An event popped into my Facebook stream today that caught my eye.  It’s called “Mail a copy of the Lorax to Governor Le Page (sic).”

I appreciate the sentiment.  I love The Lorax, and I even named my laptop Lorax.  LePage’s proposals to gut the DEP and roll back fifty years of environmental regulation are horrifying – e.g., is it really that beneficial to our economy to allow BPA in our baby bottles again?  How many jobs will that create?

Here’s the thing – people who roll their eyes at environmentalists don’t respect the science or economy of a pro-environment stance. I believe that many of the patriarchal business-minded politicians and lobbyists see environmentalists as simple-minded and nostalgic. To them, we “hug” trees and protect cute, helpless animals for the sake of protecting them. LePage’s disparaging (and dishonest) remarks about black fly and buffalo censuses feed that myth.

I don’t want to save the Maine woods because I like trees. I want to save it because tourism is our #1 industry. We don’t protect vernal pools because frogs and salamanders are cute. We protect them because screwing with our ecosystem, in an economy where hunting and fishing are so vital, is imperative.

In Maine, pro-environment is pro-business.

This is what our argument needs to be over the next four years. And, as much as I treasure The Lorax, sending a childrens’ book to the Blaine House sends the wrong message. We are all grown-ups, and we are all very serious about protecting our environment because it is so vital to Maine’s economy.

Who is Dean Scontras?

Dean Scontras is pretty new to Maine politics. He lost the GOP primary for the first district in 2008.  He’s never held elected office.  I don’t know very much about him, or what qualifies him to hold national office.  His campaign web site bio does mention that he was Vice President of his high school’s National Honors Society (interestingly enough, so was I.).

The issues page on Scontras’ campaign website is a 1,629 word essay, and it’s primarily a diatribe against federal government spending.

It’s been proven time and time again that the government just doesn’t do a good job at tackling these issues – Dean Scontras

Clearly someone so principled in our government’s inability to do anything right wouldn’t advocate for big government programs, right?

Economists, accountants, and even voters agree: raising taxes, increasing regulation, and encouraging government involvement in the economy are no way to build a sound economic foundation for America.  - Dean Scontras

Does Scontras practice what he preaches?

RA Power Solutions

One of the few things Scontras does like to offer about his past is that he’s the co-founder of  company thatadvocates for wind energy called RA Power Solutions. Reducing our reliance on foreign oil is a noble goal and one that I happen to agree with. Wind energy is one route to that independence, but it requires considerable investment.  Does Scontras discourage “federal involvement” when it comes to this?  Heck no!  If you’re interested in converting to wind energy, RA Power solutions has a whole page dedicated to sharing federal and state programs that assist businesses and consumers with rebate programs and incentives for switching to wind power. That page also has a link to the DSIRE website, which has a treasure trove of federal programs for energy investment.  I counted 21 of these programs on that page alone.

One has to wonder which of these programs Scontras would like to cut to mitigate what his campaign website calls the “long-term effects of this out-of-control spending.”

Perhaps Dean Scontras believes that government programs are only good if they help Dean Scontras.

A lot has been made of the fact that Maine’s population is aging. How should this affect Maine public policy? The graphic below compares the number of Maine Medicare Recipients (a federal program that primarily assists United States citizens over the age of 65), to the number of students enrolled in Maine public education, per capita.

Sources:

https://www.cms.gov/MedicareEnRpts/

http://www.statehealthfacts.kff.org/profileind.jsp?ind=290&cat=6&rgn=21

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d08/tables/dt08_033.asp

http://www.maine.gov/education/enroll/ctytrend.ppt

http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html

http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/1990s/ST-99-03.txt

http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/1980s/st8090ts.txt

I live on a side street off from Washington Avenue in Portland, Maine.  If you don’t frequent that part of the world, then you’ve missed a grassroots campaign of sorts. The neighborhood residents seem to have gotten tired of  your fast driving, and have taken matters into their own hands.  Perhaps inspired by the recent proliferation of campaign signs, folks have started making their own signs imploring drivers to slow down.

