continue to work in Rumford and provide the River Valley citizens within the community with education, prevention and intervention information as pertains to Public Health. Jason will be beginning a new position outside of the Rumford area.

We would like to thank all of our friends and family for the support they have given us in helping to make this decision. It was a difficult one because we have been involved in Rumford politics for the last few years. That also helped with making the decision to move as well. There are pros and cons to being involved in town politics. We will leave it at that. We love Rumford. We started our family in Rumford, Jason was born and raised in Rumford, and we have a lot of memories here. However, it is time to move on. In another era, this town will be everything it is supposed to be; unfortunately this town is oppressed and growth is difficult when growth is unwanted.

I Stephanie want to set the record straight about the latest letter that was submitted on the Reporter that some believe was written by us. It absolutely was not written by us. I have the utmost respect for our law enforcement. These men know that I respect what they do for this community every single day, but I felt the need to assure everyone that I did NOT write that. I would never disrespect our officers, especially our Chief of Police. I have a lot of respect for Chief Carter and his men and I do a lot of work with them and Rumford's judicial branch. I also know that whenever something seems to make sense that Jason submitted, people thought I wrote it. I have had better things to do. I do not write for him, nor anyone else.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for their support. We'll be seeing you around!

Sincerely,
Jason & Stephanie

LTE - In response to TRR's letter from R Ortez

2008-10-12T15:35:00.000-04:00

I debated for a long time in voicing my opinion on the controversy in Rumford between some of the citizens, a few selectman, a publication and the Fire and Police Department. With the last letter written by R Ortez in the Rumford Reporter I could no longer remain silent. I grew up in the Rumford area, actually Peru if you want specifics, and am disappointed to see the direction the area is headed in. My father was very involved in the community and surrounding communities including Rumford. I have fond memories of the small towns in Maine. From the close communities, to knowing your neighbors, and enjoying life a small town offers. When I graduated I moved from these small towns in Maine to a similar small town in Alaska. This is where I found my calling as a 911 dispatcher and love for criminal justice. Most think of dispatching as a job that saves lives. I would like to say right now that saving lives is not what the job is about. Actually saving lives is far and few between and if that were the sole purpose of the job I would be sadly disappointed. A job in law enforcement is more about helping people. I go to work everyday knowing that every call I take I am helping someone. Whether it is a simple question about where a road is located to giving CPR instructions over the phone, helping people is why I love this profession. I can also say honestly that most others in law enforcement are in the profession for the same reason.

I take great offense to the letter that was written by R. Ortez. I also take great offense to the attitude and approach the Rumford Reporter has had towards this profession. I do understand their frustration with budget issues and their right to question policies and procedures. However, their blatant attack on the Rumford Police Department and the Rumford Fire Department is completely uncalled for. I ask that R. Ortez and the editors of the Rumford Reporter walk a day in my shoes or anyone in law enforcement. I have worked in towns similar if not smaller than the size of Rumford and can tell you crime and tragedy can happen here too. I can tell you stories (which are now all public information and have been reported in the newspaper) of the 13 year old girl who witnessed her mother shoot her significant other, point the gun at the 13 year old, and then turn the gun on herself in a town with less than 5,000 residents. I can talk about my co worker who worked the night her close friend and law enforcement officer was conducting a routine traffic stop and was fatally shot in a town of 6,000 residents. I can talk about an incident in that same town where an officer was shot by an upset husband while he responded to a domestic violence call. I can also talk about the male who blew just over a .08 after killing his 5 year old daughter in motor vehicle accident. So R. Ortez comment that “We don't give a damn about your mangled license plate stops, your unregistered or uninspected vehicle stops, your .08 OUI stops, your headlight, taillight, or license plate light out stops, your no seat belt wearing stops” I can see where he has never educated himself about law enforcement. If I read his comment that “If you read the crimes (referring to the crime bulletin), they are police driven.” I can see he actually believes that the officer was responsible for making a person drink and get behind the wheel. I can see where he believes a police officer was responsible for a husband beating his wife from the confines of their home. I can also see from his comment “now you are hell bent on destroying any and all economic development efforts in Rumford by scaring people away with your outlandish claims” that he believes the outlandish claims, the charges against persons, are all fabricated. That he believes most things with law enforcement are fabricated. I would like to speak with R. Ortez, and the editors of the Rumford Reporter and have them speak with the family members of the fallen officers in Maine and let him repeat his comment “You Maine cops are clueless and are raping the taxpayer, which is about the only crime we have here.” I’d also like them to meet the countless victims of various crimes and have them repeat his comment about those officers who helped the victims find justice that “The only reason your crime is high is because you go looking for it so you can justify your bloated budget.”

Honestly I do have an even better idea. I call on R. Ortez and the editors of the Rumford Reporter to look farther than their front door step. I ask if they care about the community they take steps to educate themselves on the profession. Be open minded and see both sides before making a judgment.

Sincerely,

Erin Cox

LAS VEGAS DOUBLES DOWN: CASINO BACKERS SPEND $500K IN TWO WEEKS

2008-10-11T22:43:00.000-04:00

PORTLAND – Not a single Mainer has contributed to the campaign for a Las Vegas casino in Oxford, the latest campaign finance reports reveal.

The spending reports by the casino proponents show that Las Vegas-based Olympia Gaming is the sole contributor to the campaign to put a casino in the town of Oxford, spending more than half-a-million dollars in just 14 days on television, radio and newspaper advertising.

“Their signs say ‘Yes on 2 for Maine,’ but they should say ‘Yes on 2 for Vegas’,” said Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO!, the grassroots organization opposed to the expansion of casino gambling in Maine. “Clearly, Las Vegas has everything to gain from Question 2, and Maine people have everything to lose.”

The Las Vegas corporation has spent nearly $40,000 a day on consultant fees, advertising and other expenses since announcing their interest in the Oxford referendum. Besides television and newspaper advertising, the campaign reported spending nearly $160,000 with CDM Communications, an advertising agency in Portland. Their full PAC report is HERE.

In contrast, CasinosNO! reported raising $77,700, all of it from Maine residents, and no spending on advertising. The full report is HERE.

“So which campaign is really for Maine,” Bailey asked. “It’s important to remember that casinos aren’t built from the money of winners, they’re built from the money of losers. Las Vegas is here to make losers of us all, and that’s why we need to vote no on Question 2.”

CONTACT: Dennis Bailey, 207-749-4963

Will we ever be able to disagree without being disagreeable?

2008-10-11T16:10:00.002-04:00

From MSNBC

McCaain:
I don't trust Obama," a woman said. "I have read about him. He's an Arab."

McCain shook his head in disagreement, and said:

"No, ma'am. He's a decent, family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about."

He had drawn boos with his comment: "I have to tell you, he is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States."

Obama:
"I appreciated his reminder that we can disagree while still being respectful of each other," Obama told supporters in Philadelphia. He said McCain "has served this country with honor, and he deserves our thanks for that."

This really isn't too much different that what's been going on between the TRR and RFP. It's easy to get polarized when you are in conflict with others.

The TRR may actually believe that they are helping the town with their behavior. There is really nothing wrong with a respectful dialogue between members of the community that disagree with each other. In fact, as we've said before, we think is actually quite healthy... as long as it stays respectful.

Steve and I have very different opinions on the presidential candidates. We had what I believe to be a healthy dialogue, around our beliefs. Towards the end I think we even found some common ground. We both believe in capitalism and we both don't want to see a "redistribution" of income. I would still like to see the poor taxed less; he seems to believe that the rich pay far too much in taxes. So what? We're both entitled to our opinions. I respect Steve for engaging in this dialogue in such a respectful way.

Things get bad when these differences of opinion become personal, and we have seen that way too much on these bogs. It's not the differences in opinions in town that originally caused the RFP and the RVFP to exist. It's the personal nature of the attacks on people. That is wrong and it's the main reason we have so much strife in this community. As long as it continues, the battle will wage on.

Members of our community are angry at the way the TRR has hurt so many residents of this community. Many are outraged. The TRR has been a powerful influence in this community but their power has been largely based on their ability to attack anyone that stands in their way on their road to making sure they get what they want.

When people engage in such behavior, they usually end up hurting themselves as well as their targets.

In response, members of this forum have been pretty hard on members of the TRR. If anyone were to track the dates of these posts, they would easily see a pattern of us rebuking the TRR after they were blatantly hurtful to others, like they most recently were to Selectman Adley.

You can feel the hate and scorn in that article. As others have said on here, I don’t believe that people that engage in behavior like this should be representing this town in any capacity.

BTW, as I’ve said before, Selectman Adley has nothing to do with this site. I don’t believe he has even posted on it. We hope he reads it. We hope all the selectmen and town officials read it. We hope that it sometimes give some fresh perspectives that are so healthy to have in town.

If I were to write an open letter to the TRR, it would once again ask them to stop their personal attacks that have wreaked so much havoc on our town. I would ask them to engage in respectful dialogue about our differences of opinion. I would ask that we learn how to disagree without being disagreeable.

TRR, the ball is in your court…

What mischief has Seth Carey wrought?

2008-10-09T17:47:00.003-04:00

From Down East Magazine
By Jeff Clark

If an audacious referendum passes this month, a Nevada casino executive, Dean Harrold, might soon be one of the most powerful people in Maine. That’s not what Rumford attorney Seth Carey wanted. It was supposed to be him.

When the thirty-three-year-old Carey first conceived of building a casino in Oxford County and began the process of gathering signatures to put the proposal on the statewide ballot, he saw himself in the role of potential kingpin. And as such Carey wrote his referendum granting himself and the company he founded, Evergreen Mountain Enterprises, incredible powers — a ten-year monopoly on casino operations in the state, carte blanche on where it is built, and permanent voting seats on the boards of some of the most important agencies in Maine, including the Finance Authority of Maine, the University of Maine System, and the Land for Maine’s Future program. Carey’s law asks voters to keep the 1,500 slot machine limit for track-related racinos while giving Evergreen an unlimited number of slots, plus table games such as blackjack and roulette. It would drop the legal gambling age to nineteen. And it would allow the casino to extend house credit to gamblers but not let them use their credit or debit cards.

Carey’s plan was to make himself one of Maine’s wealthiest and most powerful men, but things did not go as planned. Along the way he ran into complaints of ethical and legal malfeasance, accusations of dishonesty from his own spokesperson, and widespread charges of business naiveté. His campaign stumbled badly, and in mid-September he sold Evergreen Mountain Enterprises to the Olympia Group, a Las Vegas-based gaming and resort developer. As a result, Seth Carey’s legacy will undoubtedly be different from the one he intended. And for Mainers, who might soon find unknown, out-of-state casino executives making decisions about their healthcare and universities, it might well be an enduring and troublesome legacy indeed.

Click here for full story

MAINE SKI RESORTS OPPOSE OXFORD COUNTY CASINO

2008-10-09T08:46:00.000-04:00

Sunday River in Bethel has joined with other ski resorts, businesses and individuals in Maine to oppose Question 2 on November’s ballot, the proposed gambling casino for Oxford County.

In a memo to Sunday River’s employees, Dana Bullen, general manager of Sunday River, said the casino would be incompatible with Maine’s “brand.”

“The decision to oppose casinos in Maine is based on our belief that the proposed casino represents a clear threat to our State’s brand and is a poor choice for the citizens of Maine,” he said. “Maine is one of the few states in the nation that is fortunate to actually claim a ‘brand’ identity. Maine is known for its rugged outdoor image, uncompromised natural beauty, family-friendly environment, and Yankee originality. These are attributes the State of Maine promotes to the world through its tourism efforts, and attributes that Sunday River has tied into our own Visioning process. They are what differentiate us from all other states in the country.

“There is a stark contrast between these attributes, for which Maine is known, and those associated with casino gambling,” the memo continued.

Saddleback Mountain, Sugarloaf and Sunday River have joined with CasinosNO! to help defeat the casino, and Bullen said the company will be making a financial contribution to the anti-casino group.

“Although Sunday River does not have a history of adopting a corporate position on public referendum, we feel that this issue warrants our involvement as a company,” Bullen wrote. “We respect every employee's right to have their own, and possibly a differing, view on this issue. At the same time, however, we hope that every employee understands Sunday River’s position and will make an informed choice.”

Warren Cook, general manager of Saddleback Mountain, said, “The ski industry in Maine has made millions of dollars in investments to create good jobs and attract tourists who come here for our clean environment, beautiful scenery and outdoor recreation. This is Maine's strength. A gambling casino doesn't play to our strengths, it preys on our weaknesses."

Contact: Dennis Bailey, CasinosNO!, 207-347-6077, 207-749-4963
Warren Cook, Saddleback Mountain, 207-266-2533

TRR continues baseless malicious attacks on RFD

2008-10-06T07:12:00.000-04:00

TRR is shaping the debate over the RFD with same vitriol and contempt that they are known so well for. It’s the same strategy that has made our town a war zone over the last few years. Don’t attack the problems in the town, attack the people in it.

The TRR attacks on the RFD have been incessant over the last few years. Lately they have continued their attacks with the same strategy that Len Greaney talked about in his memo, casting our firefighters as lazy, greedy and manipulative. They compare the overtime the firemen have needed to put in as another form of government welfare and attempt to raise the hackles of the community toward our firemen.

They also play the victim for how they suffered so for daring to do what’s right for the community, never taking any responsibility for how their vengeful behavior has hurt this community and caused the communities anger to be cast upon them at times. They act like the town bullies and then play victim when people get angry at their bullying behavior.

For the record, never on this forum has anyone ever said members of the RFD should be granted excessive amounts of overtime just for the sake of them getting it. What we have said, time and time again, is treat our professional firefighters (and all our town employees) with respect. These kinds of personal attacks made on our firemen do nothing to help the community and is a big part of the root cause of all the turmoil in this town.

We have also said don’t waste our money but make part of the discussion about funding all of our departments based on good data that includes a concern for the safety of our citizens. Our town departments serve a purpose I this town, especially the ones that are charged with our safety. I don’t like paying taxes either but if (heaven forbid) my family or I am in need of a fireman or a police officer, I want them to be able to be here, and come with the resources they need to be able to protect us.

I’m not thinking that’s too much to ask.

WARNING: CLYDE BARROW IS A SHILL FOR THE GAMBLING CASINO INDUSTRY

2008-10-02T17:21:00.001-04:00

PORTLAND – The proponents of Question 2, the Oxford County casino, have enlisted the aid of Clyde Barrow, a political scientist at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, to make the case for their casino. An article by Barrow defending the Oxford County casino appeared in the Portland Press Herald last week, and Barrow is scheduled to meet with the Oxford County Commissioners next week along with the proponents of Question 2.

Barrow is well known in casino circles for his pro-casino findings. His “research” is controversial, to say the least. Editors, reporters and members of the public should be aware of Barrow’s background and dealings, such as:

Although Barrow talks at length about the economic impacts of casinos, he is not an economist. His degree is in political science.

Barrow is the director of the Center for Policy Analysis, which studies casino gambling in New England. He purports to be an independent analyst, but his conclusions always favor the casino industry and questions have been raised about his impartiality.

In 2006, Barrow received $20,000 from the Rhode Island Buildings Trade Council, which was supporting a Harrah’s casino for that state, for a study showing the positive impacts of a Harrah’s casino. Records show that at the same time Barrow received payment from the union, Harrah’s donated $25,000 to the Trade Council. Greg Mancini of the building trades group told the Boston Globe that he went to Barrow to add “intellectual heft” to the pro-casino position. “We went to Clyde Barrow and asked him to prove it from an academic point of view,” Mancini said. “He said, ‘Yeah, I can do that. But it’s going to cost money.’”

Lincoln Almond, the former governor of Rhode Island, called Barrow “one of Harrah’s paid consultants” who lives in a “fantasy world” of illusive casino benefits.

In 1999, Barrow’s group received funding from the Visions Group, a business group then pushing for a casino in Salisbury, MA. Other communities and groups in favor of a casino have also hired Barrow, and he has been a paid spokesperson at conferences sponsored by the casino industry.

