The West End News - October Municipal Election Edition - Vol. 22 No. 10

Ballot Question D, Minimum Wage & the Future for Portland’s Restaurant Workers

By Colin Monahan

Residents of Por tland prepare to head to the polls this November 8th to contend with a series of citizen initiative ballot measures pertaining to the city’s regulation of short-term rentals, tenant’s rights, and cruise ships. Ballot Measure D, titled “An Act to Eliminate the Sub-Min imum Wage, Increase Minimum Wages and Strengthen Protections for Workers,” seeks to incrementally increase the mini mum wage for all workers to $18.00 per hour by 2025. The proposal specifcally in cludes government employees, contract ed workers currently not receiving the minimum wage (such as Uber drivers and InstaCart personal shoppers) and tipped restaurant workers. Currently, the min imum wage for Maine servers, bartend ers, and other tipped workers is $6.38 per hour, while the state minimum wage is $12 per hour for all other non-exempt workers.

Four of the fve citizen initiatives on the ballot come election day were pro posed and petitioned by the Maine Dem ocratic Socialists of America (DSA) as part of their Livable Portland project. Wes Pelletier, a committee member of the DSA project said, “What we want is for peo ple who work in Portland to be able to live here, to be able to contribute and not have to move out of the city.”

Opposition groups, Restaurant Work ers of America and Restaurant Industry United, claim that rising labor costs will be the “nail in the coffn for the Portland dining scene.”

“It’ll force a lot of us, senior staff and career servers, to work outside of the City of Portland and really kill and obliter

ate the dining scene here in Portland,” said Joshua Chaisson, President of Restaurant Workers of America. “This would mean a 175% increase [in labor costs] for 80% of a full-service restaurant staff over the course of three years. I don’t think any in dustry could sustain that.”

“There’s no data to support that. There are seven other states that have gotten rid of the tip credit,” said Pelletier of DSA. In fact, Alaska, California, Minneso ta, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Wash ington have all eliminated the tip credit.

According to the Federal Register, a “tip credit” is a method for employers to pay their employees who receive tips a sub-minimum wage - such as $6.38 per hour in Maine - if the employees’ tips are suffcient to fulfll the remainder of the minimum wage.

Maine DSA has said that the use of the tip credit has a legacy tied to sexism and Jim Crow laws. “Many marginalized people, black and brown people, just make less on tips because people are racist, and they tip less. And they are in work situa tions that are more predatory. The Maine Center for Economic Policy [MECEP] es timated that women will be paid more, black workers will be paid more, across the board marginalized communities will get a raise out of this,” said Pelletier.

MECEP has reported in a recent anal ysis of the ballot measure that women are much more likely to be paid under the tip credit system because approximately sev enty percent of Portland’s tipped workers are women. The report also found that “the increased minimum wage will help to close existing pay disparities, as women and workers of color are more likely than

men and white workers to be paid wages below $18 per hour. Forty-two percent of women working in Portland will see a wage increase, compared to thirty per cent of men. [Additionally], the new mini mum wage would particularly help work ers who are either younger (under 25) or older (65 and older).”

Ruby’s West End, a family eatery on Pine Street and WEN advertiser, pay their employees the full minimum wage. “This ballot measure does not mean everybody will lose their jobs. In fact, I think that just the opposite would happen. You will have stronger cultures, you will have bet ter customer service, you will have more buy-in from your employees. The comrad ery that will happen between the front of the house and back of the house team will blow your mind,” commented Ruby’s co-owner Corrinna Stum.

Ruby’s West End is a member of the One Fair Wage coalition, a nation-wide campaign to end the sub-minimum wage. “Nobody should have ever made $2.13 an hour. If you think about a sub-minimum wage, you’re looking at a sub-minimum person. I want people to know that this bill directly affects their community. If ser vice industry workers in Portland are not making a living wage, they’re gonna move and they’re gonna fnd places that they can afford to live in - because Portland’s get ting more expensive. And if we don’t have any workers, you’re gonna see a lot more restaurants closing,” said Stum.

“I live right behind Ruby’s on Clark Street. It’s diffcult to make a month’s rent here on the peninsula,” said David, a West End local and server at Ruby’s.

Cont'd on Pg. 7

Pages 12-13

“I’m very proud to work here because it’s a family run business. And it’s a business that’s run on fair ethics of pay and equal cut,” said David, a server a Ruby’s West End.

-Photo by Colin Monahan

Volunteers count trees (and stumps) in Portland

Portland Candidate List for City Council and School Board

Charter Commission & Citizen Initiative Ballot Questions

Celebrating lobster eateries along Maine’s coast

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Candidates on Portland’s Municipal Ballot

By Tony Zeli

Portland voters face many ballot ques tions this November 8th but shouldn’t forget the candidates for municipal offce. Races include one at-large city council seat, one at-large school board, and Dis trict 3 city council and school board seats. Also, there are races for Portland Water District Trustee and Peaks Island Council that did not draw competitive races.

At-Large City Council

City Councilor Pious Ali is running for reelection. He is the frst African-born Muslim American to be elected to a pub lic offce in Maine. Some of his campaign issues include workforce improvement through education and trade programs, “fully” funding public education, and in volving the public in government decisions.

Councilor Ali has two opponents in the race. Aqeel Mohialdeen is an Iraqi im migrant and Vice Chairman of the Maine GOP Multicultural Community Center. His talking points include prioritizing city infrastructure, identifying “sexually explic it materials” in the schools, and providing Halal meals in the schools.