History

All indications are that the city is well aware of the traffic and has made efforts to correct the problem on their own.  There’s a spot near my home where a police officer is stationed at least once each week trying to catch speeders. Last year, they created lots at the intersections on Washington Avenue, and posted signage (I love that word… “signage”) reminding people to slow down as “respect our neighborhood.”  Apparently this hasn’t done the trick.

I decided it’d be fun to document the handiwork of my fellow North Deeringites.

Homemade Signage

I apologize for the goofy layout here. Couldn’t make WordPress do my bidding.

I like this one because it uses several pieces of cardboard. The other side of the tree has a similar multi-piece design. Bonus points for correctly spelling neighborhood, with clever emphasis on "neighbor"!

Driving slow is gangsta, yo. A+ for originality. This one is also nice because it's on wood, and the bright letters are easy to read on the dark background.

I like this one because it's unusually shaped, and the red background gets your attention.

This is the reverse side of the previous sign.

This sign pleads with the animal lover in all (some) of us.

This one is straight-to-the-point. It appears to be a retro-fitted Bill Beardsley campaign sign.

Simple, clean design here. I'm afraid the magic marker that they used to create the sign is beginning to fade.

This person used multiple signs to spread out his message. Unfortunately I couldn't capture it very well with my phone's camera.

Professionally Created Signs

Very recently, a new type of sign has started to appear on Washington Avenue.  It looks like a professionally designed sign.  I don’t know if it was created just for this purpose, or if these are things you can find down at Home Depot.  Either way, I’m not a fan of them.  For one thing, it takes the human element out of the campaign to make us slow down.  It looks like a campaign sign or a sign for a landscaping company.

It takes a lot of effort to dig up materials in the garage some night after work, design a sign with whatever sharpies you have available, staple it to a stake and hammer it into the ground.  These professional signs don’t have the same soul.  I suspect our brains will attenuate them the same way that it deals with campaign signs.

Do They Work?

I was really hoping to run into one of the homeowners on the street to ask them about the signs.  I’m curious if it’s an orchestrated thing, or if one person started with one sign and it mushroomed. I’d like to know who is behind the professionally printed signs – is somebody paying for them?  Who?  And do they perceive that the traffic is actually going more slowly?  I suspect that it is – I know I pay more attention to my speed on Washington Ave than I used to.

I also noticed a couple of houses for sale nearby. I couldn’t help wondering if the neighbors obvious traffic complaints hurt their ability to sell their homes.

Of all of my blog posts, the one that made the biggest splash was the one where I attempted to figure out which designers created each candidate’s web sites.  Of particular interest to me was whether or not the candidates hired Maine-based firms.

The primaries are now behind us. To recap, Eliot Cutler hired a New Hampshire based firm, and Paul LePage hired a firm from Bangor, ME. At the time I wrote the article, I was unable to determine who designed Libby Mitchell’s site.  Now that she is the nominee, I decided I’d try a little harder to figure it out.

I started going through all of the CSS files, one at a time.  For non-geeks, CSS files are the files that tell your web browser what the font, layout, colors, and pictures the site should be – in other words, the “pretty stuff” (as opposed to the actual text you read).  It’s perfectly legal to look at these files – after all, your browser needs to be able to read them!

Mitchell’s site is a WordPress installation.  Once I found the main WordPress theme CSS file, I hit pay dirt – because the file uses the standard template for a WordPress theme, there is a section to fill in the author.   Here’s what it says:

/*
Theme Name: Libby Mitchell for Governor
Theme URI: http://www.libbymitchellforgovernor.com
Description: Custom WordPress theme developed for the Libby Mitchell for Governor campaign. Created by Projects by CD2.
Version: 1.0
Author: William Donahoe
Author URI: http://projectsbycd2.com
*/

So, it looks like projectsbycd2 is the firm in question.  If you go to their “site“, you’ll note that they don’t really have a web presence at all – it’s just a Facebook page (odd for an online/new media company).  The phone number is in the 202 area code, and the video linked from their Facebook page clearly says that they are based in Washington, DC.

Unfortunately for Maine web designers, that means only one of the three major contenders for Maine governor used a Maine-based agency to create their web presence.

UPDATE: Folks have been discussing this on Twitter, and it’s a bit unclear what, if any, ties this firm has to Maine.  It’s possible they have an office in Portland, ME.  One of my Twitter followers found Donahoe’s LinkedIn profile. It shows that he attended school at Bowdoin, and is now attending Virginia Commonwealth University.  I’ll keep you posted if I hear more.