A casino developer who controls land in New Bedford and Palmer, MA partially funded one of Barrow’s “studies” that supported a casino in that area of the state.
Barrow’s “research” often shows how states are losing money to casinos in neighboring states. But his numbers are based on flimsy research and often don’t add up. For example, during last year’s debate over plans for three casinos in Massachusetts, Barrow claimed that his research showed that 35% of the patrons at Foxwoods hailed from Massachusetts. He reached that conclusion by hiring students to record license plates parked at Foxwoods over a five-day period. However, Foxwoods officials said based on their own analysis of license plates, credit card receipts and other data, the number of Massachusetts patrons regularly visiting Foxwoods is actually much lower.

Rep. Dan Bosley of Massachusetts told the Globe that Barrow's studies are speculative, rely on a sample of casino patronage that is too small, and assume values for calculating total spending that cannot be verified. “Given Dr. Barrow's flawed research, it's a little embarrassing that he is a tenured professor at a public university,” Bosley said.

In an editorial in May, SeaCoastToday.com took issue with Barrow calling complaints by casino “skeptics” as “rhetoric.” “By labeling opponents ‘skeptics’ and their words ‘rhetoric,’ Dr. Barrow goes beyond describing the poll results,” the editorial stated. “He casts a negative light on anyone who would oppose or even question (those pesky skeptics!) the idea that Massachusetts should welcome casinos. Unfortunately, Dr. Barrow is starting to look more like a lobbyist — and less like someone whose research happens to receive private funding.”

· Nevertheless, in an e-mail to Oxford County Commissioners, the backers of Question 2 describe Barrow as “one of the most respected” experts of casino gambling in the country. He sure is respected by the casino industry.

Contact: Dennis Bailey, 207-749-4963

2008-10-01T14:53:00.000-04:00

SUN JOURNAL ASKS: “WHO’S REALLY BEHIND
THE OXFORD COUNTY CASINO?”

PORTLAND – An editorial in today’s Sun Journal reveals that there are a number of minority investors in the Oxford County casino proposal but the casino’s Las Vegas backer has refused to disclose their identities.

Because the casino promoters will be granted a 10-year monopoly on casinos in Maine if Question 2 passes, the Sun Journal urges them to come clean.

“Too much of this casino campaign….has been balanced on the argument of ‘trust me,’” the editorial states. “Maine voters are being asked to drastically change public policy for the benefit of this individual company. We should, at least, know everybody who stands to benefit.”

The newspaper also chided the casino proponents for criticizing the financial backers of CasinosNO!, which are all publicly disclosed in the group’s filings with the state, while keeping their own investors secret. “This criticism only rings hollow until their financials are open to equal scrutiny,” the editorial stated.

Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO!, said the questions surrounding the bill get murkier by the day.

“We don’t where it’s going to be located, we don’t know who the owners really are, we don’t know what provisions the casino promoters are promising to change if this bill that they themselves describe as a ‘mess’ is approved by voters,” he said. “That should be enough reason for Maine people to vote a resounding NO on Question 2.”

The Sun Journal editorial can be found here.

Contact: Dennis Bailey, 207-347-6077

LEAGUE OF YOUNG VOTERS OPPOSE OXFORD COUNTY CASINO

2008-10-01T10:41:00.000-04:00

PORTLAND – The League of Young Voters are urging a ‘NO’ vote on Question 2, the Oxford County casino proposal.

In its newly released voter guide, the League gave thumbs down to the proposal, saying that while a casino would bring jobs and revenue to Maine, “Studies also show that casinos lead to crime, violence and addiction….and there’s question whether the jobs it contributes are low paying.”

The League of Young Voters, which describes itself as “a youth-driven organization that finds creative ways to engage our peers in the political process,” has been active in city elections for several years and has seen its influence grow.

“It’s great that the League of Young Voters saw through the hype and misinformation of the casino promoters and rejected Question 2,” said Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO!, “particularly since the bill would lower the legal gambling age to 19 and lower the age to work in the casino to 18. I guess they felt that Maine should offer more for young people than gambling and working in a casino.”

The League’s voting guide is HERE.

CONTACT: Dennis Bailey, 207-749-4963

LAMARCHE IN RADIO INTERVIEW CALLS OXFORD COUNTY CASINO BILL A ‘MESS’

2008-10-01T10:40:00.000-04:00

PORTLAND – In an interview Monday morning on WLOB/FOX 23, Pat LaMarche, spokesperson for the Oxford County casino bill, admitted that the referendum question that will go before voters in November is a “mess.”

During questioning about specific details of the bill, Lamarche said that if the bill is enacted the Legislature “is going to fix this mess.” (Listen to the interview here.)

“It’s astonishing that LaMarche and her bosses from Las Vegas are spending $1 million or more to convince voters to enact a law that they themselves call ‘a mess,’” said Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO!, the grassroots organization opposed to the expansion of casino gambling in Maine. “She’s doing a better job than I am to convince voters to reject Question 2.”

During the interview, LaMarche also went on at length claiming that the bill does not require the president of the casino to be a “voting member” of the boards and commissions that receive a slice of the casino revenues. In fact the bill specifically says the president of the Oxford County casino “must be appointed a voting member” of the programs and boards receiving an allocation from the casino.

LaMarche’s latest statements quickly became fodder for “The Daily Pat-Down” a compendium on the CasinosNO! website of LaMarche’s outrageous claims. (Click here.)

CONTACT: Dennis Bailey, 207-749-4963

Sara Palin has something in common with beauty contestant

2008-09-28T23:25:00.000-04:00

This is a brief clip from Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric.

As soon as I saw it, it instantly reminded me of another video clip I've seen.

Do you think Sara Palin can identify the United States on a map? She could be president someday. That is scarey!

The beatings will continue until morale improves.

2008-09-28T21:09:00.007-04:00

After reading the above memo from Len Greaney to RFD Chief Gary Wentzell, its clear Mr. Greaney doesn’t like the Fire Department very much. He brow beats them as being greedy (“RFD does their job for money”, lazy (“No one volunteered”) and creating a “barrage of grievances and letters asking for impact bargaining”. He says “everything is about money, money”.

Mr. Greaney talks about being upset that our Professional Firefighters want to be paid for their work. I don’t know about what most readers think but getting paid for the work you do isn’t exactly a foreign concept. Is Mr. Greaney getting a paycheck for being the town manager? Perhaps he should volunteer as the town manager to show that he has developed a sense of “service over reward”.

This is the truth about the RFD. In 2006, the RFD members knew there was a tight budget situation in town. The members of the RFD agreed to pay and insurance concessions that amounted to well over $90,000 out of their contract. That's $3,000 to $4,000 per firefighter. What RFD asked for in return was an agreement from the town to keep four men on at all times. It wasn’t about money, it was about safety, theirs and ours. Mr. Greaney’s characterization of the firefighters is misinformed and unfair.

Mr. Greaney clearly knows that we need to have four firefighters available to respond to a fire scene. There are laws that say that unless there are four firefighters on scene, they can’t enter a building to fight a fire or save anyone trapped inside. In essence, they can’t do a whole lot of anything except watch it burn and listen to screams.

His solution is to make other towns responsible for the safety of the residents of our town. Mexico has already complained abut the cost of mutual aid due to the number of calls they have responded to in Rumford. Our town leaders need to work with other towns, not dictate to them and characterize them as slackers who “don’t do their share”.

With Len Greaney, it’s clearly not about safety, it’s all about money. While we want our town manager to be responsible with money, we want him to balance that with safety and public service. We want him to care about the safety of the people of this town and of town employees.

Mr. Greaney treats our professional firefighters with contempt, despite the sacrifices they make on a daily basis. Maybe it’s his new strategy to “build the best fire department in Maine” as he promised when Chief Wentzel came on board. Maybe characterizing other towns as slackers and telling them what to do is his idea of sharing town services.

As a tax paying citizen of this community I expect our town manager to be more professional than that. He clearly doesn’t have the experience to be a town manager. He’s aligned himself too closely with one section of the community, the TRR crew, instead of being a leader for the entire community. He treats our employees and our neighbors with contempt. It’s time for him to step down and for a search to start for a “real” town manager. A town manager that is experienced, objective and professional.

Palin Interviews Spark GOP Concerns

2008-09-28T11:40:00.001-04:00

AP
posted: 14 HOURS 21 MINUTES AGO
comments: 12575
filed under: Election News, Sarah Palin

WASHINGTON (Sept. 27) - A conservative columnist who welcomed Sarah Palin's entry in national politics says she's proven to be a dud and should step aside as John McCain's running mate.

Kathleen Parker, writing in the National Review Online, says her "cringe reflex is exhausted" after watching the Alaska governor stumble through TV interviews and it's become clear to her that Palin is out of her league. .....

Get the full story here

Urge to play slots spurred thefts

2008-09-25T15:34:00.002-04:00

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/51489.html

Woman stole $43,700 from residents of assisted living facility in Bangor

Judy Harrison, BDN Staff

BANGOR, Maine - The prosecutor called it elder abuse. The defense attorney said it was the result of an illness. Members of Gamblers Anonymous warned the judge to expect more cases just like it.

Lucia Faria, 41, of Bangor was sentenced Wednesday in Penobscot County Superior Court to three years in prison for stealing more than $40,000 from elderly patients at the Bangor facility where she worked and gambling it away at Hollywood Slots.

Greg Campbell, assistant district attorney for Penobscot County, said it was the most serious case related to gambling at Hollywood Slots since the facility opened on Main Street three years ago.

Faria, a Portuguese citizen in the United States legally, admitted stealing $43,700 from three victims — two of whom are over the age of 80 — and her employer over a 15-month period in 2006 and 2007. She pleaded guilty on Sept. 2 to forgery and theft charges after being indicted by the Penobscot County grand jury in April. She also pleaded guilty for failing to appear in court in May.

Faria had no criminal record.

She faced up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $20,000 and could have been ordered to pay restitution.

Faria took checks from three patients at The Country Villa, an assisted living facility on Kenduskeag Avenue, where she worked as a housekeeper. She forged them to get money for the slot machines. She also borrowed money from patients and her employer on the pretext that she needed it to return to Portugal to care for a sick brother.

“This is a classic case of elder abuse,” Campbell told the court. “These are reprehensible crimes against our most vulnerable citizens. This was a tremendous breach of trust in which she bilked senior citizens out of a substantial amount of their life savings.”

Defense attorney Kirk Bloomer of Bangor said that Faria’s crimes were a result of her addiction to gambling. He said that she had banned herself from Hollywood Slots before she was indicted, had sought treatment for the disease and regularly attended Gamblers Anonymous meetings.

“She didn’t appear in court as she should have,” Bloomer said, “but she returned from Portugal to deal with this, knowing she probably would be arrested in Boston. The easy thing to do would have been to stay in Portugal. It was the guilt, quite frankly, that made her come back. She couldn’t live with it.”

A man who identified himself only as Fred said he was a member of Faria’s Gamblers Anonymous group. He urged the judge to allow her to repay her victims as part of her recovery.

“I’ve never seen any one person help as many people [in recovery] as Lucy did,” he said, before making a prediction.

“On account of that big, wonderful building down by the river, you’re going to have a lot of people show up here,” he said. “Lucy is not going to be the only one.

”Even though she is married to a 95-year-old man who lives out of state, Faria is expected to be deported after completing her sentence, Campbell said.

The prosecutor said after the sentencing that Faria banned herself from Hollywood Slots and sought out Gamblers Anonymous the day after police interviewed her about the thefts.

In imposing the sentence, Superior Court Justice William Anderson did not require that she pay restitution, and he didn’t impose probation. He said that because of her impending deportation, it was highly unlikely she would be able to repay her victims and that the state has no ability to collect restitution from her once she leaves the country.

“Usually I hear that drugs or alcohol made me do it,” Anderson said. “I don’t really think that gambling is a huge excuse. I’m sentencing [Faria] to three years with none of it suspended. I’m also taking into consideration the fact that this was not a crime of violence, there’s limited space in our prisons and this was a property crime, although a very serious property crime.”

Violent crimes are dealt with more severely than thefts of property under Maine law.

Campbell recommended that Faria be sentenced to six years in prison due to the amount of money involved and the age of her victims. Bloomer urged that she be sentenced to two or three years in prison with all but the three months she’s been at the Penobscot County Jail suspended and two years of probation.

Faria has been held without bail since she returned from Portugal in July.

Hollywood Slots maintains a self-exclusion list for patrons who believe they have a gambling problem, and the state maintains a toll-free problem gambling hot line.

CASINOSNO! BEGINS ‘THE DAILY PAT-DOWN,’A FACT-CHECK SITE ON CLAIMS BY LAMARCHE

2008-09-18T15:40:00.003-04:00

PORTLAND – CasinosNO!, the grassroots organization opposed to the expansion of casino gambling in Maine, today inaugurated “The Daily Pat-Down,” a page on its website that tracks the outrageous and erroneous claims by casino spokesperson Pat LaMarche.

The site can be found at www.casinosno.org

Today’s statement, which LaMarche made yesterday on WGAN radio, concerns the “positive” impact that casinos have had on Connecticut’s economy. She said, “The area [in Connecticut] that the casinos went into, they are importing labor now, because everybody in that area has a job.”

(To hear LaMarche’s interview, go to www.wgan.com)

The facts tell a different story. The unemployment rate in the region around the Connecticut casinos is actually higher than the national average, and higher than Maine’s unemployment rate, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the full response go to “The Daily Pat-Down” at www.casinosno.org

Contact: Dennis Bailey, 207-749-4963

CASINO BALLOT QUESTION MISLEADS VOTERS

2008-09-17T17:45:00.001-04:00

With the Arrival of Las Vegas, “Maine Company” No Longer Involved

PORTLAND – The arrival of Las Vegas to rescue a floundering proposal for a gambling casino in Oxford County renders the ballot question that voters will face in November inaccurate and misleading.

The ballot question reads, “Do you want to allow a certain Maine company (emphasis added) to have the only casino in Maine, to be located in Oxford County, if part of the revenue is used to fund specific state programs?”

But now, the Maine company that began the referendum for a casino, Evergreen Mountain Resort and Casino, has been purchased by a Las Vegas outfit, making the ballot question seriously flawed.

“Almost all the claims by the casino proponents are flawed and misleading, now the ballot question itself is part of the big lie,” said Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO!, the grassroots organization opposed to the expansion of casino gambling. “The backers of this casino promoted it as a Maine company with Maine roots. Now we learn their roots go all the way to Las Vegas.”

Bailey said CasinosNO! will be working over the next several weeks to make voters aware of the misleading and inaccurate claims by the proponents of the Oxford County casino, including the misleading wording of the ballot question.

CONTACT: Dennis Bailey, 207-347-6077, or 207-749-4963

CASINOSNO! RESPONDS TO THE ARRIVAL OF LAS VEGAS PORTLAND

2008-09-16T15:21:00.001-04:00

– Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO!, released the following statement today in response to the announcement that a Las Vegas company is now behind the proposal for casino in Oxford County:

“This is just another layer of deception in an already deceptive casino scheme. The Oxford County casino proposal was sold to Maine voters and the petition signers as a Maine owned-and operated casino. Now, less than two months before the election we are told that the real owners are a Las Vegas outfit who’s only interest is taking money from Maine people to fill their vault in Nevada.

“Maine voters won’t be fooled, just as they weren’t fooled in 2003 by another Las Vegas developer who made the same misleading claims. This proposed Oxford County casino will be a local casino attracting local residents and will take money from Maine’s economy, not add to it.

“This latest development doesn’t change the fact that the casino bill we’ll be voting on in November will lower the legal age to gamble from 21 to 19, and lower the legal age to work in a casino from 21 to 18. It’s in the proposed law and cannot be changed before the vote. So in a casino with card games, craps and cocktails we’ll have young people under the legal drinking age throwing away their weekly allowance or their college savings to fatten the wallet of Las Vegas. Is this really what we want for Maine’s young people?

