STATEWIDE ELECTION RESULTS

REFERENDUM/BOND ISSUES

QUESTION 1: WASHINGTON COUNTY RACINO
No 136043
51.92%
Yes 125974
48.08%

QUESTION 2: RESEARCH & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOND
Yes 133085
51.13%
No 127178
48.87%

QUESTION 3: MAINE COLLEGE CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS BOND
Yes 133897
51.23%
No 127453
48.77%

QUESTION 4: LAND FOR MAINE'S FUTURE BOND
Yes 164902
62.93%
No 97118
37.07%

QUESTION 5: EXTEND LEGISLATIVE TERM LIMITS
No 173786
66.96%
Yes 85766
33.04%

COUNTY REFERENDUMS

AROOSTOOK COUNTY: ABOLISH ELECTION OF COUNTY TREASURER AND COUNTY REGISTER OF DEEDS
No 6424
56.24%
Yes 4998
43.76%

CUMBERLAND COUNTY: RADIO INTEROPERABILITY UPGRADE
Yes 40689
68.26%
No 18922
31.74%

CUMBERLAND COUNTY: INMATE MEDICAL FACILITY EXPANSION
No 29195
52.42%
Yes 26503
47.58%

CUMBERLAND COUNTY: COUNTY COMMISSIONER REDIRECT
No 28763
68.00%
Yes 13538
32.00%

STATE REPRESENTATIVE

HOUSE DISTRICT 27

Peter B. Johnson
1385
48.04%

Sharon H. Libby Jones
1043
36.18%

Julius L. Erdo
455
15.78%

HOUSE DISTRICT 72

Michael E. Carey
317
72.05%

David A. Hughes
123
27.95%

HOUSE DISTRICT 83
Patricia R. Jones
1203
56.88%

Clyde E. Dyar
912
43.12%

HOUSE DISTRICT 93
Sheryl J. Briggs
1270
53.81%

Katherine N. Harvey
1090
46.19%

HOUSE DISTRICT 99

Ralph W. Sarty Jr.
1199
53.41%

Katherine Marie Smith
1046
46.59%

Falmouth and Cumberland Democrats to host first public forum featuring all five candidates for First Congressional District race

FALMOUTH, ME -- The first major forum of the Democratic candidates vying to succeed Congressman Tom Allen is scheduled for Falmouth High School, Monday, November 5th."The public is hungry for continued leadership in Congress," said State Representative John Brautigam, who will moderate the event. "This debate will give the public the first district-wide opportunity to learn where these candidates stand on the war in Iraq, terrorism, health care, the environment, taxation, and economic development."The forum is sponsored by the Falmouth and Cumberland Democratic Committees, who will submit the videotape for airing on local access cable. The Democratic contenders are former state Senate Majority Leader Michael Brennan; attorney Michael Cote; York County District Attorney Mark Lawrence; former Senate Majority Leader Chellie Pingree; and state Senator Ethan Strimling.
According to Jeanne Hulit, of the Falmouth Democratic Committee, part of the evening will feature questions from the audience. "We expect lots of folks from across the First Congressional District to attend this unique event. By directly involving those people, we are adding to Maine's strong tradition of grass roots democracy." This debate will take place exactly 365 days before the 2008 general election. It will be held in the Falmouth High School Theater, at 74 Woodville Road in Falmouth. The forum runs from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., with doors open at 6:30 p.m. The event is free to the public. Contact: Pamela Fenrich, Falmouth Democrats, 207-797-4571

Economic Development Bill that Benefits Maine Passes the House

Dear Fellow Mainer:

Since I came to Congress, I've been pushing to pass legislation that would create a regional economic development commission to directly invest in our region's economy, in order to create jobs and new business opportunities. I originally wrote the bill three years ago, and I've been working with a bipartisan group of lawmakers from our region to get it passed. Today, we took a major step forward by passing the Regional Economic and Infrastructure Development Act of 2007 - a bill which contains my Northern Border Regional Commission - in the House of Representatives.

The Commission created in this bill would bring investment, leadership, and focus to regional economic development efforts. It would be charged with investing $40 million per year - rising to $60 million per year by 2012 - in federal resources for economic development and job creation in the most economically distressed areas of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.

We have all seen the story repeated in our state: traditional manufacturing industries in trouble, jobs disappearing, and young people leaving home to look for opportunity elsewhere. In fact, in the whole Northern Border region, we have seen a clear, persistent pattern of economic distress. If you look at the 36 counties that lie on the border or right next to the border between Maine and Cayuga County, New York, you find: poverty above the national average,
median household income that is more than $6500 below the national average,
persistent unemployment through layoffs in traditional manufacturing industries,
and most striking of all, a meager gain of only 0.6% in population between 1990 and 2000, compared to 13% growth nationally over the same period.