Ali’s other challenger is Richard Ward, who believes in “standing up to the woke progressive mob” and “medical freedom”.

Two At-Large School Board Seats

There are only two candidates for

two at-large school board seats, Ben Grant and Sarah Lentz. Both won offce during a special election this past June after the seats were vacated by previous members.

District 3 City Council

District 3 draws two candidates for the open city council seat. Nathaniel Fer guson is a data analyst for a local nonprof it. He is running to make Portland more livable, especially increasing the housing supply, investing in buses, and improving cycling infrastructure.

Regina Phillips holds advanced de grees in social work and has worked for Westbrook School Department, the City of Portland’s homeless family shelter, Ref ugee Services Programs, and Head Start center. Phillips will focus on youth and families.

District 3 School Board

The District 3 school board seat has several contenders. School board member Adam Burk is running for reelection. He is a former Waynfete teacher and is running on his record, including fghting to prevent cuts to teacher pay and participating in the work group that developed the return to school plan after Covid closures.

His challengers include Julianne Op perman, who has forty years of experience

Cont'd on bottom of Pg. 5

Post Offce Staffng Shortages Disrupt West End Branch

By Tony Zeli

“DUE TO UNFORTUNATE STAFF ING ISSUES THIS LOCATION WILL BE CLOSED TODAY. WE ARE SORRY FOR ANY INCONVE NIENCE.”

The West End’s post offce branch, Station A at 622 Congress Street, is ex periencing staffng issues. The staffng shortage has caused temporary closures of the service counter and disruption to services for weeks. Though customers can still drop off and pick up mail, when the counter is closed there are no stamp or money order sales and no package deliv ery for PO box customers.

The postal service has threatened to close Station A in the past. Neighbors and labor unions fought to save the branch. Located downtown near assisted living and affordable housing, the location is ac cessible by bus or walking. It is especially popular and needed for elderly and dis abled residents nearby.

“While the retail window was im pacted, there was a clerk being sent down from another offce to sort the PO box mail each day. So, while it may have gotten up later in the day, there was daily delivery

to all of our box customers,” responded Steve Doherty, regional spokesperson for the postal service.

Doherty said the staffng issue was short-term and already resolved. How ever, reports of a closed service window continue, especially before 10:30 a.m. WEN will continue coverage of this issue in the November edition.

Tony Zeli is publisher and editor. Reach him at thewestendnews@gmail.com.

Mon

Saturday:

Sign encountered on Sep. 15th, at 10 a.m. at Station A post offce branch on Congress St. -Photo by Tony Zeli

City Charter Questions: Portland votes on executive mayor, adding political districts, municipal clean elections & more

By Tony Zeli

In the fall of 2019, the city council de cided to send the issue of a charter com mission to the Portland voters. This was in lieu of a ballot question to enact clean elections after a successful signature drive. The charter commission was approved by voters in June 2020.

The following summer, in June 2021, Portland voters elected nine commission ers (another three were appointed by the city council).

The commission had the authority to recommend any change to the charter. So, they went forward to address many issues in addition to clean elections over the fol lowing year. In particular, the commission took on the long running debate over what powers the city’s mayor should have, who controls the school budget process, updates to ranked choice voting, non-citi zen voting rights in local elections (which did not move forward), and changes to the number and size of city council districts.

Ultimately, the charter commission’s proposals go before the voters of Port land on November 8th. Amendments to the charter are grouped under eight dif ferent questions, any one of which can pass separately with or without the suc cessful passage of the others.

Here is a summary of the questions with important details.

Question 1 - Preamble & Land Acknowledgement

Question 1 would redraft the Port land City Charter’s Preamble to read:

We, the people of Portland, Maine, establish this Charter to secure the ben efts of local governance and to provide for the health, safety, and common good of all people in our community. In so do ing, we seek to build a representative, re sponsive, and effective government that encourages leadership and participation from all members of that community, with an emphasis on accountability, eq uity, and inclusion, and a system of public education that supports Portland’s civic, intellectual, cultural, and economic life.

Also, it adds a land acknowledgment that reads:

Portland is located in the unced ed territory of the Aucocisco Band of the Wabanaki, which also includes the Abenaki, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passama quoddy, and Penobscot people. European colonizers displaced Wabanaki people by force and went on to displace and harm indigenous peoples throughout what is now Maine and the United States. We acknowledge that displacement and that harm with sorrow, even as we celebrate and honor the Wabanaki knowledge and culture that continue to thrive in the Trib al Nations that have and always will call this place, the Dawnland, their home.

Question 2 – Mayoral Powers & City Districts

Question 2 creates an executive mayor, replaces the city manager with a chief administrator, increases the number of seats on city council and school board from nine to twelve, and calls for the cre ation of a participatory budget process.

THE EXECUTIVE MAYOR

If passed, this proposal creates an ex ecutive mayor with new powers. Current ly the mayor is more of a super-city coun cilor and the city manager runs the city.

As proposed, the city manager is replaced by a chief administrator who oversees city departments and can remove department heads in consultation with the mayor.

The mayor receives new powers, including:

• Nominates and can remove the newly created chief administrator

• Nominates for appointment all de partment heads

• Veto power over the city budget and ordinances (subject to override by 2/3 vote of the city council)

• Recommends rules to govern com munications between city staff and elected offcials

• Introduces legislation to city council

Question 2 also increases the mayor’s salary from at least 1.5 times to 2 times the median household income in the city, and it raises school and city council pay to a minimum of 10% of the mayor’s salary.