“On top of this we still don’t know where this casino will be located? Bethel? South Paris? Rumford? It’s just one of the many questions surrounding this deceptive casino scheme.”

Contact: Dennis Bailey, 207-749-4963

TRR has moved from town bullies to community terrorists

2008-09-13T18:38:00.002-04:00

The TRR website has long been the bullies of the town. There are numerous examples of them wreaking terror on anyone that has a different view than them about what should happen in this town and forgiving the unethical behavior of those that are “one of their own”.

Prior to their recent posts, they would usually single out individuals for their vicious attacks. They incessantly attacked Jolene Lovejoy, Jim Thibodeau, Walter Buotte, Jim Doar, Steve Eldridge and many others. There motto seems to be “if we can’t get our way with facts, we’ll just disparage and bully those that disagree with us”. All of these people have suffered greatly under their attacks.

They cranked it up with their attacks on the Fire Department. While they continued to go after individuals on the Fire Department, they used their website to ridicule the entire department. Why? Because the RFD dared to offer information to the community that TRR didn’t want them to have. They dared to stand up to them.

Then there was the heartless vicious attacks exhibited on the asmainegoes.com and in posts to us when they thought an individual of this town was the editor of this site. No one should have to suffer though such cruelty.

This time though, they have resorted to what I can only describe as community terrorism. They have unleashed their venom on St. Athanasius and St. John School and the teaching staff. They have gone after an entire community within our community. A community that I’m sure is filled with hardworking, responsible citizens of our town. A community filled with children. When parents feel their children are being attacked, they usually lose their apathy…and their patience. Attacking children may well be a dangerous move for TRR.

They tell us all why they have gone after St. Athanasius and St. John very clearly. It’s because they think that one of the members of their Board of Directors is the Administrator of this website.

So once again, let’s set the record straight, for the TRR and the community at large. Sue Adley, Judy Collette and anyone else involved at St. Athanasius and St. John School has nothing to do with this website. I have no knowledge of any of them posting here or even being aware that we exist. I think it won't be long before they realize we exist now though.

I do hope that the community that embodies the St. Athanasius and St. John School rise against this terrorism levied against them. TRR posted their involvement as facts. They should be held accountable for their lies and slander.

It’s past time for the community to rise up against this group of individuals that is willing to engage in community terrorism, even against children.

A quick message to TRR

2008-09-13T12:00:00.004-04:00

Provide proof for your malicious behavior. You have none.

Once again your website is full of lies and slander. You obviously hate to be called on your disreputable and unethical behavior and so you continue to try to hurt innocent people.

Once again, you prove your actions are motivated by hurting anyone you "think" may be holding you accountable and that you will seek revenge without care for who you hurt in the process, even if it's the children of this town. You continue to prove it never was about caring about this town or this the people in it.

You're behavior completely disgusts me.

The real editor of the RFP

'Drill, Drill, Drill'

2008-09-12T20:27:00.002-04:00

by playwright, Eve Ensler

I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.

I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.

But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.

I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.

Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, 'It was a task from God.'

Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.

She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.

Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.

Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.

Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.

I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.

If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, 'Drill Drill Drill.' I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.

Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?

-- Eve Ensler

CASINOSNO! URGES END TO SECRECY, CHALLENGES CAREY TO DEBATE PORTLAND

2008-09-08T20:02:00.001-04:00

– CasinosNO!, the grassroots organization opposed to the expansion of casino gambling in Maine, has asked casino promoter Seth Carey to publicly disclose what he told the Rumford Board of Selectmen during a recent closed-door meeting, and challenged Carey to a public debate on the referendum proposal.

In a letter to Carey, CasinosNO! chair Philip Harriman said that according to Rumford officials, Carey discussed the possible location of the casino and other investors in his plan for a Las Vegas-style casino in Oxford County.

“As far as we know, the location of the casino and the investors in the casino have not been revealed publicly to the voters who will decide this issue in November,” wrote Harriman. “It is our view that this closed-door meeting with the selectmen was a violation of Maine’s Right to Know Law. We believe the voters deserve to know all of the facts surrounding your proposal, including the details of what you told the Rumford Selectmen in last week’s private meeting.”

As a way to put an end to the secrecy and confusion surrounding the casino proposal, Harriman suggested a televised debate between the two sides. “We believe that Maine voters, not just the Rumford Selectmen, deserve to know the possible location of the casino and who is financing it before voting on Nov. 4th,” Harriman wrote.

The Rumford Board of Selectmen held an hour-long, closed-door meeting on Aug. 28th with Carey to discuss his casino proposal. Following the meeting, according to a report by the Lewiston Sun Journal, at least one of the selectmen who was undecided about the casino stated his support based on what he was told by Carey during the meeting.

CONTACT: Dennis Bailey, 207-347-6077, 207-749-4963

A Day in the Life of This Small Town

2008-09-05T13:19:00.004-04:00

Today was really like any other day in the town of Rumford for the past few years. The sky was a little overcast. People were on their way to work and school, greeting each other at the corner store and thinking about what they needed to accomplish.

The local section of the newspaper had a little local news about the proposed school merger and a wonderful story about a 17 year old local boy who single handedly worked to make our community a better place.

Then there was one story about the Rumford Selectmen backing away from their endorsement of a proposed Casino in Oxford County. The story in itself was interesting and had some controversy in it but nothing major after all the controversy this town has suffered through for the last few years. The selectmen held a meeting that was likely illegal. The meeting was designed to garner support for the Casino sponsored by the son of the town attorney.

You know the town attorney, Tom Carey. He was hired to protect the town from opening itself up to things that could cause problems like holding illegal meetings and using town resources to affect the results of a pending political referendum. This particular meeting was asked for by his son who is also an attorney (at least for the time being) so whatever. This town has become quite accustomed to such controversy so we are all probably more than a little desensitized to this kind of stuff by now.

Then you read the comments section of the online story. Wow!

There is an unbelievable amount of information in there and it says so much about what’s been happening in this town over the last few years.

Most of the comments were not very supportive of the current town manager.

You know the town manager, Len Greaney. He was hired by the town without providing a resume or as much as a single letter of reference. That’s OK though because he is (at least for the time being) friends of the three selectmen that have been controlling the town. They told us he was hired only as an interim town manager until the selectmen could search for a real one. After they got him in the door he was deemed not to be interim any longer. It’s really not a big deal to us residents of the town because we’ve become quite accustomed to such things in our town and we are all probably more than a little desensitized to this kind of stuff by now.

But I digress.

What I really found interesting was a couple of the comments made in the online section of the story. Take this one for instance:

Posted By:Hugh Chisholm Fan at September 5, 2008 6:49 AMMr. Greaney, Go to MVHS
and ask the biology deptartment if the have any room in the lab to grow a few
spines? If so please grow a few and pass them out at your next closed door
session. We are known for standing up and taking chances, the Sun Journal
continues to bash us no matter what we do. wouldn't it be nice if actually stood
up for ourselves and one of our own and WON. The Sun Journal staff is always
looking to cut other towns because they hate the fact that they live in Lewburg,
they should turn their negative spew on themselves what a DUMP lewiston is,
drive down any Tree street in Lewspew, and you will see.. These poor
writers/staff have to live with this daily, its no wonder they have chosen a
town like Rumford to dump on, especially hen the town manager folds his 4 aces.
Way to lay right down Len, you make this so easy for them, great job!

Holy crap! Did I really read that?

It seems Hugh Chisholm Fan is mad at Mr. Greaney because he had the moral fortitude to tell the truth about the illegal meeting. Perhaps Hugh Chisholm Fan thinks Mr. Greaney should have lied? He had 4 aces, a winning hand and if he had only not admitted his mistake, they would have taken care of “one of their own and won”

Want to know why we have had so much controversy in this town? Go read that post again. It’s right there.

Len Greaney was publicly ridiculed by one of his own for having the “spine” to do what was right. That is quite alone is telling.

This battle in town is about a select group that is willing to do whatever it takes to take care of their own. It’s not about taking care of the town. It’s not about taking care of the residents that live here. It's not about doing what is morally right. It's not about telling the truth. It’s about taking care of their own and they are obviously willing to do whatever is necessary to take care of their own and win. If you have to behave unethically, so what? They know the fine people of this town have become quite desensitized to that kind of behavior.

Many in this town have talked about the damage this group has caused and continues to cause the town of Rumford. I fully believe that this group has caused more damage to this town than any other thing that has happened since my earliest recollections and that’s becoming a long time now. This post by lovetohate is quite telling too:

…i moved away from rumford because of all the bulls--- last year i
got sick and tired seeing Rumford in the newspaper and people complaining
about things that they cant or wont help fix every time we get someone in
office that can help straighten that mess up somebody got something bad to
say now i dont have to listen to it. Sorry rumford but i just couldnt live
there any more…

Sorry Rumford but I just couldn't live there anymore?

This person moved away from Rumford because they couldn’t stand the constant nonsense that this group has caused with their self-serving, manipulative behavior. I’m sure there are others as well.

I know former RPD Detective Mark Cayer moved for this reason because he flat out said so. I’m guessing our former Fire Chief left for similar reasons. Quality town employees will continue to move on to other jobs where they are appreciated.

I could go on about the damage this group continues to cause our town but I don’t think I have too. All you have to do is read the article in the Sun Journal. It’s pretty clear.

And it’s just another day for this small town, just like any other day has been for the past few years.

TRR nonsense has gone a long way towards ruining the town of Rumford

2008-09-04T07:25:00.002-04:00

The recent sarcastic article at TRR poking fun at the Rumford Police Department is a good indicator of the mentality of the folks that are associated with that site. They had been pretty good lately and people on the River Valley Free Press Forum had seemed to all but forgotten about them. It seems the TRR crew just doesn’t have it in them to act like responsible citizens all the time though.

I believe that their behavior continues to tear down the town of Rumford far worse than anything else in this town.

They have worked hard to destroy the Fire Department and have made a total mess out of that department. Morale there remains at an all time low and the budget is now a complete mess. The only reason that things have stayed together there as well as they have is because of the professionalism of the people in those positions

Now they are starting on the Police Department again and I doubt they will be happy until they make a total mess over there too. They have already started to ruin that department with their petty attacks, inaccurate, biased “statistics” and now their sarcasm.

The people that work in these departments will only tolerate the political climate TRR is creating for so long. Detective Mark Cayer left last spring and directly said he was leaving because of the political nonsense in this town. This is the quote from the Sun Journal. “He blamed the situation on political differences between selectmen who should be focusing their energies on economic development instead of petty attacks on one another, Cayer said”

It’s just a matter of time before more good people follow.

The people associated with the TRR are doing their utmost to ruin this town.

Why can’t they see that? Why do they continue to do so?

SECRET CASINO MEETING IN RUMFORD RAISES QUESTIONS, CONCERNS

2008-09-03T20:46:00.001-04:00

PORTLAND – A closed-door meeting of the Rumford Board of Selectmen last week concerning the proposed Oxford County casino has raised more questions about the campaign tactics of the casino proponents.

Last Thursday, the Rumford Board of Selectmen held a closed-door meeting with Seth Carey, the head of the casino proposal. The meeting was private; no members of the public or press were allowed into the hour-long session. Following the meeting, according to a report by the Lewiston Sun Journal, at least one of the selectmen who was undecided about the casino stated his support based on what he was told by Carey during the meeting.

“We believe the meeting was illegal, a violation of the state’s Right to Know law,” said Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO!, the state’s grassroots organization opposed to the expansion of casino gambling. “We’ve written to the Rumford town manager asking for clarification but have received no response.

“Besides being illegal, the private meeting raises other questions,” Bailey continued. “What is Seth Carey telling the Rumford selectmen to win their support that he isn’t telling the voters who will decide this issue in November? Have promises been made or deals struck that the voters should know about before deciding this issue?”

Bailey said the question of the possibly illegal meeting is complicated by the fact that Seth Carey’s father, Thomas Carey, serves as the town’s attorney (although it is unclear if he was involved in last Thursday’s meeting) and has contributed to the Oxford County casino campaign.

Bailey also noted that Seth Carey is facing misconduct charges related to his legal practice, and the former spokesperson for the casino Pat LaMarche recently resigned suggesting that she would have had to lie in order to promote the casino. LaMarche also complained about “moral failings and disreputable conduct” by members of the campaign organization.

“And these people want to run a casino,” Bailey asked. “I think it’s clear from their tactics and behavior that voters should be very skeptical about giving them the keys to the castle and vote NO on Nov. 4th.”

CONTACT: Dennis Bailey, 207-347-6077, 207-749-4963

Gamblers caught in the 'machine zone'Slot machines have become so sophisticated that their designers can exploit every weakness.

2008-08-24T10:28:00.013-04:00

The following column was sent to the Free Press with the request we post it.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=206152&ac=PHedi

NATASHA DOW SCHULL, Special to the Press Herald
August 23, 2008

Behind the lights, beeps and buzzers, there’s some deep calculation going on. All forms of gambling are not created equal.

Mainers should take this into account when deciding how to vote in November's referendum for a casino in Oxford County.

At the request of the Maine group Casinos No!, I wanted to share my research as a social anthropologist on this social trend.

My studies of gambling have focused on a dramatic turn that has taken place in recent decades from social forms of gambling played at tables – poker, blackjack, baccarat – to asocial forms played alone at video terminals, now the most popular form of gambling.

If voters endorse the proposal to allow an unlimited number of slot machines at an Oxford County casino, residents will be exposed to devices that have been carefully and specifically designed to make them lose as much money as possible.

It's important for voters to understand how these machines work.

Every feature of a slot machine – its mathematical structure, visual graphics, sound dynamics, seating and screen ergonomics – is calibrated to increase a gambler's "time on device" and to encourage "play to extinction," which is industry jargon for playing until all your money is gone.

The machines have evolved from handles and reels to buttons and screens, from coins to credit cards, from a few games a minute to hundreds.

Although gambling machines must by law use random number generators, the results are fed through complicated mathematical algorithms that give game designers a great deal of control over outcomes – leading some to suggest that these algorithms are a high-tech way to "load the dice."

Using advanced computer chips and integrated circuits, the machines are designed to exploit aspects of human psychology, and they do it well.

In the eyes of the casino industry, this may look like success, but it comes at great expense to players.

The rise in slots gambling, fueled in large part by these technological developments, has led to much higher rates of gambling addiction.

This is evident at Gamblers Anonymous meetings in Las Vegas, where the vast majority of participants are machine gamblers.

These gamblers are motivated more by a need to escape reality than any desire for entertainment and excitement.

Without the presence of social elements such as other players or a live dealer, they are able to exit the world and enter a state where everything fades away.

Slot machines so completely concentrate players' attention on a series of game events that anything troubling about their life situations – physically, emotionally or socially – gets blotted out. Players enter what's known as the "machine zone," where even winning stops mattering.

In fact, it can be unwelcome because it interrupts the flow of play. Such players only stop when their credits are consumed.

Discussion of problem gambling typically focuses on individual gamblers and their "predisposition" to addiction.

This focus ignores the fact that some activities are more addictive than others. The aim of the gambling industry is to increase its bottom line, not to create addicts.

But in effect, its efforts to make slot machines so effective at extracting money from people yields a product that, for all intents and purposes, approaches every player as a potential addict – in other words, someone who won't stop playing until his or her means are depleted.

The pro-slots contingent promises increased money for the state, but it's important to understand where that money comes from.

The revenue from slot machines comes not from entertaining but by exploiting people.

Should the government, whose role is to protect its citizens, become a partner in this ethically dubious enterprise?

Maine voters should think twice before allowing more slots in their state.

Copyright © 2008 Blethen Maine Newspapers

ABOUT THE AUTHORNatasha Dow Schull of Cambridge, Mass., is an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her book, "Machine Zone: Technology and Compulsion," will be published next year by Princeton University Press.

