Friday, September 28, 2007

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

Thursday, September 27, 2007

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.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

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.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

GIULIANI in Maine Sept. 24

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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
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HONORING
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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

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.”

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

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

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

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.

Maine Government News