As of 2020, the median household income for Portland was $61,695.

CITY COUNCIL / SCHOOL BOARD

The proposal increases the size of the city council and school board from a to tal of 9 to 12 seats. The new composition would include 9 district seats (up from the current 5) while keeping 3 at-large, or citywide, councilors.

The council can censure or remove the mayor for cause or call for a recall election by super-majority vote. The pro posal also creates a new city council chair and co-chair to preside over meetings and set the agenda, roles currently performed by the mayor.

The city council would retain the power to review the performance of oth er city heads (not the chief administrator), meaning the corporation counsel and city clerk.

Another change grants power to the city council to appoint vacated seats if the vacancy occurs within six months of the next election. Otherwise, there would be a special election.

BUDGETING

Question 2 establishes a joint com mittee on budget guidance consisting of 4 city councilors and 4 school board members. It also directs the city council to create a participatory budget process that involves the public as much as possible.

A new capital improvement plan (CIP) process requires the chief administrator to plan for future large expenditures in coordination with the superintendent of schools.

Question 3 - Clean Elections & Ban on Corporate Contributions

Question 3 directs the city council to create and manage a voluntary public fnancing system for municipal campaigns. To participate, candidates must accept lim its to the amount of funds they can raise, meet public support requirements, agree to participate in a city funded candidate forum, and return all unused funds to the clean election fund.

This proposal also prohibits corpo rations and their PACs from contributing to any candidate for municipal offce. Also, it prohibits ballot question committees from receiving contributions from entities under foreign infuence.

If passed, Question 3 requires the city clerk to create a searchable online data base of fnancial reports.

Question 4 – Proportional Ranked Choice Voting

For elections in which candidates are running for multiple seats, Question 4 directs the city council to establish pro portional ranked choice voting. With the change, candidates are elected based on thresholds determined by the number of seats to be flled rather than a simple ma jority.

Question 5 - School Board Budget Autonomy

Question 5 takes school budget au thority away from the city council and gives it to the school board.The city coun cil can conduct a public hearing and make recommendations to the school board. The budget still goes before voters, cur rently because of state law, but if passed it becomes codifed in the charter.

Question 6 - Peaks Island Council

Codifes in the charter the Peaks Is land Council, an advisory committee to the city council, currently established by city ordinance.

Question 7 - Civilian Police Review Board

Question 7 replaces the current Po lice Citizens Review Subcommittee with a civilian police review board consisting of at least 9 members appointed by the city council, including 3 non-voting mem bers, and one selected by the mayor. As proposed, the board receives complaints directly from the public and passes them on to the police department or internal affairs. The police review board can then review the police or internal affairs fnd ings and issue their own reports.

Question 7 requires funding for staff, including a community liaison and a police liaison.

Question 8 Ethics Commission

Requires the city council to form an independent seven-member Ethics Com mission, who would recommend a code of ethics for the city council to adopt. The Ethics Commission would be a discre tionary committee with advisory power. The proposal recommends but does not require an Accountability Offcer to inves tigate complaints.

5 Ballot Questions for Portland

Short-Term Rentals, Min. Wage, Rent Control & Cruise Ship Regs

By Tony Zeli

Here is a round-up of the fve ballot questions, in addition to the charter ques tions, that will face Portland voters on November 8th.

Question A – Local Ownership of Short-Term Rentals

An Act to Regulate Short Term Rent als in Portland and Prohibit Corpo rate and Absentee Operation of Short Term Rental Properties

If passed, Question A prohibits cor porations and “non-local” operators from registering short-term rentals in the city. It defnes a local as having a prima ry residence within 20 miles of Portland. And they must be a “natural person,” so corporations need not apply. There is a workaround for non-locals. They must designate a local response person who is available 24/7 to respond to complaints within one hour.

Question A also seeks to prohibit the eviction of tenants in order to con vert units into short-term rentals. Also, it prohibits the conversion of affordable or workforce housing. And the proposal increases the penalty for providing false registration information from $1,000 to $1,500. The Question also removes the City Manager’s discretion from revoking the registrations of disorderly properties.

Question B– Reducing the Number of Short-Term Rentals

An Act to Reduce the Number of Short Term Rentals in Portland

Question B would restrict all shortterm rentals in Portland to owner-occu pied, tenant-occupied, or owner occupied two-unit buildings. The question requires the city clerk to notify all neighbors with in 500 feet of a newly registered unit, increases penalties and strengthens en forcement of violations, and requires the logging of complaints.

Question B changes the fee structure for short-term rentals. It removes the current stepped fee structure of $100 to $4000, which is based on type of unit (own er occupied/non-owner occupied, island/ mainland) and number of units the owner has registered. Under this provision, the fees would be simplifed to $250 per unit for owner- or tenant-occupied units and $750 for non-owner or non-tenant-occu pied units in two-unit buildings where the other unit is owner-occupied.

And Question B further limits the total number of short-term rentals. Cur rently the number is capped at 400. This question lowers it to 250. To be more precise, the new cap would be 1% of the total number of long-term rental units registered in the city or 250, whichever is fewer.

Question B adds penalties for viola tions of the short-term rental ordinance that would start at $1000 per day and go up for subsequent violations. Any com plaint about a short-term rental unit from the public shall be logged by Permitting and Inspections who are directed to in vestigate and enforce the ordinance. This proposal also removes the city manager’s discretion from revoking registration for disorderly houses.

