Owen “OJ” Logue. Rep. Gary Friedmann. Terry O’Connell. Tyson Starling.

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LET US NOT FORGET OCTOBER 25, 2023

Three years ago, on October 25, 2023, Maine experienced one of its most tragic days when 18 individuals were murdered and 13 wounded. Of those killed, four were Deaf.

One of the Deaf individuals, Josh Seal, was a former staff member at the Maine Educational Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MECDHH), which I served as their executive director. You may recall Josh as the lead male interpreter for Governor Mills during her daily COVID-19 briefings.

He created an amazing camp experience for Maine’s Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children, Camp Dirigo Experience, at the Pine Tree Camp facility in Rome, Maine. Approximately 25 campers attend each year, tuition-free, at an estimated cost of $2,500 per camper.

The New York Times also published an excellent feature story about this unique camp: Read the New York Times article.⁠

To secure the future of Camp Dirigo Experience, I am seeking individuals or businesses willing to fully fund a camper for $2,500. Of course, smaller donations will also be accepted.

Checks can be made payable to PPBFME (be sure to note for Camp Dirigo) and mailed to me at:

• PO Box 575
• Southwest Harbor, ME 04679

Donations can also be made through our website at PPBFME.com.

I would be happy to meet with prospective donors in person or over FaceTime. I can be reached by email at ojlogue@gmail.com or by cell at 207-664-3769.

Owen “OJ” Logue

Southwest Harbor

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WHY I’M RUNNING FOR STATE HOUSE

Fifteen months ago, Donald Trump and his MAGA Congress passed the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.” This legislation cut $1 trillion in support for basic human necessities, including healthcare, food, heating assistance, education, and childcare, to give billionaires and corporations a big tax break.

Republicans have tried to hide the bill’s dangers by making sure some changes don’t take effect until after the November elections. But let’s be clear: People will starve in our state. People will die from untreated medical conditions. People will not have heat in their homes.

It is up to the State Legislature to reduce the damage and harm caused by these cuts.

Last year I organized the Progressive Caucus to advocate for a clear legislative vision. A third of the Democrats in the House are now active members of the Progressive Caucus. We are organized and ready to introduce and advance bills that benefit the vast majority, not just the elite.

We believe that everyone should be able to see a doctor when they’re sick; that no one should have to work two or three jobs to put food on the table; that housing and heat are a basic right; and that our democracy requires free and fair elections. We stand for the promise of the American dream, where a fair share of the wealth we create is paid to working Mainers in fair wages, where everyone has a fair chance to succeed, where everyone plays by the same rules, and where government works for Main Street not Wall Street.

I serve on the Taxation Committee, where we developed a surcharge on people earning more than $1 million a year. This bill, passed into law, will generate $100 million annually to fund healthcare, childcare, support for home health aides, housing, and essential services for women.

We also wrote legislation that would institute a local option lodging tax, a 1% tax increase on the largest and most profitable corporations, and reform the income tax so that Mainers making less than $150,000 would pay less in taxes and those making more would pay their fair share.

We made progress in advancing those bills, but we didn’t finish the job and win passage.

That is why I want to return to Augusta this January as your representative, to work to bring these and other progressive bills across the finish line in the Legislature.

These aren’t the only issues motivating me.

I will also work to advance the agenda of a tax task force we created, aimed at addressing runaway increases in property taxes and rent. I want to institute its recommendations to relieve the burden that unfairly hurts those on fixed income, the elderly, and many others.

I will push to reduce energy bills while advancing clean energy technology, and to pause the permitting of data centers until their impact on our environment and electric bills are understood.

I will work to assure that AI is not exploiting our residents and abusing our privacy. And I will work to ensure that no more essential healthcare services are shut down – such as the loss of our maternity unit at MDI Hospital.

I look forward to addressing these urgent matters with a greater voice through the Progressive Caucus and by serving on the Taxation Committee.

Serving the constituents I hear from is my most satisfying role. Thank you for your emails and your support.

Let’s turn things around in 2027. I would appreciate your vote on November 3.

Gary Friedmann

Bar Harbor

Gary Friedmann is completing his first term as the State Representative for Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, Lamoine and the Cranberry Isles. He chairs the Legislature’s Progressive Caucus.

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NATE YOUNG FOR TOWN COUNCIL

Bar Harbor needs Nate Young on its town council. His recent letter to the Bar Harbor Story shows how deeply he cares about the community and how much time he is willing to devote to researching important issues. I hope he runs again next June, and I encourage others to vote for him.

Terry O’Connell

Bar Harbor

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REORGANIZATION ANSWERS

As a Bar Harbor parent and school board member, I’ve heard many thoughtful questions about the reorganization plan on the November 3 ballot. The biggest are simple: Why do this, and why now?

For me, the answer starts with our students.

Every fall, many children from across MDI, Trenton, and the outer islands walk into MDI High School together. We are proud of that school and the opportunities it provides. But before they get there, they attend separate elementary schools with different resources, staffing levels, and programming. Dedicated educators work hard in every school, yet students do not always arrive with the same foundation. A stronger regional system would give us the opportunity to better align curriculum, services, and support so that every child enters high school with the same opportunities to succeed.

Our elementary schools are small, and that is one of their greatest strengths. Small schools create close knit communities where students are known and valued. But their size also creates challenges. District figures show Conners Emerson with 335 students and the other elementary schools with 554 students combined, and Conners Emerson does not have pre K. In our four largest schools after Conners Emerson, the average grade has about 13 students.

Each school does wonderful work, but alone, providing specialized services becomes more difficult and expensive. Two schools that each need a part time special education teacher must recruit and support two separate part time positions. In a regional system, those resources can be shared, making it easier to attract and retain highly qualified professionals while giving students better access to the services they need. The same principle applies to counseling, intervention programs, enrichment opportunities, and other specialized support.

Just as important is the question of timing. Why now? Because big decisions are coming whether we act or not.

We are going to continue facing major decisions about facilities, staffing, and long term financial sustainability. I would rather we make those choices together, with a plan, than one town at a time. I believe our communities are stronger when we solve problems collectively rather than waiting until circumstances force our hand.

Many residents are understandably concerned about taxes and local control. The facts matter. Bar Harbor taxpayers are already committed to paying for the Conners Emerson building, a necessary and long overdue need. That cost exists regardless of this vote. Under an RSU, every member town would share responsibility for the building and its long term upkeep. The same for all other schools.

Bar Harbor would also keep a strong voice. Seats on the fifteen member RSU board are assigned by the same split as high school voting today. Teachers keep their contracts, no town can be forced to consolidate schools, and no school can be closed unless it is replaced by a new building and approved by that town’s voters.

This plan is not a radical change. It does not try to do everything at once, as many residents asked. It is a step in the right direction, and whatever comes next, like a shared middle school, starts here. It will remain the board’s job to protect what we have built and keep pushing it forward. Future decisions are up to future voters.

More than fifty years ago, our towns came together to build MDI High School because they recognized that some opportunities are greater when we work together than when we work apart. That same principle is before us today.

This reorganization is a practical, measured step toward giving every child access to the strongest education we can provide while preserving local voices and local schools. I hope you’ll join me in voting yes on November 3.

Tyson Starling

Bar Harbor