Legislative Update – June 3rd, 2010
Jun 3, 2010 • 8:03 amWith less than one week before the June 8th primary election, candidates and issue campaigns are in the final stretch. Everyone is making their final pitch to voters. If you have a cause or candidate you support, please find an hour or two over the next couple of days to help out!
Community Event
Last Thursday, May 26th I attended Learning Works’ first Community Conversations: Generational Poverty and Its Impact on Maine’s Youth and Our Community. This panel discussion was held at the newly renovated Portland Public Library and included Superintendent Morse, Dr. Nicole Witherbee, Honorable Chief Justice Leigh Saufley and Portland resident John Ochiro.
I learned:
1. Poverty is rampant throughout Maine; 45% of Portland’s student body qualifies for free or reduced meals.
2. Generational poverty is prevalent in Maine; in order to halt poverty, communities must provide gap-fillers to support students when things get tough.
3. There is a strong link between youth who grow up in poverty and serve time at Long Creek or Mountain View Youth Development Centers. However, over the past ten years, these centers have worked hard to transform into better learning environments.
Question 5 – Water Bond
This week, I’ll review Question 5, the fifth in a series of the questions that will be on the ballot this Tuesday. The final bond question deals with water quality.
Question 5 reads, “Do you favor a $10,250,000 bond issue to improve water quality, support drinking water programs and the construction of wastewater treatment facilities and to assist farmers in the development of environmentally sound water sources that will leverage $33,250,000 in federal and other funds?”
The Department of Environmental Protection will receive $5,850,000 from the bond, with $15,900,000 in matching funds, for a total of $21,750,000. This money will be used for wastewater treatment and other projects. $3,400,000 of the bond will go to the drinking water revolving loan program, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, and will be matched by $17,000,000 in other funds. Finally, the Department of Agriculture will receive $1,350,000 to assist farmers in the development of environmentally sound water sources that will leverage $350,000 in other funds.
This bond invests in our crucial water infrastructure and leverages a significant amount of money for the amount we borrow.
Click here to read a Press Herald article about Question 5.
June 8th Primaries
In addition to the five questions that will be on the June 8th ballot, we will also be voting in party primaries. If you are registered with a party, you can vote for your Gubernatorial, Senatorial, and Representative nominees in your district. Here’s a list of candidates up for nomination:
Governor
Democrats
Pat McGowan – http://www.mcgowanformaine.com/
Libby Mitchell – http://www.libbymitchellforgovernor.com/
Steve Rowe – http://www.roweforgovernor.com/
Rosa Scarcelli – http://www.rosaformaine.com/
Republicans
Steve Abbott – http://www.abbottforgovernor.com/
Bill Beardsley – http://www.billbeardsley.com/
Matt Jacobson – http://www.jacobsonforgovernor.com/
Paul LePage – http://www.lepage2010.com/
Peter Mills – http://www.millsformaine.com/
Les Otten – http://www.lesotten.com/
Bruce Poliquin – http://www.bruceforme.com/
Representative
District 114 – Democrats
Peter Stuckey
George Vincent
District 119 – Democrats
Jill Barkley
Mohammed Dini
District 119 – Green Independents
Kris Eckhardt
Christian McNeil
District 120 – Green Independents
Charles Bragdon – http://www.charlesebragdon.org/
Anna Trevorrow – http://www.annatrevorrow.org/
Closing
Please make sure to vote on Tuesday! See you at the polls!
-Justin