Question C – 90-Day Evic tion Notice & Rent Increase Cap

An Act to Protect Tenants in Portland

Question C institutes a 90-day no tice for lease termination for all tenancies. Currently the ordinance only requires 90-day notice for at-will tenants, or those who do not have a lease. This proposal also bans raising the rent after an eviction.

Question C restricts deposits to an amount equal to one month of rent. It prohibits application fees including for criminal background checks and cred it reports. Currently application fees are capped at $30.

The Question eliminates the tax rate rent adjustment, which allows landlords to account for higher city taxes when adjust ing rents.

If passed, Questions C strengthens tenant rights. It removes reference to tenancies-at-will in the current ordinance to say that all tenants must be provided a minimum of 90 days written notice with exceptions, such as “for cause” evictions, short-term rentals, and where landlords provide payment equal to one month’s rent for 60-day notice or two months’ rent for 30-day notice.

Question C provides greater author ity to the rent board giving their penal ties the “highest enforcement priority” for the City. Also, it creates a voluntary tenant union registration process within the Housing Safety Offce. Tenant unions can represent complaints directly to the rent board.

If passed, at least 5 of the rent board members must come from the 5 city council districts with the highest concen

tration of rental units. If the charter com mission question adding city districts does not pass, this provision will have no imme diate consequence because there will only be 5 city districts.

Finally, Questions C sets a $25,000 fee for condominium conversions. Cur rently, the city council determines fees for converting rental units into condos.

Question D – Increases Min imum Wage & Creates Dept. of Fair Labor Practices

An Act to Eliminate the Sub-Minimum Wage, Increase Minimum Wages and Strengthen Protections for Workers

Question D increases the minimum wage in Portland to $18 per hour over three years. Currently, the minimum wage is set to increase from $13 to $15 over 3 years. This ballot question also eliminates the tipped minimum wage. Tipped work ers would earn a minimum of $18 per hour plus tips. Currently, tipped workers can be paid less than minimum wage if their tips make up the difference.

Also, Question D includes inde pendent contractors who are excluded from minimum wage requirements today. Specifcally, the ordinance mentions taxi drivers and ride-handling workers (such as Uber/Lyft), and personal shoppers and delivery workers (like 2DineIn or Door Dash).

The proposal creates a new depart ment headed by a new Director of Fair Labor Practices, who oversees the mini mum wage and all laws and regulations pertaining to labor practices in the city.

Question E – Cruise Ship Passenger Limit

An Act to Restrict Cruise Ships in Or der to Reduce Congestion and Pollu tion

Question E asks voters to limit the number of passengers who may disem bark from cruise ships in the city to no more than 1,000 people in total per day. If passed it goes into effect in 2025.

Letters to the Editor

CITY REFERENDUMS

I’m concerned about the direction city government is moving in Portland. As an older Portland native, I’ve seen decades of Portland government change from election to election, but city government always got the job done quite well. The current movement by the Charter Com mission and the far-left Maine Democratic Socialists of America to change our gov ernment by multiple referendums every two years is disconcerting. We elected our commissioners to protect and im prove our city and pass laws accordingly, not special interest groups with their own agendas of controlling free enterprise. Is this the direction we are headed?

-Peter Ferrante, Portland

Stand with Sam

After Covid, we need good news. For tunately, in this mid-term election, there is a new face and philosophy on the political scene. Sam Hunkler, a true Independent, is on the ballot for Governor of Maine. Sam is no puppet manipulated by party strings but rather a man who thinks for himself while caring deeply about others.

Sam is a retired M.D. who has spent most of his adult life healing people across this country and around the world. He wants to bring that healing to the people and politics of Maine. His campaign mot to is, “Let’s fnd Common Ground Using Common Sense for the Common Good.” He is not accepting fnancial contributions and will not be beholden to anyone. Sam’s running a grassroots campaign, having col lected 4,000 signatures, mostly by himself, to get on the ballot.

-Leland Hanchett, Falmouth

Share your opinion...

The West End News publishes reader opinions when space permits. To share your opinion, write to:

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Portland, ME 04102

Four Peaks Island Council Members

teaching high school science. Opperman is running to improve student outcomes while supporting faculty and staff.

Samuel Rosenthal is a retired engi neer who is concerned about education quality, grade infation, and profcien cy-based learning. He wants to adopt a code of conduct while improving academ ic achievement.

No candidates withdrew paperwork to run for the seats on this advisory com mittee.

Two Portland Water District Trustee

For Portland water district, software developer Frederick McCann is the only candidate to qualify for the ballot for a one-year term. Longtime incumbent Gary Libby is the only candidate for the threeyear term.

VOTER INFO

The election is on Tuesday, November 8th. Polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Ab sentee ballots are available until Novem ber 3rd, and in-person absentee voting is in the State of Maine Room, second foor of City Hall, until November 3rd.

For polling places, voter registration and more visit: https://www.portland maine.gov/172/Elections-Voting.

Letters to the editor should be no more than 200 words. Include your name and town or neighborhood. Deadline for publication is fourth Friday. Publication is not guaranteed and submissions may be edited for length and content.

The thoughts and opinions expressed in our pages belong solely to the authors and not necessarily to the publication.