Primary time is almost here. Political signs on wire stakes have sprouted up and invaded every intersection and lane divider in the state. Candidates have elbowed their way between commercials for cars and breakfast cereal during the local news, cheerfully proclaiming why they should have what is arguably the worst job in the state.

I’m a Democrat, so I’ll be voting in the Democratic primary, and I’ll be casting my vote for Steve Rowe.  Here are the reasons why I’ve chosen him:

Experience

There’s no shortage of candidates this year professing their complete lack of public service experience as though it were a badge of honor. I share the general sentiment with many Mainers that if you’re a business owner, and an employee isn’t doing his or her job, then you fire them. But you wouldn’t go out of your way to replace that employee with someone who has a blank rèsumè. Some people may extend the “fire the ineffective” logic to mean we need new blood in Augusta in the form of rookie leaders. I couldn’t disagree more.  Maine is in some dire economic straits right now, and it isn’t the time for a governor who needs on-the-job training.

Steve Rowe has plenty of experience in both private and public sectors. In fact, I challenge anyone in either party to find a candidate with a better rèsumè than Rowe’s.  He earned his Masters of Business Administration, and has effectively managed teams at several large Maine-based businesses.  As a legislator, he was elected by his peers as Speaker of the House, and chaired committees for Economic Development and Research and Development (the latter being near and dear to my geek heart). As Attorney General, few others have fought on the side of Mainers as effectively as he has. He’s directly tackled issues from clean water to domestic abuse, from prescription drug prices to predatory lending practices.  As governor, he’ll be continue to be a confident voice for all of Maine.

Personal Character

I don’t know Steve Rowe personally, but I know several people who do.  All of them say the same thing; they say what an outstanding person he is. That’s a pretty rare thing to hear about a politician. I’ve heard heartwarming stories about things he’s done for victims of domestic abuse and families of vets, with no expectation of media attention or public gratitude.  Steve Rowe is the real deal – he’s not just another attention-grabbing opportunist running for office.

Steve Rowe graduated from West Point with a degree in Mathematics and Engineering (another thing near and dear to my geek heart).  He’s held logistical and financial leadership positions in the military. He earned his MBA by attending night and weekend classes.  In short, Rowe is a hard-working, loyal, and thoughtful man who “walks the walk.”

Speaking of “walking the walk,” one of my most popular blog posts was one where I researched the companies who created the candidate’s web sites.  Unlike some of the candidates, Steve Rowe hired a Maine based company to build his site.

Issues

Everyone in Maine can recall a shoe factory, paper mill, wood products plant, or textile mill that shut down in his or her hometown.  Manufacturing packed up and left the state years ago with the advent of globalization. It’s folly to think that those businesses will ever return with the presence they once had. The new Maine will need new industry to steady our economic ship.  Steve Rowe’s plan for Maine is to invest in our greatest resources, like sustainable forestry, aquafarming, and clean energy.  He envisions making Maine “energy independent.”  Our high energy costs are a large hurtle to businesses in Maine, and Steve Rowe’s plan to make Maine a leader in wind energy will lower energy costs and create jobs.

Steve Rowe recognizes the importance of early childhood education and has made it a centerpiece of his plan for education. As a legislator, he worked for technology upgrades at our universities and community colleges.  He will also work to further integrate Maine’s 2-year and 4-year institutions, which will make higher education (a critical component of a growing economy) more accessible to all Mainers.

Rowe has been a champion of community-based health centers and understands the importance of preventative care in reducing the cost of health care in Maine .

Steve Rowe believes in marriage equality and will continue to fight for the rights of all Maine families.

Steve Rowe for Maine

I’ve never put a bumper sticker on my car during primary season until Steve Rowe ran for governor. He is the leader with the experience that our state needs right now. I hope you vote for him on Tuesday.

