Truth in Politics. The Boothbay Selectmen Race and Referendum Issues

Concentrated housing zones and a 100-million-dollar school in a coordinated plan

Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash

Boothbay. Maine: Referendums and selectman elections happen on May 1st. Writeups published on April 19. There are no public question and answer sessions but I comment in the Boothbay Register, hoping others would join in, but so far only one comment warning that we could be taken over by the” far left”. Here’s my take on the four candidates running for 2 selectman seats in Boothbay:

The question is Considering the position you are running for, what do you feel are the three most pressing issues?

Eric Bertelsen’s answer expands the number of issues by identifying “ housing, a strong local economy, a healthy environment, the needs of seniors, and the importance of our schools to the entire community” and then turns the parameter of “most pressing issues” upside down when he says “ Having attended many candidate forums and meetings on local issues, I know that I am not unique in identifying these as important issues for Boothbay. In my view, none of these issues should be viewed in isolation. Clearly, they all matter, are interrelated, and need to be addressed with an eye toward both their short- and long-term impact on the citizens of Boothbay and its economy.” This is a smart way to answer the question in a short amount of space. I give Bertelsen and A+ for recognizing that there are long term effects to how we handle the pressing issues of our day.

Charles Cunningham, an incumbent running for reelection answers the question within its parameters “I would say that the three most pressing issues are all interrelated issues: housing,our schools, and getting the most out of each dollar the town receives to keep taxes down.” He puts in a plug for expanding the TIF zone that he and the other Town selectmen worked on in partnership with the Boothbay Regional Development Cabal, which is technically the Boothbay Regional Development Corporation, but it is such a secret corporation that cabal is a more accurate signifier, so sometimes I will call it what it is. its corporate structure is largely hidden, it is a cabal.