COMMUNITY EVENTS OCTOBER 2022

Reiche Community Room Activities

(Upstairs, enter on the Clark Street side of Reiche Community School)

AM Exercise (M,Tu,W 8:15 – 9:15a)

WENA’s A.M. Exercise is back! Mon days, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:15-9:15 a.m. Please join us for balance, strength, and fexibility exercises.This pro gram has now been going for over fve years. Over the past two years we’ve met at Clark Street Park, on Zoom, and most recently in the community room at Aves ta’s building at 17 Carleton Street. Many thanks to Avesta for providing space!

Book Nook (M, W, Th 7:30 – 9:30a)

Book Nook is open for brows ing and borrowing 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thurs days. No library card necessary.

Monday Night Movies (2nd & 4th Mon., 7p)

Monday Night Movies resume on Monday, October 24th. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., flms start promptly at 7 p.m. We’ll be regularly showing classic flms on the second Monday and animation flms on the fourth Monday. Check www. wenamaine.org for titles. Movies are free along with popcorn and fzzy water. Bring snacks to share and donations are always welcome.

Election Forums

The West End and Western Promenade neighborhood associ ations are sponsoring two forums, one for charter amendments and the other for atlarge candidates and referenda questions.

At-Large School Board & City Council Candidates + Referenda Forum

Wed., Oct. 5 / 6:30-8p / Reiche Community Room (Clark St., Portland)

Join the West End and Western Prom enade neighborhood associations, spon sor Enough is Enough, and moderator Ian Jacob for an at-large city council and school board candidate and ballot ques tion forum on Wednesday, October 5th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Use the Clark Street entrance at Reiche Community School.

Charter Amendments Forum

Wed., Oct. 12 / 6:30 – 8p / Portland Club (State St., Portland)

Join the West End and Western Promenade neighborhood associations and moderator Kent Redford at the Port land Club (156 State Street, Portland) on Wednesday, October 12th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. There will be an informal presenta tion by three Portland Charter Commis sioners.

VegFest

Sat., Oct. 29 / 11a-3p / East End Community School (195 North St., Portland)

Hosted by the Maine Animal Coali tion, VegFest will be held at the East End Community School on October 29th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Expect food trucks serving vegan food, vendors selling vegan goods and sharing vegan info, and a lineup of local speakers. Avery Yale Kamila will be delivering one of the talks,”300 years of Maine vegetarian history,” where she’ll discuss her ongoing work to unearth the hidden history of vegetarianism in Maine.

10.29 10.30

Question D, Min.Wage & the Future for Portland's Restaurant Workers Cont'd from Pg. 1

“I came in as a dishwasher and worked my way through the experience with customers. I’m very proud to work here because it’s a family run business. And it’s a business that’s run on fair ethics of pay and equal cut. The amount of mon ey is equal to my other servers and back of house.”

Ruby’s employees have stated that they are not worried that an increase in menu item prices will discourage custom er demand. “We’re still gonna have peo ple from all over the country ready to spend their money right in Portland. This is their vacation.This is their off time.They come here and they’re gonna spend mon ey. They’re gonna get the experience that they want. No matter what the price is,” said David.

Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage, told West End News that “this is the year of redemption.”

“We just won One Fair Wage in Michigan and we’re on the ballot this No vember in D.C. and the city council has already declared it will pass... Wherever we go in every state, red and blue, when ever we put this directly on the ballot, it always passes because people overwhelm ingly say yes, of course everybody should be paid a full wage.”

A study conducted by Lake Research Partners in the Spring of 2021 found that four out of fve workers in Maine support

"If we’re making more money, we can go out more and contribute to other businesses," says Aly of Ruby's.

a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour for tipped workers.

“The most important thing that mea sure D does is that it raises the minimum wage for all workers. It levels the playing feld to make it fair for everybody across the board,” said Jayaraman.

One Fair Wage is not new to Maine. In 2016, Maine People’s Alliance and the AFL-CIO worked with One Fair Wage to successfully pass a statewide ballot ques tion to increase the minimum wage to

$12 per hour and eliminate the sub-min imum wage. However, the elimination of the sub-minimum wage was short-lived. In June of 2017, Governor LePage restored the tip credit after a successful petition by Restaurant Workers of Maine, the prede cessor of Restaurant Industry United.

“In Maine, where we won this on the ballot in 2016, in DC, in Michigan, the Na tional Restaurant Association, through as troturf entities they set up, would always get legislators to overturn the will of the people,” said Jayaraman.

As the Por tland restaurant scene as cends from the pandemic, workers have begun to reassess their needs. “With Covid happening, everywhere around here is understaffed. So, you’re working extra hours and you’re throwing in extra time, and you’re not being paid extra,” commented Aly, a server at Ruby’s.

“Workers being asked to do so much more for so much less. 1.2 million work ers have left the industry and our survey shows that of those who remain 54% say they’re leaving. And 80% have said the is sue that would make them come back is a full livable wage with tips on top… Wages are always the number one reason, 40 to 50 percentage points higher than anything else, because people have just reached a point where they literally cannot afford to work in this industry anymore,” said Jayaraman.

“We really rely on that tourist cul ture,” said Aly of Ruby’s West End, “But if we increase the minimum wage slight ly, then we would have a more consistent year-round supportive industry. It con tributes to the local community as well. If we’re making more money, we can go out more and contribute to other businesses. That’s just how it naturally works. When the stimulus package comes, people spend more.”