One of my friends on Twitter pointed me at this little gem last night.  This is from the recent Republican Gubernatorial debate on WCSH 6.  During the debate, moderator Pat Callaghan gave the candidates an opportunity to weigh in on the effectiveness of “local control” in public education.  During a somewhat rambling missive, LePage slipped in a rather innovative solution to Maine’s education woes:

Watch Paul LePage on education during the WCSH6 GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Debate

Unless I’m mistaken, LePage is advocating importing students from Asia to bring up Maine’s public school test scores?

I’ve grown used to the GOP’s usual platitudes on charter schools and home schooling, and their frequent rebukes of Maine’s teachers unions.  But it sounds like this darling of the Tea Party wing of the Maine GOP has some truly unique ideas.

Several candidates for Maine governor have criticized Maine’s low student/teacher ratios during their campaigns.  Many people see low student/teacher ratios as a good thing – studies generally show that smaller classrooms result in a higher quality education.  This should be obvious – smaller classrooms lead to fewer disruptions and improved individual attention.

However, it’s also true that economic downturns force the state to examine its budget closely, and a few candidates are eyeing Maine’s small classroom size as a luxury we can’t afford to continue.  Some also point to Maine’s low test scores and affirm the consequent that Maine’s small classrooms do nothing to increase the value of education.

Bill Beardsley

Bill Beardsley has stated repeatedly that he is in favor of increasing Maine’s classroom sizes:

“Savings are achievable by bringing our student-teacher ratio more in line with other rural states that have proven results with fewer teachers. This can be achieved through attrition.”  - http://www.pressherald.com/home/governor/How-would-the-candidates-balance-the-budget.html

Beardsley reiterates this on his blog:

“Our student/faculty ratios are far too low even by rural state standards.” - http://billbeardsley.com/blog/?p=47

Eliot Cutler

Cutler has said many times, in his blog and on his page, that he is in favor of increasing Maine’s classroom sizes:

“Our student-teacher ratio has become the most favorable in the nation at 9:1 versus a national average of almost 16:1. If we increase our student-teacher ratio to 13.5:1 — the average of several rural states that are currently performing as well or better than Maine — we would save $400 million each year.”  - http://cutler2010.com/2010/02/no-excuses-education-reform/

Cutler’s choice of words is particularly notable in this blog post, where refers to the size of Maine’s small classrooms as “worse” than the national average:

“Because Maine’s ratio of classroom teachers to pupils now has become the second highest among all the states, fully 25 percent worse than the national average.” - http://cutler2010.com/2009/11/charter_schools_the-democrats_final_fall/

Paul LePage

Given his generally conservative stance, it is unsurprising that Paul LePage also wants more children per Maine classroom.  His tone seems among the most urgent of the candidates:

“We need to increase the student to teacher ratio to an average of 18 students per teacher…” - http://augustainsider.us/gopedq1/

Peter Mills

Peter Mills never comes out and says definitively that he is in favor of increasing classroom sizes.  Instead, he drops Maine’s teacher/student ratio into lists of “facts” in vague, meandering discussions about the high cost of education in the state.

“There is much room in K-12 budgets for cost reduction. Maine spends about $2000 more per year on each child than the rest of the nation… Maine has the second lowest student-teacher ratio in the U.S. (11 to 1)…” - http://www.millsformaine.com/2010/05/peter-mills-on-education

Mills has written a particularly verbose essay that covers everything from the United States constitution to healthcare to William the Conqueror’s Domesday Book. It features quotes from science fiction authors, philosophers, comedians, and Benjamin Franklin.  Buried deep within this tome in another “hint” at dissatisfaction with Maine’s small classroom sizes:

“According to recent surveys by Education Week, Maine has the seventh lowest pupil-teacher ratios in the United States for elementary schools (13.1 students per teacher in 2002 versus 16.0 for the nation). During the past ten years, student enrollments have dropped by 6% while the number of teachers has gone up by 10%”. - http://www.petermills.info/articles/20042.asp, “Why is Education so Costly?”

Rosa Scarcelli

Rosa Scarcelli is the only Democrat (well, aside from self-proclaimed “independent” Eliot Cutler, ahem) who thinks Maine should increase it’s student/teacher ratio:

“Second, raising our state student-teacher ratio closer to the national average will save enough to retrain displaced teachers and invest in better learning results.” - http://www.pressherald.com/home/governor/How-would-the-candidates-balance-the-budget.html

What is interesting about Scarcelli is that she is the only candidate running with school-aged children.  Beardsley, Cutler, LePage, and Mills all have adult children according to their online biographies.