The Casino Effort is a Bad Idea For Oxford County

2008-08-22T10:49:00.003-04:00

This casino is self destructing from the inside out. When people that were on their payroll start saying things like "I've promised the people of Maine I would never lie to them and if I keep this job, I would have to break that promise," and staying with Evergreen Mountain Enterprises, the corporation set up to run the campaign, would go against her ethical standards, you can only guess what is going on behind the scenes.

One thing you don’t have to guess about is there are some serious problems with this Casino issue. That is very clear.

Another thing we didn’t need to guess about is how the vote was going to go with our selectmen supporting this effort.

People have speculated that the $90,000 that was put aside for economic development was really seed money for the casino effort. $90,000 at a time when we are making humongous cuts to the public safety budget. Now we have Seth Carey publicly asking for the town to spend money on his effort. I believe that those same three selectmen have planned from the beginning to try to push a huge portion of that $90,000 toward the Casino and soon will be looking for more. They didn’t tell you about it when they suggested it but they’ll have to be coming clean about it soon. What you see is not what you get from this group.

Why would any selectman that cares about our town vote to support an effort that clearly has questionable ethical problems, is supporting undesirable changes to the laws of the state, puts the Casino leadership as a voting member (control) of every board that it’s supposed to contribute money too, is sure to increase crime and social problems in our community and is headed by a man that has serious legal and ethical problems himself?

Please don’t tell me that it’s because we need the economic development it will bring. The Portland Press Herald thoroughly shot that argument out of the water. Most of the money will be taking the fast train right out of the state. If it’s located near Rumford we will be significantly expanding our budget for public safety. Just look at the history of what’s happened in other Casino towns.

I’m not saying there won’t be some economic growth and some increase to our tax base, if it’s located in Rumford. I am saying that the financial and social cost associated with those benefits may be dubious at best.

I have taken a “wait and see” approach to deciding on whether to support this Casino effort. After the events of the past week, I’ve come to fully believe it’s a horrible idea for our community. The straw that broke the camels back was that the lack of quality leadership has created serious problems right from the start. Instead of managing the problems correctly, they have only continued to grow larger. I see little reason to believe this trend will change.

Sneaking In Through The Back Door

2008-08-21T08:23:00.002-04:00

For a town government that talks a good game of providing an “open” government, the majority of Rumford Selectmen have played just the opposite. It seems the “good old boy” method of selecting town leaders combined with a “bait and switch tactic” is how the game is really played.

Look at what happened with our current Town Manager. Len Greaney was pushed into place by 3 of our selectmen by selling him to us as an “interim” town manager. Now that he’s in place, those same 3 selectmen have voted to remove the term “interim” from his title. That sure makes it seem to have been their plan as soon as they did their quick 180 degree turn away from John Madigan. They didn’t tell the people in the community what their plan was. They just snuck him in the back door.

What are Len’s qualifications to be town manager? Know one really seems to know. People have made a big deal out of his experience as an executive for a fortune five hundred company. What exactly did he do for which fortune five hundred company? Someone asked him directly which company he worked for and he refused to answer. If his major qualification is working for this company, why the big secret about it?

Fact is, it seems there really isn’t a lot we do know about Greaney. Did he ever have to supply the town a resume? How about go through an interview process and answer questions about his work experience and qualifications? Were there any background checks done? Based on what we know about him, his major qualifications as a town manager seem to be that he’s buddies with at least 3 of our current selectmen.

This man has an awful lot of responsibility in our town for us to know so little about his background.

If you can get past what appears to be the deception of the “select three” in the way they went about this whole thing, you still have to know they did a great disservice to the town. They robbed us from having the chance to have the best possible candidate leading our town, chosen from a field of qualified applicants.

Our community deserves that, even if it means the town may end up hiring someone that isn’t one of the buddies of these three selectmen.

An email to the RFP from Seth Carey

2008-08-20T16:18:00.000-04:00

It is disappointing that Pat LaMarche has chosen to step down as spokesperson for our campaign. Recently, Pat has been inactive as our spokesperson as we have been busy trying to secure funding for our campaign with an investor that shares our vision. During this interim period, which has taken longer than planned, we have operated without paid staff as we work on securing funding. While we understand Pat’s financial decision, we hoped she would stay on board while adequate funding is secured. We are disappointed that she could not wait for such funding.

We dispute that there are any legal or professional issues that would in any way hinder the project. We will continue to pursue funding and once successful we hope we are able to reengage Pat in her role as spokesperson. We truly believe that we are bringing opportunity to the state, and while the road has been challenging, we will continue to follow our plan of bringing jobs and economic growth to Oxford County and this great state. We would like to wish Pat the best of luck with any future endeavor she wishes to pursue.

Seth T. Carey, Esq.
114 Congress Street
PO Box 100
Rumford, ME 04276
(207) 364-7826
scareylaw@gwi.net

CASINOSNO! RESPONDS TO RESIGNATION OF PAT LAMARCHE PORTLAND

2008-08-19T21:19:00.001-04:00

– Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO!, released the following statement today in response to the resignation of Pat LaMarche as spokesperson for the proposed Oxford County casino:

“I have a great deal of respect for Pat LaMarche and commend her for her ethical standards. Unfortunately she found out the hard way that ethics and casinos don’t always go together. It’s important to remember that the original promoter of the Bangor casino, Shawn Scott, was unable to obtain a license to operate the casino due to his questionable background, yet he walked away with millions after selling it to another casino developer. This ‘get-rich-scheme’ is no doubt the plan of the Oxford County casino promoters, just as it is for the people behind the latest proposal for slot machines at Scarborough Downs. Meanwhile, the voters are left wondering who is really behind these operations and where the financing is coming from.

“Apparently these questions became too much for Pat LaMarche, or she didn’t like the answers. We hope that she will be even more forthcoming and provide the voters of Maine with the details of her concerns before going to the polls in November.”

CONTACT: Dennis Bailey, 207-347-6077, 207-749-4963

Council Meeting Monday Night On the Future of the Maine State Pier

2008-08-16T11:59:00.003-04:00

Dear Friends,

As supporters of Ocean Properties' proposal for redevelopment of the Maine State Pier, you are no doubt as distressed as we are about the slow progress the city has made since awarding a contract for the job last December.

This Monday at 7 pm, the City Council will consider approval of a "term sheet" for development of the Maine State Pier by Olympia Companies. This document sets out the responsibilities of both the developer and the city in moving forward on this project. We believe, however, the term sheet is as rickety and leaky as the pier itself, and raises many important issues, such as:

The start date for construction can be as late as November 2011, more than three years from now, and can be extended for "good cause," which translates to any reason at all.

Olympia will lease the site for 75 years, but make no payments until 2032. In other words, the site will be rent free for 20 years, and tax free until Olympia or some other entity builds commercial buildings at the site. This is far less than the company offered in their original proposal.
The term sheet requires the developer to obtain financing from the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) for reconstruction of the pier. Whether this is even possible, and what impact it will have on taxpayers or the city's credit rating, is unclear.
The developer is not required to build a megaberth. Remember, this was a key factor in city's decision to award the contract to Olympia.
There are no identified tenants for the office building or hotel, and Olympia has not said if it has obtained financing for the project.

These are only some of the questions that now surround the city's deal to rebuild the Maine State Pier. There are many more which will undoubtedly arise at Monday's council meeting.

Please come and offer your thoughts about whether this is a good deal for the city. This is an important meeting for the future of the pier and the future of the city. Let's make sure it's done right.

Sincerely,

Friends of the Maine State Pier

Crossing guards cut

2008-08-09T15:11:00.004-04:00

The Rumford Police Department was forced to cut two crossing guards due to budget cuts this year. There will no longer be a crossing guard on Lincoln Ave across from Rumford Elementary School or on Franklin Street at St Athanasius and St. John School.

I admit I’m worried.

Both of these locations are busy traffic areas in town. To make matters worse, they are both located on hills that make it difficult to see the children crossing the street and cause drivers to speed down those hills a little too fast, a potentially deadly combination.

Each crossing guard earns approximately $2,500 per year for a grand total of $5,000 that is spent on these positions.

Let’s call our selectmen and ask them to find the money to protect our children.

WHAT THE OXFORD COUNTY CASINO PROMOTERS DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW

2008-08-06T20:50:00.006-04:00

Guest column by Dennis Bailey

There’s a lot that the backers of the Oxford County casino aren’t telling the people of Maine about their proposal.

They love to talk about the (supposed) jobs and taxes it will bring, but ignore other important facts buried in the lengthy legislation that we’ll be voting on in November, such as:

The Oxford County casino proposal would lower the legal age for gambling from 21 to 19. It would also lower the legal age to work in a casino from 21 to 18. So at a place that features slot machines, card games, roulette, craps and cocktails, we would have teenagers under the legal drinking age gambling and dealing cards. (I guess they’re not concerned with the fact that teen gambling is one of the fastest growing addictions in the country.)

The Oxford County casino proposal would allow the casino to give credit to gamblers, currently prohibited under Maine law. So when a player has run out of cash, depleted his bank account and reached his limit on his credit card, he can still get credit from the casino owner. More evidence that the house always wins. (And if you don’t think that getting gamblers into debt is part of a casino’s business strategy, click here.)

In their proposal, the owners of the Oxford County casino have written themselves a 10-year monopoly on casinos. If it passes, no other casino could be built in Maine, and no existing casino (Hollywood Slots) could have table games. If you’re against the spread of casinos, you might think that’s a good thing. On the other hand, the casino promoters often claim that casinos are great for economic development. If true, why should they be the only ones to operate one? If the Oxford County casino is built in Bethel, Rumford – and every other town in Maine – will be denied this wonderful “economic development” opportunity. Seems like the owners want to make sure their wallets are fattened and no one else’s.

Under current law, in order to get a license to operate a casino an applicant must have “sufficient knowledge and experience” operating slot machines and table games. Since none of those associated with the proposed Oxford County casino have experience in the casino business, they’ve amended the law to allow them to be licensed as long as they “form a partnership with persons or entities” who have casino experience. In other words, the owners and backers of the Oxford County casino can’t possibly be licensed unless they have an experienced partner, and they know this. But who is that partner? Why aren’t they disclosing the partner’s identity? Will voters know who the true operators of the casino will be before they go to the polls in November?

These are just some of the hidden facts surrounding the proposed Oxford County casino. Buyer beware, or rather voter beware. There’s more to this latest casino proposal than its backers are willing to tell you.

For more information – and to donate to the campaign against the Oxford County casino – go to http://www.casinosno.org/

Dennis Bailey

CasinosNO!

Submitted to the RFP from thephoenix.com

2008-07-31T13:52:00.006-04:00

Guest column, from the Boston Phoenix.

They call me Mr. Lucky
Politics and other mistakes

By AL DIAMON July 16, 2008 Recommended By 6 People

Nominations are now open for the 2008 award for most politically inept person in Maine. Try to be somewhat original with your vote. If everybody casts a ballot for Democratic Governor John Baldacci, this isn’t going to be any fun. Also, no group nominations. I can appreciate the logic of writing in “all Republican legislative candidates” or “the Portland City Council” or “every single person registered to vote in Androscoggin County,” but the rules limit this contest to specific individuals.

Here come the early returns….

Want to know who won this honor? Click here!

First Responder Service - How Much Does it REALLY Cost?

2008-07-29T21:54:00.004-04:00

There are a couple of people in town, including a couple on the Finance Committee, that have jumped up and down and hollered about how much our Fire Department would save is they didn’t provide First Responder Service to our community. Well, we have obtained the actual figures on how much it really cost to provide this service to our town people.

• Cost for fuel for the truck – $921.22
• Overtime for additional coverage - $837.60
• Training, supplies, books, oxygen and licenses - $3,197.16

That’s a grand total of $4,955.98.

It cost less than $5,000 for our Fire Department to provide First Responder Service to the injured and sick members of our community. Often times our Firemen arrived on scene faster than the ambulance crew, providing emergency first aid and medical care. The assistance they provided also allowed our paramedics to fully concentrate on providing medical care to their patients and moved them to the hospital quicker. This seems like a pretty nice benefit for our town for a relatively small cost. It leaves us wondering what all the fuss was really about.

Do you support a Casino in Oxford County?

2008-07-22T12:42:00.003-04:00

It appears the Rumford Selectmen would like your input before deciding if they should publicly support a Casino in Oxford County. The RFP has been contacted by Phil Blampied from the Rumford Economic Development Committee to post a link to a ballot. He requests that you print out the ballot that you will get as a PDF file when you click on the link, mark your vote and take it to the town office. I think the Town Manager staff will check your name as having voted when you drop off your ballot. Here's the link: http://www.growrumford.com/casinosurvey.pdf

Before you vote, we encourage all members of the town to be as educated as possible on this important issue that could drastically change our way of life in Oxford County. Here is information for you to consider from both sides of this complicated issue.

http://www.evergreenmountainresort.com

http://www.casinosno.com/info.php?info_id=1

Preparing for a difficult winter ahead.

2008-07-13T16:37:00.000-04:00

To the editor:
This winter is going to find some people who do not usually ask for or need some
help, asking for assistance in potential emergency type ways due to higher fuel
cost. Examples are not being able to get fuel when needed, leaving pipes to
freeze, and ultimately keeping families who normally pay their own way and do
not rely on any type of government assistance stuck for a short period due to an
unexpected problem. For anyone or family who may be confronted with a situation
of this sort, maybe we should collectively put some ideas together to prepare a
place where those people could be accommodated for a short time until their
pipes are repaired or their home is warm again. I would ask your readers for
thoughts on if this is deemed necessary,where a place for a temporary shelter
might be, and ways to supply a place for people to harbor for a time. I have
spoken to a select person from Roxbury and we thought that having a place for
people to go when an emergency situation due to winter related issues would be a
proactive way to address a situation rather than wait and react to potentials.
If you feel we could get the ball rolling on the frees press blog, please feel
free to post it and let's ensure people do not suffer needlessly this winter and
winters to come. Thank you.
Greg Buccina

Questions about the Casino

2008-07-09T12:16:00.002-04:00

Honeslty, the RFP is has yet to make up it’s mind about the Casino issue. We could all use economic development, we just aren’t sure this is the way. What we are sure of is that the residents of our community should be aware of both sides of the issue. In that spirit, we wanted to share part of an editorial from the Portland Press Herald. They make some interesting points.

One more time around for Maine and slots
The latest resort casino proposal offers Maine voters even more reasons to say no.

...WORTHY CAUSES
Carey argues that a luxury hotel and casino near Maine's ski mountains would not only attract money from away, but would also capture some of the instate gambling money that is being spent elsewhere.

The Oxford County plan is pitched as economic development for a region hit hard by mill downsizing and closures. In addition to creating jobs and attracting business, the casino would devote 39 percent of its gross to worthy state projects, such as repaying Maine students' college loans, developing an east-west highway and making health care more affordable.
What the law doesn't make clear, however, is that most of what's left over will go to a national gambling company that will take its profits out of state. And since most of the gross can be expected to come from Maine residents, that will be money that is not spent at other local businesses.

CORE QUESTIONS

Before Maine voters get to the core question of whether gambling can be good economic development, they will run up against flaws in the Oxford County proposal that should be enough to scare them away from this project.

When you read the bill, there is a lot not to like.

For instance, the referendum would lower the legal age for gambling from 21 to 19. It would also completely wipe out the legal limit on the total number of slot machines in the state. If passed into law, the referendum would prevent the development of any competing facility in the future, giving the Oxford County group a near monopoly on Maine gambling.

Because it is citizen-intiated, no changes could be made to the proposal until after it is enacted.

Money and talent would be better focused on sustainable efforts to attract tourists and create jobs in Maine, without draining state resources….