In person voting is Tuesday November 8th. Mail-in absentee ballot registration must be completed by Tuesday, October 18th. Absentee ballots must be requested by Thursday, November 3rd and complet ed ballots must be received by mail by November 8th. You can fnd more voting information at www.Maine.Gov.

Colin Monahan is a community orga nizer, server, and journalist. His previ ous work has focused on social move ments in Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Georgia.

-Photos by Colin Monahan

The team at Ruby's West End believe customers will pay higher menu prices to know workers are earning enough.

Winston Lumpkins: Making the city safe, easy, and comfortable for everyone to travel

What brought you to bicycle and pedestrian advocacy?

The simplest answer is that I complain a lot about the lack of pedestrian and bike safety, and the more attached I grow to Portland and view it as my home, I’ve be gun to follow my mother’s advice: To only complain about things I’m prepared to fx!

I work as a baker, and don’t have a car, and about two years ago I started wish ing there was a Portland based advocacy group. I met Zack Barowitz, the former chair of the PBPAC, and he invited me to join the group. It’s been a great opportu nity to get involved and understand the system that regulates how things happen. Anyone is welcome to join the listserv, come to meetings, or come to events.

What does the group do?

A lot of the work is tracking oppor tunities where people can show up and make a difference in public projects. We have monthly meetings and a Google group listserv where people can report problems, make suggestions, and alert oth ers to opportunities to make comments at city or regional transportation agencies meetings. Also, we draw on this research to send letters to the city council from the whole group, advocating for policies and budget items.

We host a walk or ride audit almost every month and use feedback from par ticipants for future advocacy. Recently we’ve done walk audits of Nason’s Cor ner, Morrill’s Corner, the proposed Roux campus, and we want to do them in the West End and Parkside soon.We hold two council rides per year where we invite city councilors to join us – there were over twenty-fve people at the last one.We also recruit bike and pedestrian advocates to join other advisory committees.

Why is it so hard to make change?

It’s a challenge to track projects, and with no one person on top of them, details fall through the cracks. Many projects are multi-year projects with many stakehold ers, including DOT, and you might have to be at one meeting in one town with one agency, and then three years later be in another town with another agency.

For example, Kristine Keeney from the East Coast Greenway recently shared how two sections very close together – the Casco Bay Bridge and York Street – will be repaved in 2023 and 2024. But they are separate projects by separate agencies. And since it’s just repaving, there’ s not necessarily any public process set up. And since there’s no staff person at the city or regionally who is in charge of making sure that bike-ped improvements

happen, people in non-prof its like hers, or volunteers on our committee, have to track each one separately and push for opportunities to make sure that the new design is coordinated and an improvement for all users.

From 2010 to 2015 there was a city staff person that attended our meet ings and brought in over $1M in grants but then the city cut that position. Since there’s not a full-time bike-ped coordina tor now, there’s no one currently track ing all the opportunities to make changes. Some city staff who personally care about these things do great work, but there’s no one person who is tracking, or coming to the committee, or applying for Federal grants, or even implementing some proj ects that have already been approved and funded. We are advocating for that posi tion to be restored.

What successes has the group had?

We advocated for the section of trail that connects from Marginal and Franklin to the Back Bay Trail. It used to be im possible to get through there. It’s really useful, for example, going from the East End to Hannaford. There were a lot of roadblocks with the previous city admin istration, but we’re hopeful now and a lot of people have joined in the last year. What are the top priorities for the upcoming year?

To grow and diversify participation in our listserv and meetings. I’m a young, able-bodied white man, and can say, “The city needs to do this to sidewalks to make it better for someone with a disability.” But everyone knows that I personally can get across okay, and it can appear that I’m choosing not to have a car. To advocate more effectively, we need to have more types of people representing their con cerns. Of course , we’d love to see more

projects come to pass as well… What’s the best way to impact or how do we improve public ways for non-car drivers?

We need to slow traffc speeds. Cars driving over twenty-fve is simply too dan gerous for city streets. That requires re building – or at least repainting and adding street furniture such as planters to roads – with that goal in mind. Speed is set by the design of the road, not the speed limit.

Yesterday, I submitted testimony to the Planning Board about the city’s tech nical manual, which regulates how public right of ways and streets are built, from edge to edge, including curbs, lines, storm water, esplanades, et cetera. I suggested the possibility of raised crosswalks in ad dition to bump-outs to slow traffc and increase safety in high pedestrian areas.

Show up in any way you can, that’s how we’ll make this change.

For more information visit: https://www.portlandbikeped.org

PelotonLabs is a coworking space in the West End of Portland, Maine with a mission to connect and encourage people working on their own to manifest their visions without fear.

PelotonPosts is created by Peloton Labs. WEN provides column space without charge.WEN publisher and editor Tony Zeli is a coworking member at PelotonLabs.

Winston Lumpkins, chair of the Portland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commit tee (PBPAC). -Courtesy of Liz Trice

Every

PelotonLabs co-founder Liz Trice

local Peloton or community member. This month, Liz caught up with Winston Lumpkins, the new chair of Portland’s Bicyc le and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PBPAC).

Many Children with Sickle Cell Anemia Not Receiving Lifesaving Screening and Treatment

In 2019, less than half of children aged 2–16 years with sickle cell anemia received the recommended screening for stroke, a common complication of the disease, ac cording to a new CDC Vital Signs repor t. In addition, many of these children are not receiving the recommended medication, hydroxyurea, which can reduce compli cations such as pain and acute chest syn drome. Hydroxyurea can also improve anemia and quality of life.