Clearly, our region has a common set of challenges, and a compelling need for investment and new growth. But we also know that we have a lot going for us, and a real chance to create a stronger economy. We have a highly trained and capable work force, incredible natural resources, and a tradition of hard work and excellence that has sustained our economy for generations. The opportunity is there.

Creating a regional commission would give us the chance to look at economic development in a whole new way: as a challenge that we can tackle together as a region. Federal investment in our region would help us capitalize on our great assets to create jobs and build our economy. We know that we have all the tools we need in our state and our region to build a bright future for our children - I want to make sure that the federal government gives us the investment we need to make this future a reality.

Using this investment, we can build needed infrastructure, help develop new opportunities for small businesses, create new energy technologies, and capitalize on the value of our incredible natural resource base. We can keep Maine "the way life should be."

If you would like more information on the Northern Border Regional Commission, please visit my website at michaud.house.gov. I am hopeful that this bill will be considered in the Senate next, and I will be sure to keep you up to date as this bill continues through the legislative process.

Click here to see video of my remarks

Sincerely,Mike Michaud
Member of Congress

Senators Vote To Expand Children's Insurance Program

WASHINGTON -- Both of Maine's U.S. senators voted for legislation calling for a large spending increase for a children's health insurance program. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins were among 18 Republicans who lined up with Democrats in voting 67-29 to increase spending on the State Children's Health Insurance Program from about $5 billion to $12 billion annually for the next five years. The so-called SCHIP program is a federal-state partnership that subsidizes health coverage for low-income families. Democrats hope to persuade President George W. Bush to set aside his veto... more... http://www.wmtw.com/politics/14224747/detail.html

Group kicks off tribal racino ballot campaign

Group kicks off tribal racino ballot campaign
PORTLAND, Maine - A referendum group calling itself "Yes on Question 1" kicked off its campaign Wednesday to win passage of a ballot question that would allow the Passamaquoddy Tribe to build a racetrack casino in Washington County.
More... http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=154708&zoneid=500

All Time Record Attendance At Common Ground Country Fair

More Than 62,000 Fairgoers Join The Celebration
Next year's Fair will take place on September 19, 20 & 21, 2007. Mark your calendars.
September 25, 2007 (Unity, Maine) -- The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) celebrated its 31st Common Ground Country Fair this past weekend. More than 62,000 people came through the gates to take part in the annual celebration of sustainable living and organic farming and gardening."We had a record fair this year," said Russell Libby, MOFGA's Executive Director. "Since we moved to our home in Unity, we haven't seen numbers anything close to 62,000."MOFGA's fair attendance in Unity has hovered around 50,000, plus or minus 2,000 depending on the weather. The historic attendance record-to-beat was just over 60,000 in 1996, when the Common Ground Country Fair took place at the Windsor Fairgrounds.
Libby attributed the huge jump in attendance to the public's growing interest in the local, organic foods, which are abundant at Common Ground. Of course, three days of perfect weather didn't hurt."We had a wonderful fair this year with no major incidents in the course of the three-day event," said Libby. "During our ten years in Unity our amazing volunteers have developed great systems and worked out most of the kinks."Traffic and parking went smoothly on Friday and Sunday, but the Fair acknowledged that there was a mid-day slow-down on Saturday. The volume of traffic coming north to the Fair on Route 220 through Knox and Thorndike was significant enough on Saturday to fill MOFGA's huge free parking lot.
MOFGA volunteers have worked tirelessly to build and organize the fairgrounds into a comfortable and enjoyable place for visitors. Mr. Libby noted that over the past year, volunteers had built new benches, handwashing stations, picnic tables, and signs. They had also spent considerable time cultivating demonstration gardens, and improving stands in MOFGA's woodlot. A notable addition was MOFGA's Bergey Excel windmill which will provide enough power in the course of the year to meet the electricity demands of the entire Fair.Some 650 Maine-based vendors, exhibitors, and demonstratorsarrived in Unity on Thursday to set up their booths. While it is impossibleto calculate how much money the Common Ground Country Fair generates for small, locally-owned businesses, the three-day event certainly is a boon to Maine's organic farmers. Each year, the Fair generates roughly $350,000dollars for Maine's organic agriculture.Volunteers are needed for Fair clean-up this week. Anyone interested in lending a hand should call the Fair office at 207-568-4142.Already, MOFGA is hard at work planning for next year's Fair and other educational programs at the Common Ground Education Center in Unity, which MOFGA developed to serve as a year-round education facility focusing on Maine's organic agriculture and other environmentally and socially just causes. People who would like to take part in programs happening at MOFGA throughout the year should contact MOFGA at 207-568-4142 or http://www.mofga.org/. Volunteers are needed for many different projects throughout the year.