For the complete article, click here

Free Speech is under attack in the River Valley

2008-07-05T09:40:00.001-04:00

Censorship Is The Handmaiden Of A Police State
by Jarret B. Wollstein

Censorship is the use of force to control what you can say, read, or see. Although occasionally private individuals and groups engage in censorship – for example by stealing "insensitive" newspapers (which has occurred on several US college campuses) or threatening to kill "indecent" or "blasphemous" artists, like The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie – the primary agent of censorship is government.
In Nazi Germany, the works of Jewish writers were seized and burned by storm troopers. Resisters were beaten and shot. Merely criticizing the government could mean being sent to a concentration camp. In the Soviet Union and Communist China, the government burned bibles and churches, as well as unapproved books and art.

Although no one is being beaten or shot for exercising their right to free speech in Rumford or Dixfield, the intent to censor what people may say is the same, especially if you are a public employee. The people that have control over these employees, the local selectmen, are sending a message that they better conform to whatever the selectman want. These selectmen think that the citizens of their towns don’t deserve to hear what the town employees think. We think that is absolutely wrong and it starts us down the slippery path of censorship, allowing only what GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS want the people to hear.

As a citizen of one of these fine towns, I want to hear what the people that ACTUALLY DO THESE JOBS have to say about what they need to keep us safe. Who will know better than the people that actually do these jobs?

We have a message for Rumford Selectman Mark Belanger and Dixfield Selectmen Bettina Martin, Raymond Carlton and Jim Desjardins. We are competent to make informed decisions about what level of service we want in out towns. Stop treating the people of your respective towns like we shouldn’t have all the information necessary to make those decisions. We deserve to know and have a right to know both sides of an issue, not just what you want us to know.

Lastly, your attempts to censor your employees is the beginning of everything we have stood against as a nation since our humble beginnings. In fact, it’s one of the reasons we formed as a nation and wrote the First Amendment into our Constitution. The basic premise of your actions are exactly the same as what occured in Nazi Germany, to censor the free speech of those who think differently than you, or else...

THE AMERICAN FLAG IS NOT A MEMBER OF EITHER PARTY

2008-07-03T12:11:00.000-04:00

3dflags.com
The American flag waves in the breeze, both to the left and to the right. The flag is not a Republican or a Democrat. The flag is not against the war in Iraq or for it. The flag does not support John McCain or Barack Obama. These true but simple statements are worth repeating today, as a reminder to everyone to emphasize that the flag is the symbol of a nation in which we have the freedom to disagree.

That sometimes is overlooked as people with differing beliefs attempt to portray themselves or their points of view as being the only possible American way. The real American way is a journey over changing and difficult terrain, led by men and woman carrying our flag. It is seldom a smooth path.

Think of the struggles of this nation as our national symbol has evolved from a banner with 13 stripes and 13 stars to the 50 starred emblem we fly today.

The flag was embraced by those who thought Thomas Jefferson was right when he engineered the Louisiana Purchase and those who thought it was folly. The flag flew in both North and South as the Civil War approached and Americans argued over slavery. The flag was saluted and praised by factions who thought the nation should enter World War I and by those who said America should avoid foreign adventures.

Similar debates took place – often from flag draped platforms – in the early days of World War II, as some Americans urged the nation to come to the aid of France and England while others just as fervently offered opposing views.

Flags were carried by black and white Americans urging equal rights for people of all races and they were carried by people fighting against equality. In the heat of the Vietnam War the flag was a powerful symbol. Some saluted that symbol; some burned it. The flag became part of the debate about what kind of a nation this should be.

The flag covered the coffin of President Reagan, saluted – even kissed – by those who supported him and those who opposed him.

Whatever your beliefs about any particular policy, you can fly our flag in the comfortable belief that it represents a nation in which you are free to believe what you wish, and to express those beliefs to all who will listen.

The flag is, indeed, worth your Pledge of Allegiance.

Author unknown

Our Unselfish Firefighters

2008-07-01T23:11:00.004-04:00

In July of 2006, the Rumford Fire Department was facing cuts. The town had proposed reducing the Fire Department from 13 firefighters to 7. To the men of the fire station, this was something they couldn’t afford to do. At the time, Richard Coulombe, then president of the firefighters union, proposed that firefighters unselfishly take a cut in pay as well as pay increased costs for their health insurance, saving the town about $90,000 over the life of the contract. Why would they do that? They wanted to maintain the level of service they were providing to the town, for their own safety and the safety of the community. It was an extremely unselfish act.

What did the Firefighters get for their trouble? It wasn’t a thank you. It was continued reduction to their ranks including the loss of 5 firefighters with this latest budget cut. They also got a suspension for advocating for keeping the level of service.

The Firemen deserve to be able to advocate for their own safety and for the safety of the town. They know, better than anyone, what they need to keep people safe. They were even willing to take a cut in pay to provide it.

Our Fire Fighters - REAL Local Heroes.

2008-06-29T14:08:00.006-04:00

Lest we forget
It takes a lot of courage to run INTO a burning building. Bill Johnston showed an enormous amount of courage going inside the building in Mexico to fight the fire and make sure no victims were inside. It took even more courage for Rumford Fire Deputy Chief Chris Bryant, Rumford Firefighter Ed Carey and Mexico Firefighter Allen Chartier to rush in to dig him out. After all, the roof of the building had just partially collapsed on top of Bill. It had to be clear to everyone that the danger of going inside that building was extremely high. These Firemen willingly put their own lives in danger to save a “brother”. They often put their own life in danger to save the life and property of all of us here in town.

Firefighting is a dangerous job. That’s why our firemen train like they do and why there have been such trouble with keeping a highly trained call force in town. It takes a huge commitment to stay up with the training to be a volunteer firefighter. Not many have the time or the energy for such a commitment.

Our firefighters don’t do this job because of financial rewards. They could make more money in other professions. They do it because of the type of people they are. They do it because they want to feel good about their chosen profession. They want to help the people of this community. They want to save lives, even if it means putting their own life in danger. Anyone that knows the Firefighters in our surrounding communities can see that in these people. The same can be said for our local Police Department and Ambulance personnel.

Our local Firemen have been getting a really raw deal lately. They are having to suffer through having one of our Selectmen, Mark Belanger, filing a formal complaint against them for endorsing a candidate other than himself. They have been subjected to ridicule and attacks on a particular website in town. They have seen their budget cut severely and repeatedly. It has to be demoralizing. Yet they have maintained themselves as the professionals they truly are, risking their own lives to save others.

They are true heroes in our community. We at the RFP want to publicly thank them for their selflessness and let them know how thankful we are that they are here. If you have a minute, stop by the fire station to offer some quick words of support. I’m sure they could use it.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bill Johnson for a complete and speedy recovery. Our thanks go out to him and all of our local heroes that worked to save him and that work to keep us safe on a daily basis.

Meet the REAL Barack Obama

2008-06-26T15:52:00.010-04:00

Don't listen to the nonsense. Listen for yourself as Barack describes who he really is and what he believes in this historic speech.

TRR site posts inaccurate information - from someone who knows

2008-06-23T21:24:00.003-04:00

Submitted by James Doar

A lot of what appears on the Rumford Distorter annoys me, but right now two stories in particular were brought to my attention. The first is the computer contents nonsense. I never asked for my hard drive to be erased, in the waning hours or otherwise. You can corroborate this story with Len Greaney. The lap top crashed in April-May. I spoke with our computer people at Advanced Microsystems in Lewiston. They heard my description of the issue and suggested it was the hard drive. They recommended buying an entirely new machine. A member of the town staff, who is knowledgeable about these things, said we could probably fix it. I thought, "that's smart, I'll fix it for $100, instead of replacing it for $500." It was out of my office for over a month. In the meantime, I borrowed a laptop from the PD; they are understaffed, so have some surplus equipment. I found a new hard drive on E-bay (which I purchased on my own credit card) and asked a staff member to replace it. The employee backed up everything on the old computer before replacing the hard drive. Not that it was necessary; we put everything on a server which is saved to a remote profile. This is what allowed me to continue to function while using one of the PD's computers. No matter what computer is used, as long as the user is logged in they can access everything on that "computer." In fact, I worked from my personal laptop for two days while snowed in at Jackson Hole, and two days from both Terri's computer and from Debbie's computer. I accessed personnel and union information available only to the town manager from those two computers.

The second is the LD1 "spending cap." There is no such thing. LD1 is a "tax cap." If it were a spending cap it would be easy. For the moment I am going to ignore the fact that Jennifer Norris and Ron Theriault were largely responsible for the question being on the ballot (how responsible is it to cut town departments and give money to social service organizations over which the town has no control?). LD1 is one small piece of a total municipal budget (actually it affects the school budget also, but in this regard the state is failing us - I think). If we think of a municipal budget as getting funded through two separate "pots" of money, then LD1 may make more sense. The first pot is property taxes; it is the largest. The second we'll call "other." Other comes from things like excise taxes, state revenue sharing, and carried balances. If we have a $7 million budget, can count on $2 million of other, then we need $5 million in property taxes. LD1 gives us a formula, not altogether arbitrary, that determines how much we can increase the total amount of the tax commitment used for municipal purposes from one year to the next. If we can only increase the total commitment to $4.9 million, then we need to find $100,000 somewhere. We either ask the voters to approve an additional $100k in total property tax commitment, cut the budget $100k, or find it in "other." It's not easy and each choice has its pros and cons.

That's the nuts and bolts of LD1, almost. At the risk of being even more wonkish, the Distorter is completely wrong about what happens if LD1 is voted down, but the budget articles are voted up. No one goes back to the drawing board. The town either finds the money in "other" or simply doesn't spend the money. As long as the total tax commitment doesn't go above that set amount the town adheres to LD1. Think about it like this: If you need a new roof for your house and you saved $10,000 for it, but the contractor says it will cost $10,500, you either find the $500 somewhere or work something out that allows you to not spend that $500. Maybe it means you supply some sweat equity, maybe you use a cheaper material, who knows. The town's people vote an appropriation (google it); it is simply the legal authority to spend. Nothing says it has to be spent, just that no more than it can be spent (not including grants and carried balances). It's easy to get lost in the details, but conceptually it is pretty straight forward if you ask the questions.

Jim

Who's passing this kind of information to TRR?

2008-06-23T21:20:00.001-04:00

The Following information was posted on the TRR. We at the RFP are not even sure if our Selectmen currently are aware of this. Why would TRR have this information even before our selectmen? More importantly, why does TRR have information that is typically considered confidential and handled in executive session?

President of the Firefighter's Union Suspended

Submitted by TRR Staff at 6/23/2008 07:48:00 PM

The Rumford Reporter has learned that Private Mark Tripp, President of
the Local Firefighters Union, has been suspended without pay for his role in the
violation of Section 10 of the town By-Laws during the recent elections. Tripp
was responsible for organizing a vote to approve the submission of a letter to
the editor in The Rumford Falls Times that supported electing both Greg Buccina
and Rob Cameron for Selectmen. The letter also reminded the public that if they
voted for the Finance Committee's recommended budget that the service the Fire
Department provides would be compromised. The letter was signed by Mark Tripp,
President of the Union. Section 10 of the Rumford By-Laws prohibits the Police
and Fire Department employees from engaging in political activity of any kind.
Other Fire Department personnel were disciplined as well but the details are
unknown at this time.

The Rumford Free Press is pleased to announce our new forum: The River Valley Free Press.

2008-06-22T13:09:00.007-04:00

All of us here that have been involved with the start up of the Rumford Free Press are extremely pleased with its success. The RFP came online on May 21st, submitting 42 posts and receiving hundreds of comments during that time. We only been counting the traffic on the site since June 7th and have received close to 4,000 hits just during that time. Despite our success, there are some issues and limitations with the site.

One of the primary reasons that we created the RFP was to give members of the community a place to voice their opinions and communicate with each other. After awhile it gets kind of confusing to follow new comments on older posts, limiting communication. Readers of our site also have difficulty starting their own topics of discussion. We also believe that it’s pretty limiting to think that Rumford is the only part of our community that could benefit from open communication. We would like to include everyone in the River Valley Community.

So, to enhance communication, the RFP is pleased to announce our new forum, the River Valley Free Press. At this site, residents can start their own threads and have ongoing dialog with each other on any topic that they are interested in, from exchanging recipes to politics.

You don’t have to register to read what is on the site. If you want to post your own topics or respond to others, you will have to register and be signed in. The reason for requiring registration is to provide a way to discourage those who would post "destructively" as some did on the Open Doar. It allows for easier moderation. It also offers continuity for people reading comments posted by others.

We do not track your identity and we don't collect any personal information other than a valid e-mail address. Feel free to register under a user name or nick name. We can see who your Internet provider is but not who you are or where you live.

The rules regarding posting information on the forum is posted on the site. We ask that people use the forum responsibly and although we can feel free to disagree with each other, we ask that everyone treat others with respect.

So, with these guidelines in mind, we hope you enjoy the River Valley Free Press.

Thank you C for your contribution to this post and all of your work on the Forum.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

2008-06-18T22:32:00.000-04:00

Did you ever watch the Spiderman movies? I read the comic of that superhero all the time as a kid. He was one of my favorites. In the Spiderman movies that have been released, Spidey’s Uncle Ben tries to teach Spidey an important lesson; With great power comes great responsibility. That lesson has come home to us here at the Rumford Free Press as well.

Having a Website in town that releases information to the community is like having great power. We found that out when a member of the community was viciously attacked because people thought they were behind this website. This person suffered greatly due to these attacks. We really came to understand just how much what we do on this site could affect others.

The written word is a powerful tool. You have power to greatly influence the community that you are trying to serve. You can really affect people’s lives, a lot of people, in both positive and negative ways. You can affect the whole town. That’s great power. It should be used wisely.

The RFP believes that if you wield such power, you have a responsibility to make sure that the things you print are accurate. One of the reasons that we created this site is because we were aware that there were many inaccurate and at times irresponsible things being printed on the other website in town, The Rumford Reporter. Want some examples?

Take this quote from TRR about our Fire Department. “Members of the Union then moved to the high school driveway where several firefighters, who were on duty that night, helped pass out the union flyers to taxpayers as they arrived for the Annual Town Business Meeting.”

The members of the Fire Department that passed out flyers WERE NOT on duty that night. Here is the response from a member of the Fire Department. “This is a flat out lie! I can produce payroll sheets for that night and they where not on duty.” - Mark Tripp.

OK, so everyone makes mistakes. Let’s give TRR the benefit of the doubt and agree that this was just a mistake. It’s a mistake that has really hurt the reputation of the Fire Department and caused a lot of anger. Wouldn’t it be responsible for TRR to print a retraction and apologize? None has been printed to our knowledge. Instead we get a picture of a fire truck parked in front of the fire station with the ridiculous criticism about how the RFD blocks the sidewalk for our citizens. They have been saying for years that they need a new building and have been trying to do the best they can with what they have. Do we really need to criticize them because they have to park their vehicles on the sidewalk sometimes?

There are a lot of other examples of what we consider the misuse of power. What about attacking our Police Department for giving tickets? When town leaders that were “friends” of the TRR were caught not wearing their seatbelt, we were treated to a couple of TRR articles that told us there was a conspiracy that the RPD is out to get them. It didn’t matter that there is a state campaign to let the public know that the police across the state are going to enforce the seatbelt law and that you can now be pulled over for nothing more than not wearing it. It’s been all over the radio and we’ve all seen the “Click it or Ticket” campaign.

This “conspiracy theory” that blames the police honestly sounds pretty paranoid. They also told people how to get out of tickets. The worst thing they did though, was stir the community up towards the RPD. Our local Police force has an extremely difficult job. They put their life on the line every day to protect this community and are constantly dealing with difficult, high stress situations. Our town leaders and any responsible media outlet should be supporting them instead of trying to turn the town against them. That sort of writing is irresponsible in any aspect of the word.

While we talk of our Police Force and Fire Department, we want to add that we are extremely fortunate to have the high quality personnel we have working in these positions. How long do you think the really good ones will stick around in this environment? They will leave for places where they can concentrate on their jobs instead of fielding personal attacks and ridiculous criticism. We have already lost officers who publicly stated they were leaving due to the negative political climate around here. Who can blame them?