Sickle cell anemia is the most severe form of sickle cell disease, which is a red blood cell disorder that primarily affects Black and African American people. It’s estimated that sickle cell disease affects approximately 100,000 Americans.

Many people with sickle cell anemia report barriers to receiving the recom mended screening and treatment. Struc tural racism is one of those barriers. For example, despite their extensive health care needs, many people with sickle cell anemia do not have access to providers with expertise in treating the disease or report feeling stigmatized and having their symptoms dismissed when they do receive care. Other barriers include con cerns among parents and providers about potential side effects and effectiveness of hydroxyurea.

Much can be done to help children with sickle cell anemia and their families:

• Health care providers can work to consolidate care by integrating screen ing into a single, comprehensive health care visit for children with sickle cell anemia.

• Health care institutions can develop formal reporting systems to docu ment and respond to racist behavior and empower people with sickle cell anemia to safely report concerns about prejudice or inequality.

• Health care providers can work with policy makers and advocates to re verse the impact of years of structural racism on sickle cell anemia funding, research, and policy decisions.

• Patients and their families can learn about the importance of getting an an nual screening for stroke and talk to their health care provider about the results of the screening and next steps.

• Community-based organizations and other partners can develop resources for both patients and health care pro viders to improve understanding of annual screening to prevent childhood stroke. They can also connect patients and families with resources and tools to help them schedule screening ap pointments, help address families’ transportation needs, and help them fnd fnancial assistance if needed.

For more info: www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns.

Maine Has Largest in Nation Decline in Uninsured Rate

Maine’s uninsured rate experienced the largest decline in the nation in recent years. A new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that Maine’s uninsured rate dropped from 8.0 percent in 2019 to 5.7 percent in 2021, representing the largest percentage decline among all states in the nation.

According to the report, 5.7 per cent of Maine’s population lacked health insurance in 2021, compared to 8.0 per cent in 2019. This represents a drop of 2.3 percentage points, the largest decline of any state, with Idaho a close second. This percentage point change in the uninsured rate translates into a 27 percent decline in the estimated number of uninsured peo ple to 77,639 in 2021. Maine went from having the 26th to 14th lowest uninsured rate in the nation.

Further, as a result of more people having health insurance in Maine, uncom pensated care for Maine hospitals fell by $84.1 million between 2018 and 2020, according to information from the Maine Health Data Organization.

“Maine hospitals have long been sup portive of expanding health coverage and this great news proves it is the right pol icy,” said Steve Michaud, President of the Maine Hospital Association. “With the federal government paying for the vast majority of the expansion of Medicaid, this is a big win for Maine people, hospi tals and other providers of care, and the

Maine economy.”

This latest report follows an Au gust repor t from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showing that Maine’s uninsured rate dropped nearly 5 percentage points among those eligible for Medicaid expansion from 2018 to 2020, the third largest decline in the nation.

Steps the state has taken to increase access to health care include expanding Medicaid, codifying into state law Afford able Care Act protections such as for pre-existing conditions, and establishing the Maine-based health insurance mar ketplace, CoverME.gov. The state has also launched the Small Business Health Insur ance Premium Relief Program that lowers the cost of monthly health insurance pre miums for small businesses and their em ployees.The program has saved more than $20 million for 5,764 small businesses in Maine and 46,348 Maine people – employ ees and their families – as of June 2022.

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Layne's Wine Gig Presents LOBSTER LOVE

By Layne V. Witherell

As a kid growing up in 1960’s Los An geles I knew of the glories of tacos, burri tos, and the cult food destination that is Pink’s Chili Dogs. It wasn’t until I joined the Navy and volunteered to serve on an ancient, battle-worn diesel submarine that I had my frst experience with what I call Lobster Love

I wrote to Mom often. Even then I had a quirky style. Navy duty was rough. Your world was a cramped, barely habitable shell that enveloped you in both diesel fuel and battery acid. Home was a bunk you couldn’t turn over in and a “locker” that held several books and your toothbrushthat’s it. This was not about creature com fort. It was a machine built for war. Here is a letter to Mom about it:

Friday, October 1,1966

Dear Mom:

Have been “mess cooking” (washing dishes) for the past week. Ran into a little rough weather - it ran into us... impossible to tell whether surfaced or underwater without looking at the gauges. Friday fresh lobster day - one bit me, I know.* Have duty this weekend. Will be washing dishes and sleeping.

*These were the freshly unbanded claws that my younger self was referring to.

LOBSTER DAY

Lobster day was my frst experience savoring my soon to be favorite crustation. For those brief, glorious moments, the rough seas, cramped quarters, and diesel fuel vanished completely. They were deliv ered live, fresh from the boat to the pier we were tied to.This was an unforgettable, enduring experience of culinary bliss.

After four years serving my country and another four in college, I headed off for my decades long gypsy life called the wine business. In the ‘70’s, as opposed to now, there were no twinkling sommeliers on Instagram. Just us.

Lobster Love really reappeared when I met Judy, my Mainer, and discovered this place called Maine. We married in 1996 and settled in Portland in 2006.

As a wine writer, local diner, food writer, husband, and lover of Maine, lob ster is part of life. It isn’t just part of our lifestyle - it IS our lifestyle. We celebrate the whole gamut of occasions, weekends, and the seasons with lobster.