Obama in Portland

Join Barack Obama in Portland, Maine on Tuesday, September 25th, for a special Countdown to Change event. Event to be held at the Portland Expo Building - Portland Maine.
Doors Open @ 4:00PM
Tickets may be purchased at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=ydnguecab.0.ggxzvecab.87gse9bab.9014&ts=S0274&p=http%3A%2F%2Fmy.barackobama.com%2Fpage%2Fm%2Faad280B7RTb%2FIX5RbF

Republicans Nominate Ralph Sarty, Jr. for House District 99

Baldwin, Maine-- At a special caucus today, Republicans from the towns of Baldwin, Sebago, Limington, Cornish and Denmark elected Ralph Sarty, Jr. of Denmark as the GOP nominee for Maine House District #99. A vacancy had been declared as a result of the recent resignation of Rep. Phil Cressey (R-Cornish).

"I was very pleased with the excellent turnout this morning. It clearly demonstrates that the citizens of this area are engaged and concerned about the future of this great state. I am very honored to have been chosen as the candidate and am ready and willing to rock the boat and step outside of the current trend of "politics as usual".

Sarty, 62, has many years of involvement in municipal government and currently serves as the Chairman of the Denmark Board of Selectmen. He is retired from the State of Maine, having worked for the State Police and the Maine Warden Service. Sarty also has experience as a small business owner. He has been married for 37 years and has three children and five grandchildren.

Ralph Sarty may be reached for further comment at (207) 452-2171.

GIULIANI in Maine Sept. 24

SANDY AND PETER BENNETT
THE HONORABLE JOHN BUCK
THE HONORABLE RICHARD H. CAMPBELL
MICHAEL DUDDY
THE HONORABLE DONNA W. FINLEY
JOSEPH G. FOGG III
ELIZABETH AND MICHAEL GRAY
THE HONORABLE CRAIG GREEN
ERIC GUSTAFSON
KEVIN P. MAHANEY
THE HONORABLE PETER MILLS
CAROLYN AND CHARLES PARDOE
KAREN H. RAYE
THE HONORABLE KEVIN L. RAYE
ANN R. ROBINSON
JAN MARTENS STAPLES
THE HONORABLE BOB WALKER
CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND A LUNCHEON RECEPTION
HONORING
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TO BENEFIT THE RUDY GIULIANI PRESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE

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363 MAINE MALL ROAD
SOUTH PORTLAND, MAINE04106

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2007
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

$1,000 PER PERSON, PHOTO OPPORTUNITY AND RECEPTION
$250 PER PERSON, RECEPTION


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BUSINESS ATTIRE · REPLY CARD ENCLOSED
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MAINE COMMON GROUNDS FAIR SEPT. 21ST THRU 23RD

MOFGA celebrates its 31st Common Ground Country Fair on September 21, 22 & 23, in Unity, Maine. The Fair allows fairgoers to make connections with a rapidly expanding base of organic farms in the state of Maine. Hundreds of vendors, exhibitors and demonstrators, more than 1,000 volunteers, and roughly 50,000 fairgoers will gather to: share knowledge about sustainable living; eat delicious, organic, Maine-grown food; buy and sell beautiful Maine crafts and useful agricultural products; compete in various activities; dance; sing and have a great time.

MEET THE MAINE GREEN INDEPENDENT BOARD MEMBERS AT THE FAIR. BI MONTHLY MEETING IS PLANNED FOR SEPTEMBER 22, MEETING AT 2PM AT THE SUN DIAL IN THE COMMON AREA ON THE FAIR GROUNDS. COME ENJOY AND SUPPORT THE FAIR WITH US.

Statement by RNC Chairman Robert M. "Mike" Duncan on the Sixth Anniversary of September 11, 2001

Washington – RNC Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan released the following statement today commemorating the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001:
“Six years ago, terrorists attacked the United States of America. The searing memories will never fade for most Americans, and for the families and friends of those we lost, neither will the sorrow. We should never forget the tremendous bravery we saw that day, or the outpouring of kindness and generosity from every state, every county, and every city in the days and weeks that followed.
“Today, thousands of our brave young men and women are still fighting to keep our enemies from striking us again. Our thanks go out to them, and to everyone who is working to make sure we never see another 9/11.”