At first, Scarcelli having school-aged kids seems like a good thing.  As Governor, she would have a vested interest in ensuring that her own kids get a first-rate public education.  As a parent, she has probably seen first-hand what challenges the public school systems in Maine face.

Except she hasn’t, because Scarcelli’s kids do not attend public school.  Scarcelli is an alumni of Waynflete school, a private school in Portland.  She is also a member of Waynflete’s board of trustees. According to Wikipedia, the student/teacher ratio at Waynflete is 4:1, vastly lower than Maine’s average.  Tuition at for K-12 education Waynflete ranges from $11,305 to $23,560.  A call to their campaign office confirmed that Scarcelli sends her children to Waynflete.

I know the world isn’t fair. Parents who can afford to send their kids to the best private education money can buy should be able to do so. I would do the same thing if I could. But I find it a bit conceited that Scarcelli thinks that bigger classrooms are acceptable for “the rest of Maine,” while a 4:1 student/teacher ratio OK for those who can spend $23,000 a year, as well as her own kids.

At least she isn’t advocating for vouchers, which would be an obvious conflict of interests.

Dear Honorable Senators,

You represent our wonderful state in the United States Senate.  As a lifelong Democrat, I was always a bit disappointed that both Senators from Maine, arguably a stalwart blue state, carry an “R” next to their names. However, whenever your names are invoked by the press, it’s rare that it isn’t followed up with the obligatory modifier – “Maine’s two moderate Republican Senators.”  I’ve taken comfort in the fact that, as good Eisenhower Republicans, I could count on both of you to be the voice of reason within a party that has slid further and further to the right. I’m certain that I’m not the only Mainer who feels this way.

As Maine’s two Senators, you both currently hold the highest office of any Republican in the state. I’m no political strategist, but I have to imagine that holding such a position affords you substantial influence with your party back home.

Maine’s GOP Platform

The Maine Republican Party platform, as ratified at this year’s party convention in Portland, has been causing quite a stir lately.   It’s not a long or complicated document, but for the benefit of those who don’t have the time to read the whole thing, here are some highlights:

• “Oppose ‘Localism and Diversity’, the Fairness Doctrine or whatever else such attempted restrictions are labeled. Any restriction on speech is by definition NOT free speech.”
• “Oppose any and all treaties with the UN or any other organization or country which surrenders US sovereignty. Specifically:  i. Reject the UN Treaty on Rights of the Child.  ii. Reject ‘LOST’ theLaw Of The Sea Treaty. iii. Reject any agreement which seeks to confiscate our firearms.”
• “Reassert the principle that ‘Freedom of Religion’ does not mean ‘freedom from religion’.”
• “Marriage is an institution between a man and a woman.”
• “Return to the principles of Austrian Economics, and redirect the economy back to one of incentives to save and invest.”
• “Espouse and follow the principle: It is immoral to steal the property rightfully earned by one person, and give it to another who has no claim or right to its benefits.”
• “Clarify that healthcare is not a right. It is a service.”
• “Repeal and prohibit any participation in efforts to create a one world government.”

Is This the Maine You Know?

The Maine that I know values independence, hard work, and natural beauty. We respect out neighbor’s freedom and privacy to a degree that people “from away” often interpret as cold indifference. I have no problem with a party platform that espouses these values.  But some of these points seem pretty far from the way the Mainers I know think.  I have to wonder who wrote them.

For example; a recent Gallup Poll showed that Maine is one of the least religious states in the nation.  I would venture a guess that many Maine Republicans would very much like to keep their freedom from religion.  Another poll from last year showed overwhelming support for healthcare reform with a public option (I’ll set aside the fact that both of you were against it, and leave that for another post).  Given that, I’m surprised that so many Republicans are clamoring to clarify that healthcare is not a right.  As for “Austrian Economics,” am I to believe that the Maine GOP is against having a minimum wage?  I know that taxes in Maine are high, and you’d be hard pressed to find a Mainer who didn’t think so.  But I’m troubled with the statement “it is immoral to steal the property rightfully earned by one person, and give it to another who has no claim or right to its benefits.”  Does the Maine Republican party believe in abolishing taxes entirely?