There are other examples we could cite. In fact, we could go on for awhile. Instead, we are offering a public challenge for the TRR to move towards more responsible and credible writing on their site. They have the opportunity to offer a great service to this community. We are simply asking that they use it responsibly.

FALCONS SUMMER BASKETBALL CAMP

2008-06-18T22:31:00.003-04:00

Dear Parents and Players,

Summer is rapidly approaching and it is with a great deal of enthusiasm that we offer a summer basketball camp that will be fun, exciting and beneficial to the young people of Mountain Valley and the surrounding communities. The camp will run from June 23rd to July 3rd, the camp will open to boys and girls in grades 2-10. Although the format of the camp is set up for fun, we still have work to be done. With the help of some of the current players and coaches of the boys' program we hope to have a very successful program. Mountain Valley basketball has enjoyed a great deal of success over the years and with continued hard work during the summer camp we hope to continue that success in the future.

The camp is open to any youngster that has the desire to learn more about the great game of basketball, regardless of previous experience. The goal of the camp is to fulfill the individual expectation of the participants, whether it is playing in the championship game in the State Championship or engaging in healthy exercise and friendly competition.

The camp will be broken up into grade levels and different aspects of the game will be taught at the different levels. The idea behind the camp is to give the campers a better understanding of the game. We hope that every camper can look back on their experience and say that they are a better basketball player now than when they started.

At the present time we do not have games scheduled for the younger age groups that would require them to travel. We may however, break up into teams and have games among the players in the camp if the numbers allow us to have games. By having the camper play games this will give them a chance to get a feel for competition as well. The older age groups will have games as well as individual work. Transportation to away games will have to be provided by parents and players. Game schedules will be announced, as they are made available.

If you wish to enroll in the summer basketball program please complete the attached form and return it by the pre-registration date to the address given. The cost of the camp will be $90. Each camper who pre-registers to receive a camp T-shirt. Discounts will be available to families with more than one camper. Please call for discount prices.

We hope to make this the best summer camp in the area!!! Come join the fun and remember: “Defense equals Championships, hard work equals results.” At Mountain Valley, we do both!!!! Falcon Pride Lives in all of Us!!!

Please feel free to call if you have any questions or concerns. You may contact Coach White at 364-3851 with your questions. Be sure to tell all of your friends about the camp and get them to attend as well.
Sincerely,
Coach Gerrish, Coach White

FALCONS SUMMER BASKETBALL CAMP

DIRECTOR: RICK WHITE PHONE: 364-3851

CAMP DATE: JUNE 23RD TO JULY 3
GRADES: 2-4 8 – 9 A.M.GRADES: 5-7 9 – 10:30 A.M.GRADES 8-10 10:30 – 12:00 P.M.
COST OF CAMP: $90

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: RICK WHITE MAIL CHECKS AND REGISTRATION TO: 216 PENOBSCOT STREET RUMFORD, ME 04276

NOTE: NO INSURANCE CAN BE PROVIDED. PLAY AT OWN RISK !!!!

IN SIGNING THIS FORM, I HEREBY RELEASE THE DIRECTOR OF THIS CAMP AS WELL AS MSAD#43 OF ANY AND ALL LIABILITY IN THE EVENT OF ACCIDENT OR INJURY INCURRED DURING CAMP. I REALIZE THIS IS NOT A SCHOOL SPONSORED ACTIVITY

Ethics – Middle School Style

2008-06-15T16:20:00.000-04:00

Submitted by Judy O’Neil

This article is meant as a tribute to ethics being taught today in our local school system. We may not be able to change the political climate of Rumford today but our schools are doing an excellent job in preparing children for ethical decision-making in the future.

“Mom, what does ‘ethics’ mean?” My eleven-year-old daughter hunches in study over her vocabulary list. Using words like “values” and “principals of a society” in an attempt to boil it down to sixth-grade understanding, I brighten when she says, “Oh, I get it, the difference between doing what’s right and what’s wrong while thinking about everyone involved, right?” Phew! Nice way to wrap up a complex topic for my overcrowded adult mind. Remember the essay, “Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”? Well, I would say that kindergarten is just the bare beginning in the teaching of ethics; middle school is where the true understanding begins.

In kindergarten everyone learns how to be a “good” girl or boy, and is taught the basics of the golden rules, but that teaching really doesn’t begin to solidify until kids reach early adolescence. Especially in middle school, students experiment, struggle and grow as they learn to fit into a society of their peers. It can be a rough, hostile environment as young minds explore for the first time what abstract concepts such as justice, freedom, equality, hatred and prejudice really mean in the context of every day life. Kids face tough, ethical choices daily, and receive guidance from the schools in many ways. The boundaries and ground rules are posted in every classroom. Consequences are swift and direct, and the balance of power between two students can sometimes be restored with a face-to-face, mediated encounter which takes place in a safe environment. Yes, the school can do a great job with the kids and it’s even better when backed up by parents’ understanding and support.

Building support is the strength of our local middle school staff. Even though I’m probably old enough to be his mom, sometimes I think Principal Ryan Casey of our Mountain Valley Middle School has taught me more as a parent than he has taught my daughters. He bravely dives into the jungle where the protective mother lion stands ready to defend her cub. He listens compassionately and explains patiently until I see where he’s coming from. Thank God for people like Mr. Casey, Mr. Cayer and others teachers who understand that reaching parents and other caregivers is key to the maturational development and ethical foundation of the student; a student they hope will be able to function effectively in adult society in just a few short years.

Creating this strong, ethical foundation is critical to the creation of strong, well-grounded adults who are able to thrive no matter where they go. Grown-up life is so full of mind-boggling challenges and it is sometimes hard to hear the voice of our own values and the values of the society we live in. We worry about our reputations and how we look to others. We sometimes think values and rules are great for our children but not for us because we’re already good enough, or we’ve paid our dues. We struggle with decisions that have far-reaching consequences. These are the times I can simplify the clutter in my mind by asking what I would teach my children and, at the same time, asking if they would be proud of my actions. When I get really stuck, I just ask the experts – my middle school daughters.

Town Government

2008-06-15T11:39:00.000-04:00

How do you think our local government can work more efficiently? What is missing? What is right and what is wrong?
I have a few thoughts regarding this, please correct me if I'm wrong.
Many elected and appointed positions seem to have no requirements regarding qualifications. If I were to go apply for a job, most would require that I possess certain skills. The town is a business. Most businesses require that employees possess the needed skills for the job, perform to certain standards and continuing training. Why isn't our town doing this? It seems our town has the same type government and expectations of those serving that they may have had a hundred years ago. "We'll appoint Jeremiah to the finance committee because he knows how to add" or "We'll appoint Jebediah to selectboard because he can talk loudest". I know these examples are a bit outlandish, but in this day and age I feel we need a finance committee that its members are schooled in finance. We need a selectboard that has training in public relations, finance and municipal management.

Strathglass Park

2008-06-14T10:35:00.008-04:00

Strathglass Park 1912

When Hugh Chisholm traveled this area in the late 1800's, he recognized the awesome power of what was then called Pennacook falls. He built a power plant to tap the power of the falls and all other infrastructure was built around it.

As the population of the town swelled to build and sustain the infrastructure, new housing was desperately needed. From this need, Strathglass Park was born. This beautiful housing complex was an advanced architectural design at the time. The buildings on the outskirts of this oval shaped park faced each other, creating a feeling of community within the park. Hugh Chisholm clearly understood the importance of creating a feeling of community for the people that came here. The RFP is thrilled that residents have formed the Strathglass Park Association and are working to revitalize this beautiful and historical landmark

Election Procedure/Law

2008-06-13T19:11:00.003-04:00

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?

Why not Madigan?

2008-06-12T22:11:00.001-04:00

The town of Rumford is looking for an interim town manager, just to fill in until the vote on the Charter amendment to see if the town is in favor of allowing us to share a town manager with Mexico. If that is the case, why not ask John Madigan to fill in while we wait. Does the Charter prohibit from hiring John on an interim basis? It just seems to make sense to have the man that all five selectmen supported for the position to get a head start on managing town events.

Rumford Free Press Reaches Milestone

2008-06-12T17:10:00.001-04:00

The Rumford Free Press has proven to be a popular website in our community over a very short time. We are pleased to report that we reached a milestone yesterday, logging almost 500 hits on the site.

We want to thank everyone who comes to the website to share their views and participate in this sort of online community building. We would like you to think of this website as your website, full of the comments and ideas reflecting a vibrant community full of diverse and wonderful people.

It's Cameron and Belanger

2008-06-10T23:19:00.000-04:00

It’s with mixed emotions that we announce that it appears that Mark Belanger and Rob Cameron were elected as Selectmen. Rob has always conducted himself extremely well when working on behalf of the town. It is hoped that he can bring stability to what has been an unstable situation. Mark Belanger appears to have been less than forthcoming when explaining the reasons for his actions on behalf of the town. The residents of the town have spoken and the RFP is hopeful that the Selectmen can move forward with a fresh start and focus on what is in the best interest of the town. Congratulations to both selectmen.

It is the opinion of the RFP that Mr. Buccina did an exceptional job under extremely difficult and often hostile conditions. We want to express our appreciation to him for his efforts on behalf of our community and wish him well.

More Information on the Rumford Fire Department.

2008-06-08T06:59:00.001-04:00

The Rumford Fire Department but has been getting steadily cut. The RFP believes members of our community should be aware of the following information:

For fiscal year 06-07 the Department budget was $977,000.
For fiscal year 07-08 the Department budget was reduced to $900,000, a $77,000 cut.

This year the Selectmen recommended $799,000, a $101,000 cut which will cut 3 positions that are currently not filled.

The Finance Committee recommended $707,000, a $193,000 cut which we will cut 5 positions, 3 which are currently vacant and 2 firefighters that are currently employed.

Who is write in candidate Richard O. White for Rumford Selectman?

2008-06-07T23:13:00.000-04:00

Most of the tax payers of Rumford would know him as Rick White. You may have seen him roaming the side lines at many of the local sporting events for Mountain Valley High School or teaching at Mountain Valley Middle School until this year. He coaches football, basketball, and lacrosse and was a long time member of the Rumford Parks Commission until this past year.

Richard is married and is currently teaching Health at Molly Ockett Middle School in Fryeburg. He graduated from Rumford High School and went on to play college football before going to work in the mill. Richard also served in the US Army in Military Intelligence . He returned to school and finished his Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health Education.

Why do you want to be a Selectman for the Town of Rumford?

I have been approached by a number of people in the local community to run and I felt that this is another way to serve the fine people of Rumford. I'd like to give back to the community that gave me so much when I was growing up on Penobscot Street. My oldest children have been a great help in getting the word out about me running. They have made all the signs and placed them all over town. This community is very important to me and I would like to see it become what it once was. The population trend in town is going down and we need to reverse this trend by bringing in new businesses. We also need to find ways to keep the younger population here in town. Along with these Richard sees the fighting within the community on different affairs as a hindrance to the rebirth of Rumford. We all need to work together on the issues for what is best for all of us in Rumford. We need to stop special interest groups and work for the good of the majority of tax payers in town. Difference of opinions on the issues is good and constructive when done in the right manner. We have gotten enough black eyes. We have a lot of great things going on in town. Let's build off these and continue to rebuild this town together. We need to work on the fractured relationships and rebuild the trust in this community.

How do we resolve the issues facing Rumford?

The first thing we need to do as selectmen is rebuild the trust that the great people of Rumford once had in their Selectmen. We can achieve this by giving them their voice back. We need to listen to the tax payers and provide them with the best options and information that is out there. I will be their voice in the board meetings and work to bring new business ventures to Rumford. As a board and a community we can rebuild the town one business at a time. We also should recognize the businesses that have been the main stays of this community and Thank them. We should feature a new business each month on the town website and in the press. We should promote what we have and what we could have.

In closing he would like to see the fine people of Rumford write him in as a selectman. When going to the polls on Tuesday if you would like to vote for Rick you will have to write in Richard O. White. If you want to see a change in the attitude around town then write him in.

Support the Rumford Fire Department

2008-06-07T17:53:00.007-04:00

"DARTMOUTH, Mass. -- Authorities in Dartmouth, Mass., say a couple trying to beat the high cost of gasoline accidentally caused a fire."

The headlines like the one above could be happening a lot more frequently this winter. High energy prices are causing a major crisis for a lot of families. This winter fuel prices are likely to be even worse. People are more likely to try to stay warm with home made devices, hastily and improperly installed, causing an increase in fire danger in our community.

The call force for the town has dropped to a dangerously low level after Selectmen cut their pay retroactively last year. Now the Town Selectmen are suggesting major cuts to the Fire Department in this new budget. The Finance Board is suggesting even more. Until the call force is built back up again, I’m suggesting that the town limit the amount cut to the amount recommended by the selectmen. That would give us a little time to rebuild the call force and ensure the town has adequate fire protection. Please let our selectmen know that public safety is crucial for our community.

If you find yourself downtown, why not stop by and chat with the Firemen or send them a quick note on here. They could use some support. They have been getting some pretty unfair, even ridiculous criticism lately. Let’s not let the debate over town budgets get personal with them.

A high stakes game of chicken

2008-06-07T08:39:00.004-04:00

I’m happy about the outcome of the Med-Care situation. We get to keep their services and perhaps make some changes to the Inter-Local Agreement. I’m sure there are a lot of others happy about it as well. Does the end justify the means? I’m not so sure.

I’m not as happy with the process that it took to get to this point. Instead of working with other towns to get some agreement to fix this situation, we once again told everyone in the area that things will be our way, or else. In the process we caused a lot of unnecessary angst in our community and a lot of other communities that have partnered with us.

The Inter-Local agreement is an agreement between 11 towns. We collaborated to come up with the agreement and we surely could do so again to amend it. In the mean time we have an opportunity to talk to the other towns and Med-Care about what would work best for everyone. Rumford is talking about building a station for the Fire Department and I’m already hearing talk about building something to house both the Fire Department and Med-Care. If we are going to continue to collaborate with other communities, our selectmen need to do just that, collaborate, not just dictate how things are going to be.

It’s interesting to note that most everyone agrees that Med-Care needs a new building. It was the process that Med-Care followed that seemed to cause the trouble. Our Selectmen and many in the surrounding communities felt like Med-Care tried to dictate how things were going to be instead of working with us. There is a price that you pay when you do that. I hope our Selectmen take a lesson from the Med-Care situation and from their own past experiences about what happens when you dictate to others.