Knutson to Lead Maine Democrats:

Ellsworth American - Aug. 16, 2007
Written by James Straub
BROOKLIN — Having headed the Hancock County Democratic Committee since May 2004, John Knutson will step up to the state level.
Last Sunday in Augusta, the Democratic State Committee elected Knutson as chairman of the Maine Democratic Party.
Knutson said he plans to continue in his role as chairman of the Hancock County Democratic Committee and will serve in both positions as an unpaid volunteer.
“I’m excited about it,” he said. “I think I have value to give to the party and value to give to Maine. There’s a lot to learn, but I’m excited to make this contribution.”
Knutson grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and attended his senior year of high school in Minnesota.
After that, he headed east, graduating from Brown University in Rhode Island in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
He then went to work as a public accountant in Boston for seven years. For the next 19 years, he worked as an insurance executive in Worcester, Mass.
He would head west again and work for an insurance company in Lansing, Mich., for 10 years before retiring in 1997 and moving to Brooklin.
Knutson said he had no political experience at all until 2000, when he and his wife volunteered to compile an electronic voter list for Hancock County. The project took about a year and a half.
He later attended Camp Wellstone, a weekend-long training program that instructs progressives in how to win on issues and elect candidates.
Knutson credits the training experience with teaching him how campaigns are run.
Since then, he has gone on to chair the Hancock County Democratic Committee and now looks forward to taking on the same role at the state level.
“My primary goal is to strengthen the grassroots campaign abilities of the Democratic Party in Maine, so that we maximize the participation of Maine citizens in the Maine political process and pursuit of Democratic values,” he said.
He said that as state chairman his vision is “to carry forward the rich traditions and values of the Democratic Party and elect Democrats who will exemplify those values.”
Asked to describe the party’s traditional values, Knutson said: “We care about people and are concerned that everyone in society has the opportunity to succeed and that the less fortunate among us who cannot do for themselves and need help will be helped.”

Maine Democratic Party mourns loss of Rep. Deane Jones

Maine Democratic Party mourns loss of Rep. Deane Jones Freshman legislator from House Distric 83 passed away on Sunday

AUGUSTA - The Maine Democratic Party is mourning the loss of Representative Deane Jones of Mount Vernon, who passed away on Sunday following a brief battle with cancer. Maine Democratic Party Chair John Knutson said the news came as a shock to all who knew Jones as a friend and colleague.
"We all are deeply saddened by the loss of Deane and our thoughts are certainly with Pat and the rest of his family during this difficult time," Knutson said. "The people of his district have lost a truly dedicated public servant."
Rep. Jones was elected in June of this year in a special election after the sitting lawmaker in House District 83, Abigail Holman of Fayette, was killed in a skiing accident. Jones was the newest member of the Maine House of Representatives, having only had the chance to serve his district for about three months.
"Deane was very committed and enthusiastic about public service and it's unfortunate that his tenure was tragically cut short," said Arden Manning, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party. "So many of us got to know Deane while working on his legislative races and came to appreciate his passion and energy for the position he held. In the short time we had the pleasure of working with him, Deane quickly became a welcome member of our team. He will be sorely missed."
A memorial mass will take place on Friday, Sept. 7 at St. Mary's of the Assumption Catholic Church on Western Avenue in Augusta. A memorial reception will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8 at the Augusta Country Club on Western Avenue. Charitable contributions in Rep. Jones' honor may be made to the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care, P.O. Box 828, Waterville ME, 04903-0828.
Plans for a special election to fill the vacancy in the House have not been announced yet, according to the Secretary of State's office. Rep. Jones represented the towns of Belgrade, Fayette, Manchester, Mount Vernon and Vienna.

Maine House District 72 Republicans Set To Select Nominee

For Immediate Release

Date: September 5, 2007
Contact: Matt Mower (207) 782-5837

Maine House District 72 Republicans Set To Select Nominee

Augusta, Maine - Lewiston City Republican Chairman Matthew Mower announced today that Republicans will hold a special caucus to select the GOP nominee for Maine House District 72. This seat is vacant due to the resignation of Rep. William R. Walcott (D-Lewiston).

Mower said the special caucus will be held Monday, September 10, 2007 at 7:00 PM at the Lewiston Multipurpose Center on 145 Birch Street in Lewiston.

"We are pleased that several people have expressed interest in seeking the GOP nomination," said Mower. "The winner of the special caucus will face the eventual Democratic nominee at the special election to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2007"

Maine House District 72 encompasses much of the downtown section of the City of Lewiston

Governor Baldacci - A Report Card

Please feel free to post your comments, concerns, praises and anecdotes about our Maine Governor John Baladacci (D) from Bangor. Additionally, as the Maine political season heats up, please log-on to MainePolitics.com to feel the political pulse of Maine folks and PFA's (People From Away) alike. Happy blogging.