Where Do You Stand?

Senators, this is your political party.  This is your home state.  You represent me and a million other lucky souls who call this state our home.  As our Senators, I think Mainers are owed an answer.  I think members of your own party are owed an answer.  If this is the guiding doctrine of your party, I wonder if they still support you representing them?  Indeed, the term limit plank of the new platform sounds a bit like they are trying to replace you.

Is this the party you belong to?  Does this represent what you believe?  Are you concerned about the direction the party is taking?

This weekend, our family did something that we should’ve done a long time ago: we explored the Portland Trails system.  My son has been working on a section of it as part of a class project. He wanted to show us the portion his class had been working on, so we packed some water bottles and headed out.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much undeveloped land there still is in the city.  In our neighborhood, the trails are mini-nature walks that connect different neighborhoods together, particular around the Lyseth and Moore schools.  Eventually our son led us to a section of the trails near his class project that he kept referring to as “the landfill.”

The Landfill

Of course, I didn’t think he literally meant a landfill, as in a “town dump,” but I was wrong.  It was, in fact, a capped former landfill tucked away behind Dragon Cement near the Portland/Falmouth line. Apparently it now serves as a Dog Park that is managed by the city.  I grew up in Maine, but I’m pretty new to Portland, so I had no idea the former landfill/dog park was there.

There were several signs cautioning against allowing pets to drink from the water (duh!). The grassy hill goes up 70ft to the summit.  That doesn’t sound impressive, but it sure looks it, especially after trekking a few miles through the woods with your kids.  On the top of the hill, there were some people setting off model rockets. We didn’t dare venture all the way to the top; we didn’t want anyone to catch a plastic cone glued to an M80 in the eye.

It was pretty nice there.  You might not guess that it was once a landfill if it weren’t for the orange water oozing out from the base of it.

It was pretty windy that day, which got me to thinking…

Wouldn’t it be Cool?

I’m a sucker for a good story.  What better symbol is there for rampant consumerism than a giant pile of rotting American trash?  When it comes to being caretakers of the earth, a landfill is a black eye on the face of humanity.  What if we could take this place where we once piled our garbage, and turn it into a small wind farm?

Reading up on wind power at Wikipedia and on WikiAnswers (admittedly not the most scientific sources), wind turbines typically run at 10% – 40% of their “capacity factor” based on how much wind there is.  So a 1MW wind turbine (large, but not unheard of) at 10% capacity (picking a number at the low end) produces 875 MW over the course of a year.  An average household uses roughly 10MW/year, so that’s about 90 houses worth of power.

Obviously, more wind turbines means more power and more homes running on green, renewable energy.  There are about 4,210 households in North Deering, so it’d take a whopping 46 turbines to light up the whole neighborhood (not likely!).

Note: I am no power engineer… this is very back-of-the-envelope math by a highly unqualified blogger. Take this with a huge grain of salt.

A Few More Benefits

As I was walking around the old landfill, I noticed that there are already some pretty beefy power lines running adjacent to the site. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just “tie into” the existing lines and get the turbines onto the grid?

I envision a scenario where the City of Portland leases the land that it owns atop the landfill to a green energy company, perhaps with offsetting short-term tax incentives to the prospective lessor, to mitigate taxpayer risk.

The Downsides

I’m sure there are lots of people who would hate to see the dog park mutilated this way.  And dog owners have already been pushed out of park after park in Portland – if this little project pushed them out again, there’d be a lot of howling, angry dog owners in this town.

Although the neighborhoods are a pretty good distance away from the site, I’m sure there are people who are close enough (Charlotte Drive, Apple Ledge Drive, and Ledgewood Drive to name a few) that would hear the wind turbines and object to the sound.  They would also rightly have valid concerns about their property values.

I have no idea if the idea makes business sense.  I know nothing about erecting, operating, and maintaining a wind turbine. I don’t know what’s involved when it comes to selling electricity to a power utility.  This might be a financial loser from the get-go, and if it is, then it should be nothing more than an novel idea.  Portland needn’t waste time and money on another Kittery debacle.

But it seems like such a neat idea – what do you think?