Limits on Free Speech - - What the Supreme Court Has Said

2008-06-05T23:54:00.000-04:00

''[I]t is well understood that the right of free speech is not absolute at all times and under all circumstances. There are certain well-defined and narrowly limited classes of speech, the prevention and punishment of which have never been thought to raise any Constitutional problem. These include the lewd and obscene, the profane, the libelous, and the insulting or 'fighting' words--those which by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace. It has been well observed that such utterances are no essential part of any exposition of ideas, and are of such slight social value as a step to truth that any benefit that may be derived from them is clearly outweighed by the social interest in order and morality.‘” –Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, 315 U.S. 568 (1942)

Submitted by C

NewPage profits and closures

2008-06-05T23:51:00.001-04:00

Submitted by Kevin Saisi

NewPage Taking 25,000 Tons Of Market-Related Downtime And Shutting Down Niagara, Wisconsin Paper Machines July 2008MIAMISBURG, Ohio. – June 5, 2008 – NewPage Corporation today announced that it will be taking approximately 25,000 tons of coated paper market-related downtime in June and July throughout its mill system. Several machines will be involved, and each will take advantage of specific times to complete planned maintenance and capital work. Moreover, NewPage had announced in March that it would continue running Nos. 43 and 44 paper machines at its Niagara, Wisconsin facility until the fall of 2008 (previously scheduled to close in April) due to unusually high market demand earlier this year. However, based on changing market conditions, the Niagara facility will permanently close the paper machines on July 12, 2008. This will reduce production by an additional 50,000 tons. The Niagara machines produce lightweight coated groundwood papers used in magazines and catalogs. “We have been observing an increase in coated paper inventories at a number of printers, along with a slowdown in demand as advertisers deal with an uncertain economy,“ said Rick Willett, president and chief operating officer. “Since we are committed to balance our production to consumption, we are diligently taking steps to reduce our production over the next two months.” This downtime and closure of the Niagara, Wisconsin paper machines are in addition to the permanent closure of two paper machines announced as a part of the company's integration plans (approximately 230,000 total annual tons of capacity): The No. 11 paper machine in Rumford, Maine was closed at the end of February 2008. No. 11 machine produced coated freesheet and groundwood papers for magazines and catalogs. The No. 95 paper machine in Kimberly, Wisconsin was permanently closed at the end of May 2008. The No. 95 machine produced coated freesheet papers for publication printing, and specialty papers for pressure-sensitive or glue-applied labels.“We remain committed to our customers and will continue to offer a broad portfolio of printing papers to meet a wide variety of needs,” said Barry Nelson, senior vice president of sales. “Products produced on the closed machines have been transitioned to more efficient paper machines within our integrated mill system. Customers were notified of our plans at the time of our integration restructuring announcement January 16. At that time, we began diligently working with individual customers to transition their business to other machines through a product qualification and trial process. With our announcement of market-related downtime, it is clear that our recent price increase is not supply and demand driven; rather solely to offset increased inflationary costs from energy, raw materials and transportation.” To learn more about NewPage Corporation, visit www.NewPageCorp.com. About NewPage CorporationHeadquartered in Miamisburg, Ohio, NewPage Corporation is the largest coated paper manufacturer in North America, based on production capacity, with $4.7 billion in pro forma net sales for the year ended December 31, 2007. The company's product portfolio is the broadest in North America and includes coated freesheet, coated groundwood, supercalendered, newsprint and specialty papers. These papers are used for corporate collateral, commercial printing, magazines, catalogs, books, coupons, inserts, newspapers, packaging applications and direct mail advertising. NewPage owns paper mills in Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nova Scotia, and Wisconsin. These mills currently have a total annual production capacity of approximately 5.5 million tons of paper, including approximately 4.3 million tons of coated paper, approximately 920,000 tons of uncoated paper and approximately 300,000 tons of specialty paper, as well as approximately 3.2 million tons of pulp.

Med-Care Issue

2008-06-05T23:45:00.000-04:00

Submitted by Kevin Saisi

Fellow Citizens of the River Valley,At the Rumford Town Meeting I asked Steve Brown, President of Med-Care to identify where their agreement provided them the authority to buy land and build a facility. I pointed out that the Powers section only provided authority to purchase Ambulances, Equipment, Supplies and Materials. The contract also says that Med-Care has the authority granted under a certain statute within the limitations of the agreement. I believed it followed logically that any powers granted in the statute were limited by the Powers provisions.

It should be noted that Med-Care knew thet the question would likely be raised by me. An email raising the question was sent out to various people in town and was forwarded to Board member Jim Pulsifer earlier that day. This is why I was astounded that they did not have the answer to my question. After we left the Town Meeting Mr. Brown, Mr. Pulsifer and myself had a brief discussion in the hall. At that time they identified that the authority was implicit, as they were charged with forming and maintaining the ambulance service. In discussing the issue with Town Solicitor Tom Carey tonight, I was informed that he interpreted the contract as providing the authority. He offered me the opportunity to visit his office so that he could explain it to me with the lawbook present. I respect the opinion of Mr. Carey and am willing to admit when I have made a mistake. His years of experience and education far exceed my limited education in the legal system.

After the Selectman's meeting tonight, I was informed that some Med-Care staff were upset with me for asking the question. Given the lack of compliance to the rules demonstrated by our town leaders in the past two years, I believe it is important to question when things aren't clear. Just because a board is made up of honorable people doesn't mean that they will always function in an honorable manner. Sometimes the ends justifies the means in the minds of some leaders. I am glad to see that this is not the case with Med-Care. I am also glad thet the resolution to the issue that does not result in the destruction of our flagship inter-local organization. I respect their dedication and professioanlism in the way they perform their duties.

As for my questions, I can asure you that I will continue to inquire when I am unsure of something. I will also continue to point out when something is wrong. It is by full participation by the public that our government remains honest and ethical.

Sincerely,
Kevin N. Saisi

Sometimes you have to do what’s right for the town.

2008-06-05T07:30:00.002-04:00

That means even if you have to agree that things can’t always be the way you want them to be.

I would think that by now most of us would understand that Rumford is not an Island. We have to look for ways to reach out to others communities to meet our needs. We have to work together with other communities and not just try to dictate to them. For some in our Town, that continues to be quite difficult.

If our selectmen think that they can provide Ambulance coverage cheaper, or better, than they might be justified in this holdout with Med-Care. They can’t. After we provide 2 new trucks, retain some paramedics, pay for their ongoing training and find a place to house them ourselves, we will be paying considerable more than we are now, even with the new building and we will be receiving less service. We can’t provide better service in our small town that Med-Care does with the resources they have.

BTW, what’s the time frame for doing this? Have we just put our citizens at risk?

I believe our Selectmen need to work together with other communities and not just think we can dictate to them, as we are clearly trying to do with the Med-Care situation. I encourage our citizens to call their Selectmen and ask them to sign the Inter-Local Agreement and then work with the other towns to amend the Inter-Local agreement if they want to. All the communities collaborated to create the Inter-Local agreement, we can surely collaborate to modify it.

Ask our Selectmen to make sure that they put the safety of our citizens first.

Extremely disturbing, abusive comments received by the Rumford Free Press

2008-06-03T22:48:00.007-04:00

The RFP has been quiet in creating new posts lately. Some disturbing things have occurred that have caused us to pause and reflect. It has made us realize that running a website is a huge responsibility. We want to be responsible citizens of the community, contributing positively and working to improve things in our town and for our residents. The Rumford Free Press was created with that goal in mind. We needed to take some time to think things through a bit before deciding how to deal with this issue.

The Rumford Free Press has been receiving some extremely disturbing comments. Apparently someone believes they know who is operating the Rumford Free Press and have sent the comments in an attempt to attack, intimidate and control that person.

What we have been receiving is extremely cruel, bullying and threatening. It’s no different than the school yard bullies we all unfortunately remember so well. We believe that the only way to stop bullying behavior is to stand up to it. Expose it for what it is and for all to see.

More importantly, we feel an obligation to try to protect the person they are attempting to victimize. With these goals in mind, we've decided to edit several of the comments and post them here. We have also informed the intended recipient. We have received other comments so vile and disgusting it’s impossible to edit them to make them fit to print. These edited comments just provide a taste of what we've been getting. Here they are:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "More Med-Care":
HI [Name edited out]. YOU HAVE BEEN FOUND OUT. SLANDER IS ONLY ONE OF YOUR STRONG SUITS. YOUR DAYS OF GETTING AWAY WITH IT ARE OVER.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Rumford Selectmen's Race":
[Name edited out] you can't hide. You have been caught red handed and now
you will PAY.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Rumford Selectmen's Race":
[Name edited out] you have been caught. I would give up, because you are
next to be run out of town, you slut.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Submitted by …":
Guess what [Name edited out]? If you keep bashing the TRR on As Maine Goes,
our next headline will be "[Incredibly spiteful comment edited out]" both on the
TRR and on As Maine Goes. Now that we know you are island girl, we will kindly
forward all those slanderous posts about [Name edited out] so she can sue your
ass, too. If you think Lovejoy had it bad...

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Submitted by …":
We gave you a little teaser on As Maine Goes in response to your latest
ridiculous comment. All we need to do is edit the comment and complete the
headline.

[Name edited out] is Island Girl
[Name edited out] is Island Girl
[Name edited out] is Island Girl

[Name edited out] has been wondering who made those slanderous comments and
she already has a lawyer. We have your IP address from Doar's Blog and once our
hacker friends confirm the IP address on this blog, you'll be paying big money
to get out of this one. Have fun with that. What goes around comes
around.
This appears to be "the little teaser" on As Maine Goes, as talked
about in the above post. The administrator of As Maine Goes has been contacted and requested to pull the victim’s name from the post to protect them.

The operator of the RFP has never posted on As Maine Goes although it appears a fan of our site may have. Most importantly, the person they seem to believe is operating the RFP has NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS SITE.

The comments speak of "Lovejoy". We all know what happened to former Selectman Jolene Lovejoy. She suffered extreme political and personal attacks that had to be horrendous to live through. Over a year later, those attacks continue despite the fact that she is no longer a selectman. Now someone is being threatened with similar, perhaps worse attacks because it's believed they are operating the RFP.

There are those in town that make a big deal out of insisting that names are given when posting to websites. I’m wondering if perhaps this type of bullying behavior is why they want names so badly. It’s hard to threaten and intimidate people if you aren’t sure of whom they are. It’s harder to smear their name and discredit them through half truths or outright lies. I’d love to be able to reveal my identity and have open debates with people in the community about our issues. Look at what has been done and what continues to be done to the public figures of our community. Look at what they are threatening to do to someone just because they think they are running a website that gives the people in the town a voice, even though we’ve worked hard to insist people use their voice respectfully. If the abusers don’t know who we are, it takes away their power to personally attack us and forces them to debate on the merits of their argument.

The RFP is outraged at these attempts to intimidate us into closing this website and disgusted that there are members of our community that would treat others this way. We will not be intimidated. We invite other responsible, civic minded community members to join with us in trying to extinguish abusive behavior in town, in all its forms. It is well past the time to take our town back.

A letter from our Fire Department

2008-06-03T02:59:00.003-04:00

Publisher of RFP, After tonight’s meeting I would like to take a opportunity to clarify a few false statements made by Ron Theriault, if you would allow me to do so here they are and thank you.

First thing is the fact that we had 85 call men when he was on the force. Records show at most there where around 30 or 35 members at one time. Currently we have around 7-12, and that is simply because of the training requirements and people work further away from home now rather than right in town. He then goes on the stress concern for the Mexico taxpayer bay saying they come over here for every fire because we have no one, but then in the same breath wants to decrease the size of our department.

Second is that we park the apparatus out front to be a inconvenience to the citizens walking by. I’m sure most people that have been here for any length of time will agree that the trucks have always been parked out front at different times for various reasons, not an inconvenience.

Third is the straw pole he just loves to down size. I truly believe had this “straw pole” gone the other way it would have been gospel to him, in fact the straw pole was sparked by the board of selectmen. Regardless of how he views it, it was a vote of the people!

Fourth is actually not a false statement, we do take a pumper or ladder truck with us most everywhere we go. The reason behind this is so if we get a call we have our tools with us and we can go directly to the scene. A fire truck is our tool box, without tools what good are the firefighters?

Lastly I would like to talk briefly about Ron and Jason talking about us breaking our contract by handing out informational flyers at the meeting. I can tell you this is not even mentioned in our contract, as a matter in fact a copy can be obtained at the Town Managers office, or stop by the station and one can be available for you to look at. The letter Jason was talking about tonight was one that was sent to the Selectmen Candidates from the Union asking some questions about themselves, careers, views, accomplishments and a few other things and they where also asked if they would meet with the Union to discuss there vision for the town if they got elected. It was a pretty simple self explanatory letter and questionnaire. I tried to address it with Jason at one point during the night but he ignored me so I never got to explain it to him.

If anyone has questions comments or concerns feel free to stop by the fire station to get info or if you ask most any firefighter they should be able to furnish you with the correct info. I can also be reached by e-mail @ marktripp@pffmaine.org

Thank you,
Mark Tripp
Union President
LOCAL 1601
Rumford, Maine

Building Our Economy

2008-06-01T17:23:00.000-04:00

There has been a lot of discussion in the River Valley area about attracting new business. We’ve had some success over the years but need to continue our efforts. Steve Eldridge said in letter to the town at his departure something to the effect that building the economy of a community isn’t a sprint, it’s a sustained journey. Any ideas out there about how to build our Economy?

What's your favorite swimming spot?

2008-06-01T16:26:00.001-04:00

Hey, let's open the discussion to our favorite swimming spots - ponds, lakes, rivers, frog ponds etc. What places do you think are the best to direct friends from out of the area to? Which places hold your best memories? Why are they wonderful? My personal favorite is Roxbury Pond, Silver Lake, Ellis Pond, but I also like Weld and Worthley for different reasons. Anyone wanna chime in?

xmashen

Submitted by Kevin Saisi

2008-05-29T22:58:00.002-04:00

MILLINOCKET (AP) -- Katahdin Paper Co. LLC says it's closing its Millinocket paper mill, putting about 208 people out of work. Fraser Paper, which operates Katahdin's mills, cited high energy prices Thursday for the indefinite closure of the Millinocket mill effective on July 29.

What is Rumford's plan if this were to happen here??

Kevin N. Saisi

Rumford Selectmen's Race

2008-05-29T21:42:00.003-04:00

The Selectmen’s race in the Town of Rumford is probably about as hot as it’s been in the history of the Town. The RFP weighed in at the banner at the top of the page. It’s only fair to provide you with a place to weigh in with your opinion also. Go ahead. Tell us who you support.

More Med-Care

2008-05-29T18:47:00.003-04:00

In case anyone isn’t sick of reading about Med-Care, we decided to throw one more opinion out there. After much reading, talking and thought, the thing that seems painfully obvious is that the inter-local agreement is flawed. I know what you’re thinking. It’s “No kidding!”

The Sun Journal made for some interesting reading today, both in the story and the comments. Some comments were well thought out and some were…well, anyway. Probably the best post was from Jeff R who said

“….I Support Our Town And agree That Med-Care is an excellant service but think
the "building" should be brought in front of the voters. I also believe strongly
that Amendments need to be made to inter local that caps spending. Med-Cares
board of Directors ignored a Member town who has stated over and over they
disapprove of the building. Thats a slap in the face Without the assualt charge.
I want to thank The Ambulance commitee for there time again and all of you who
are attending these meetings its great to see the involvment in your Town.”

I don’t know Jeff R but I think he summed things up pretty well. We have a problem when an entity that relies on town tax money can spend whatever they want and not allow the town more say. Granted towns do have some say through our town representatives on the board. This situation has made it painfully obvious that isn’t enough when it comes to big ticket items.

I want to give some credit to Steve Brown who spoke to the Sun Journal in an article on Tuesday. He took a little heat off Dean but he still missed the boat when he didn’t talk about why the need for the building was so critical. Instead he talked about the number of jobs potentially lost and deadlines. For those of you who want to throw Dean under the proverbial ambulance, give the guy a break. He’s just doing his job. EVERYONE at Med-Care seems to be missing the big picture here. If you want the towns to spend 2 million dollars, you better tell us why and keep telling us. In fairness to Med-Care, they did have some information about the building on their website but when I looked for it today it was gone.

I would encourage our selectmen to hasten to find the best way to correct the Inter-Local Agreement without jeopardizing the quality ambulance service Med-Care provides and scaring our citizens half to death along the way. That seems to be the most responsible way out of this mess.

Let’s make this a safe and happy time for our graduates.

2008-05-28T22:16:00.005-04:00

There was an article in the Rumford Falls Times this week that said there was a forum on alcohol and drug use at Mountain Valley High School. Some students spoke to parents in an attempt to discuss what students may face at the school along with ways to help parents and students avoid drug and alcohol problems. Congratulations to the students who were brave enough to resist peer pressure to talk about this potentially serious problem.

Area schools will be holding their graduation ceremonies in the next few weeks. Many students think that drinking is a “right of passage” from high school to the adult world. Unfortunately, some students may never get to take the journey into adulthood due to underage drinking. Let’s help make this a safe and happy season for everyone.

Relay For Life is this Friday.

2008-05-28T22:06:00.003-04:00

Despite all the negative press the town has received over the past couple of years, it’s especially important to remember that the people of this area are truly wonderful. A prime example of this will be down at Hosmer Field this Friday night at the American Cancer Society’s fundraiser, Relay For Life. It’s an amazing sense of community gathered together for a common cause.

The “Relay” as it is called by those who are part of it, is an all night event to raise money to fight cancer. It’s a chance for those whom have been affected in some way by this terrible disease to connect, draw strength from each other and share their burdens. There are many events held at the field for all age groups. For some people, the highlight of the night is the luminary ceremony where the track is lined with candles in memory or honor of a loved one. Every name is read in this emotional ceremony. All night long team members can be seen walking the track in support of those they lost or are hoping not to lose.

The Relay For Life is a beautiful event, mixing fun, socializing, shopping, playing and support, all to raise money for this important cause. If you’ve never been to a Relay For Life Event, we HIGHLY recommend it. Make it a family event.

Protecting our Digital Environment.

2008-05-28T20:30:00.001-04:00

Just like we need police and the court system to protect us, the RFP needed to put a system in place to protect the integrity of this website. I’m thinking that it was likely that only one person caused this but just like everywhere else, it only takes one or two to mess things up for everyone.

From now on when you post to this website, it may take a little while to see your comments. That delay will allow us to screen out the nasty remarks we’ve been getting. The RFP is still dedicated to responsible free speech and open dialogue. We may just move slightly slower delivering it.

There are other plans in the works to try to make this site better. We need to get used to the technology and get it ready. Be patient.

Thank you to everyone for such a great start to the Rumford Free Press. Together we can make a difference.

Welcome to the new Millennium

2008-05-27T16:55:00.003-04:00

It’s a time of global warming, shrinking oil reserves and online communities.

Online communities?

By now we all know what a powerful tool the internet is. We can communicate with anyone in the world with an internet connection. Online communities have sprung up everywhere. It probably started to get big about 10 to 15 years ago when AOL started their chat rooms. I know people that used to meet every day in their chat room to share a laugh, tell stories and feel connected, all without ever meeting the people they were chatting with. Businesses use online communities to link their employees from across the country or across the world. You can take online classes and never meet a single person in your class. Some people have gone so far as to create an online identity for their role playing game and lead a double life; serving burgers and fries by day, virtual nightclub owner with virtual fancy cars and virtual houses by night. It’s a bizarre world sometimes.

Like every new technology, there is good and bad that it brings. We’ve seen that in our own community.

The Open Doar blog was a virtual community. In it was good and bad. Many great ideas and information sharing happened there. The underlying reasoning for having a town blog was for that very purpose and I believe Mr. Doar did the best he could to keep it on track. Unfortunately, under the guise of free speech, many people simply attacked others there, bringing the whole thing down.

So what kind of behavior should we expect from people in an online community? I believe the same behavior that we expect from people in any community, that we treat others with courtesy and respect. That doesn’t mean everything has to be all rosy all the time. We should still try to hold our town officials to a higher standard of behavior or call them on it when they don’t live up to that standard. We should still call others on behavior that is hurtful to our communities. We are bound to have different ideas and opinions and we are bound to not get along sometimes. We should still expect people to disagree without being disagreeable.

Len Greaney wrote a letter to the editor that was also posted on TRR that said the problem is because people post anonymously. I disagree. The problem is when people don’t display acceptable public behavior, regardless of if they reveal their identity. I know being anonymous makes people more likely to misbehave but if you read the Open Doar, you saw that there were more anonymous poster there that behaved like responsible citizens and called for acceptable behavior than their were those that acted unacceptably. BTW, although I may disagree at times with Mr. Greaney’s opinions, I have always respected the way he has conducted himself publicly. That hasn’t always been the case for other people at public meetings

There has been a lot of noise made about people needing to know who is posting or on certain sides of an issue. Why do they need to know so badly? After all the reputation ruining, name calling and public bashing that has gone on, why wouldn’t people want to remain anonymous? Trust is very low in town right now and it’s going to take some time before it’s built back up. Some in town appear way too anxious to find out who has different opinions than them so can attack and harass them. I don’t need that behavior in my life. If in some small way this site helps heal the town and contributes positively, I don’t need that credit either. It would be enough just to see it happen.

Oh and BTW, we do have an identity, even if it’s an online one. That identity is the Rumford Free Press which values responsible free speech and open communication. Everyone that shares those values is invited to join us here at this online community. Stay tuned, we’re working to make it even better.

The Rumford Free Press welcomes a new team member.

2008-05-27T16:54:00.000-04:00

The RFP is proud to welcome C as a team member, moderator and contributor. C has an awesome reputation as a clear thinking, intelligent writer that shares the values of the Rumford Free Press. Welcome C!

What kind of comments are OK?

2008-05-26T08:38:00.002-04:00

The Rumford Free Press recently received this comment. Overall it’s a great post with some good points but I still felt the need to delete it. Read on.

The Open Doar blog allowed slanderous comments such as accusations that XX was
doing things illegal in his business, and XX was being abusive to family
members. Why do people have to make up such stories? I am surprised that
they
didn't say XX was intimate with woodland creatures. This is a small
town, and
the rumor mill runs hard and fast. There are some who believe
these rumors.
Another related issue is the fact that somebody was calling
people's employers
and those who regulate business to try and get people
fired and/or investigated
for false reasons. When town opinions cause worse
politics that the national
elections, it is time to reassess the rationale.
There are some serious
apologies due to certain people. As for TRR, I think
you are right, it has gone
way over the edge since [edited] gave it up. [edited]
are Bush Republicans and
they will attack anyone who doesn't follow their
views. Look at how [edited]
trashed [edited] on the Doar blog. They used to be on the same
side, but
[edited] didn't like what [edited] was saying, so he trashed him. I feel that
[edited] is a big wind, but he has very few
supporters. He has driven away most
of the CCFR members, and even some of
the selectmen are talking with him less
often. I believe his time has ended.

I know I said I wasn’t going to edit posts but this one is a great example of what can go wrong. This was a great post but it went just a bit over the edge at the end. How does calling someone a “big wind” not take us down the same path of contention that the Open Doar and TRR went down.

When you post to a website, you aren’t having a private conversation with your friends. It’s a public statement, not much different than if you stood up at a town meeting and said it. Would you really attack someone personally at a town meeting? I hope not. That isn’t the behavior I hope to see in town. Not at a public meeting, the Open Doar, the TRR or on this web site.

I know that there are a lot of shades of gray about how to move forward here. Honestly, I’m trying to figure it out myself. Thank you to all who have posted here thus far and for everyone’s efforts to try to keep this website out of the town sewers. Together we can change things.

Celebrate Memorial Day

2008-05-26T08:13:00.001-04:00

It’s a time to honor our veterans. There will be parades, speeches and marching bands. The aging members of our finest generation, our WW II veterans, are dwindling. I believe that makes it more important than ever to honor them. They are responsible for our current way of life and freedoms, our feelings of safety for us and our families. That includes the freedom to have a website like this to say what you want, even criticize your own government. They did this for us at great personal sacrifice and much suffering. Of course we often hear them say that the true heroes are the ones that didn’t come back. Many here in the states suffered too, with dealing with the emotional pain of losing their loved ones. No should have to bury a child. They truly are our finest generation.

Some of our other public servants also work to help keep us and our families safe. They also do this at the risk of great sacrifice to themselves and their families. That is our Police and Firefighters. They train often and work hard, often putting their own safety on the line. They deserve to be recognized too… and honored. This post isn’t an argument for what the level of service the town should provide, although their safety should be factored into that discussion. It is a chance to honor them for their hard work and commitment. It’s a chance to say thank you.

Let’s take the time to go out today and honor our veterans. They more than deserve this day. Let’s go say thank you. While you’re at it, you may also want to say thanks to the Police and Firemen that work to keep us safe too.

Two Wolves

2008-05-25T15:38:00.002-04:00

An elderly Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life...He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me, it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

One wolf is evil -- he is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and ego.

The other is good---he is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.

"They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied: "The one you feed".

Submitted by C - Thank you

The root of some of our problems.

2008-05-25T09:13:00.006-04:00

The RFP recently received this comment and would like to respond.

"The SJ article is partly right. The atitudes of a few are having a negative
affect on our town. But the problem is not the selectmen. The problem is those
who spend their precious time making mountains out of mole hills. Yes, the
selectmen have made mistakes, but to advocate public lynching for minor issues
is just wrong. Those who post attacks from the shadows of anonymity merely stir
the pot. They have no accountability for what they say, and they either
playfully or viciously tear people apart without due regard for the person's
feelings or reputation. This is shameful and those who do so need to come clean
and apologize to those they have wronged. Both "sides" have made mistakes, and
both have resorted to attacks. Perhaps now that this blog prohibits attacks, we
will see a more peaceful community. I wish that the Doar (blog) had never been
Opened. It has torn our community apart."

I agree almost completely. There are probably only a handful of people in town that have caused most of the problems. People have been viciously attacked and their reputations ruined. It’s painful to watch what people have gone through, especially those who try to serve the town. I think a lot of the reason for what went on at the Open Doar was in response to that. Of course you are right when you say both “sides” were involved in hurtful behavior.

I’m surprised that I haven’t been challenged for not revealing my identity. I won’t because I don’t want to be torn apart or have my family put through hell because I disagree with someone. That has happened often in this town and that is shameful. It feels to me to be just another version of town bullying. I don’t believe that because I choose to remain anonymous, I can’t run a good website that is constructive and helpful to the town though.

What I disagree with you about is what I perceive as the root of much of the problem in this town. I believe much of the problem started at TRR web site. That site attacks anyone that they disagree with and they write often with anonymity. I won’t get into everything here because we’ve all seen it. I believe that site is what this editorial in the Sun Journal was referring to. When you publicly state some of the things they have stated, it’s a normal human response for people to become angry.

I know that to bring this up here invites a continuation of some of the discord in our town. The alternative is to continue to live with such negative behavior. I believe it’s our civic duty to try to make our town better and challenge those things that are hurtful to our town.

If you are thinking of writing something that personally attacks those that run that web site, don’t bother. It won’t stay on here long. If you want to talk about what has gone wrong in our town and what you believe will make it better, we’d love to hear from you.

One last thing.

The Rumford Free Press is publicly challenging TRR to debate their ideas, thoughts and beliefs with clear thinking instead of name calling and personal attacks. That includes electronically and publicly.

That could only improve our town.

Should the Fire Department respond to medical calls?

2008-05-23T19:10:00.003-04:00

There has been a lot of righteous indignation about the cost of the Fire Department responding to medical calls in town. For some medical calls, like motor vehicle accidents, it’s crucial for the Fire Department to respond. They may need to employ the jaws of life to free you from your vehicle or they may need to deal with leaking hazardous material. On calls for medical emergencies, they may arrive prior to the ambulance personnel, putting them in position to provide basic life saving first aid and assess and assist with the situation to speed critical care.

So, how much does this town service cost? Well, it’s not likely the $708,000 that is suggested to be cut from the Fire Department budget by the Finance Committee. According to Acting Fire Chief Richard Coulombe, it’s more like $8,000. Fire Department personnel are already on the clock so there is little extra cost there. The actual costs are most likely fuel and wear and tear on the response vehicle.

To make such a fuss about this particular service provided by the fire department doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense. It certainly doesn’t justify recommending cutting $708,000 from the Fire Department budget.

While we’re on the subject of the Fire Department, think about this. Heating oils is now over $4.00 a gallon and will probably go higher. Residents will likely try to find other methods of heating their homes, some perhaps not as safe as they should be. There may be reason to fear an increase in serious fire calls this year. The Fire Department’s call force was reduced to an almost non-existent level after Selectmen voted to retroactively cut their call pay last year. Perhaps prior to making cuts in the Fire Department personnel, efforts should be made to rebuild the call force to an acceptable level.

It was bound to happen

2008-05-23T18:33:00.001-04:00

Some of the people that posted negative responses on other web sites have arrived here. Who knows why the attacks occur. Perhaps they are just threatened by town residents having an opportunity to openly debate.

What ever the reason people may have for their personal attacks, they won’t be allowed here. It’s OK if you disagree with someone or have a legitimate point to make. Name calling, obvious lies and vicious attacks of a personal nature will be deleted.

What kind of town do you want to live in?

2008-05-23T18:09:00.001-04:00

We all know that the population of town has been shrinking since about 1980. What people in town may not be as aware of is that once residents move here the length of stay for residents is above state average (City-Data, 2008). I attribute that mostly to the wonderful sense of community that exists among most residents here. Once you become part of this community, it’s hard to give it up. Walking down the street or going to the store can be a pleasant experience as residents stop to chat. A drive through town elicits a friendly wave from almost every other car. When residents face difficult times in their lives, town people often rally around them, throwing benefit suppers and helping to make sure that their needs are met. One visitor to the area remarked that he seldom sees behavior like this where he lives. We are all truly fortunate to live in such a community.

The question on the mind for many residents is why would anyone move to Rumford? Better yet, why would a business move to Rumford? If YOU were looking to move into a town, what qualities would you be looking for?

The town of Rumford is located in a beautiful part of the state, MSAD#43 has a reputation for providing quality education, and the town has supported Black Mountain Ski Area and town recreation through the Parks Commission and the Greater Rumford Community Center. We have an effective and responsive police force that works hard to try to keep crime down. We have a professional and highly trained fire department. Taxes are lower than state average and although much of the housing is aging, it is affordable. These strengths help make our town a positive place to live and raise children. The taxes in Rumford have been going down for the past few years but let’s face it, that trend was not going to last forever.

So how much can be cut from department budgets without significantly affecting town services? I honestly don’t know the answer to that question. I would guess the most qualified person to answer that question is the Town Manager and Department Heads. Some individuals in town may have strong opinions about that but they are just that, opinions. Our Town Officials answer to many people and have many eyes looking at their budget. It’s all public information. They also have to answer many of the questions asked by residents. It just seems difficult for them to pad their budgets too much or pull one over on us.

The thinking that needs to go into what the level of service our town should provide is multifaceted. It seems to be a balancing act between what is necessary, what we can afford, what is desirable and what will continue to make this town a place you would want to move into, perhaps with your business, if you were looking for a place to settle down.

Med-Care's new building: To be or not to be...

2008-05-23T06:59:00.003-04:00

Long ago the debate over the plans for Med-Care’s new building turned away from why this new building was necessary and why town people should support it. The argument for the building has seemed to center around how towns will financially suffer if they don’t support the building, leaving community members feeling that the cost of the building is being pushed down their throat and without seeing much merit for the building. This has left community members feeling bullied instead of persuaded; a feeling townspeople are bound to react poorly too.

Med-Care’s Board Members have been steadfast in their decision to go forward with plans for a new building despite the rising opposition to the plan. We have yet to hear from any of these board members why they feel so strongly. Instead, Dean Milligan has been the point man, bringing stinging criticism and personal attacks his way.

Dean Milligan is a great paramedic, a wonderful father and a fine citizen. He is now in an unenviable situation and from here it seems that Med-Care’s Board of Directors are content with letting him sit out there in the public spotlight, taking the heat. It seems way past time for Med-Care Board Members to step up to explain why this building is important for our towns. In the absence of that, there is a very good chance Rumford will risk voting down the inter-local agreement also, with ramifications we all can’t be entirely sure of.

Want Freedom of Speech? Here's your chance.

2008-05-22T07:15:00.002-04:00

There has been a lot of debate already this year about the town budget. Some hot spots have been the level of service for police and fire department, funding of social service agencies, recreation funding at the GRCC and Black Mountain and how to improve the political climate in our town. I’m hoping for respectful free flowing debate.

Thank you Sun Journal

2008-05-21T21:55:00.008-04:00

The Rumford Free Press would like to express our appreciation for the articles that recently appeared in the Sun Journal. These articles clearly defined some of the problems that have plagued the town in recent years and provided a framework for understanding how negativity has hurt the town. The Rumford Free Press agrees completely with the Sun Journal when it says the residents of the town have an opportunity to improve our situation with the election in June. We encourage all residents to get out to the polls and VOTE.