LOBSTER SHACK AT TWO LIGHTS

225 Two Lights Road, Cape Elizabeth 12-8 p.m. daily (seasonal)

View... BYOB... Deliciousness. Arrive early, opens at noon. We grab an outside table. The season in Maine doesn’t get any better than this. I was once cheeky enough to ask where they got their lob ster, and they gave me the name of their specifc person! That’s authentic.

Bring your best white wine (Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Ranches was our lat est choice), to revel in the view, lobster,

and experience. Solo cups are perfect ly okay. Your best stemware only if your glasses are well wrapped. Glorious Maine with a lighthouse, rocky coast, and a view of the boat bringing your lunch to shore.

McLOONS LOBSTER SHACK

315 Island Road, South Thomaston

Thu. - Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. (seasonal)

BYOB your cold Allagash White Ale. “I was there to see the end of the

Cont'd on Pg. 13

Portland market

262 Commercial St, Portland Tues – Sat: 10 am – 5 pm Closed: Sunday-Monday

797-3621 sales@lpapplianceme.com

CARPET HARDWOOD LINOLEUM

FLOORING

KITCHENS MATRESSES LAUNDRY REFRIGERATION

McLoons Lobster Shack in South Thomaston. -All photos courtesy of Layne Witherell

traditional people,” sang Bob Dylan. Mc Loons is absolutely startling in two ways. There are the traditional working peo ple on their lobster boats going into the morning mist of the bay dressed in their head-to-toe slickers. An unforgettable site.

The other unforgettable site is our car in the parking lot bearing the only Maine license plate, while Judy and I take in the majesty amidst a group of cell phone gawkers who are totally unconscious of this iconic Maine place. The motto here could be: “Get a clue, before it’s gone.”

Of course, the lobster roll is great (and offered in a standard and double size). But do yourself a favor and try the lobster stew.

PORTLAND LOBSTER COMPANY

180 Commercial Street, Portland, ME 11-10 pm daily (seasonal)

Our Sunday hang. Great lobster rolls, dinner, specials. Pretty much your one stop shop intro to all things us. But wait! There is music, great original and cover bar band style music (are you listening, Gina?).

Too many people (I hate to say tour ists, but I will), have a beer and move on. To where, I don’t ask.The entire afternoon is a musical marathon and an early evening nap worthy experience. Our perfect Port land on a Sunday afternoon.

They have seltzers, Maine craft cock tails, local craft beer, and a by the bot

tle and glass wine selection that is small but worthy of your attention. Cakebread Napa Cellars Chardonnay at $14.00 a glass (wow, served in a plastic cup) if you are feeling plush. Columbia Crest by the bot tle at $32.00 for a good deal.

Portland Lobster Company is our vibe.

THE RAMP BAR & GRILL

77 Pier Road (located inside Pier 77), Kennebunkport, ME

Open Mon., Tue. & Thu. 11:30 a.m.9 p.m., Fri. – Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 9 p.m., Closed Wed. (I am not making this up.)

We like the small courtyard overlook ing the cove with the totally oversized pile of lobster buoys. There are more pieces from the depths of the ocean on the wall here per square foot than can be counted or imagined. As the little boats sail by, just sit back and relax.

The lobster roll is more like a lobster salad plopped atop a bun, meant to be sa vored alongside the (OMG Kennebunkport!) wine pricing. The view and the food are worth the price of admission. Okay, just suck up the wine prices.

But there is more. If you are of a certain age, the bathroom contains a sa cred relic from another era. There it is –a wooden framed Patricia (Patty) Hearst F.B.I. wanted poster circa 1974. Ah, the good old days. A multimillionaire heiress

brainwashed into being a bank robber.

We show up early for each place, as over the years, we have favorite tables for the vibe and views we love.

BECKY’S DINER

390 Commercial St., Portland 6 a.m. - 9 p.m. daily

This rounds us full circle to Lobster Love. Sure, Becky’s is a local landmark for those near and far, but there is a yearly event that is near and dear to my heart. Every Veteran’s Day they do a special dis count to honor the troops. Last year I or dered the lobster omelet and expected it to be pretty good.

My waitress came over and smiled asking, “What do you think?” My mind went back decades to the twenty-oneyear-old kid, fresh out of LA, and his frst Lobster Love, and especially to my lovely

Mainer wife who introduced me to this enchanted land.

She chuckled and expressed a heart felt, “Thank you for your service. We put extra lobster in because you gave so much for your country. We want to thank you for all you did for us.”

Thank you, Judy, my loving wife and thank you Maine for letting us live the glo rious Lobster Love that is a big part of our life.

There are so many other great spots highlighting our favorite, delicious crus tacean that we enjoy visiting: J’s Oyster, Boones, Luke’s Lobster, Highroller, The Porthole, Eventide, and more! Show them your support and most importantly keep up the Lobster Love.

Layne has been a professional in the wine business for many decades as a teacher, importer, writer, competition judge, and winery CEO. He was award ed the Master Knight of the Vine for his pioneering work in the Oregon wine industry. He can be reached at lvwith erell@gmail.com.

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Your Catering and Private Events Today!

By Nancy Dorrans

That was the message I received from Gabi Stowell, Adventure Travel Trade Association’s Regional Director of Latin America and the Caribbean on August 24th, a mere ten days before their Adven tureNext event was set to begin!

When the event was announced at the ATTA event in Oregon last spring, my heart skipped a beat! PATAGONIA?! This part of the world is full of wonder and opportunity, breathtaking landscapes, and rich Chilean culture. I had helped sever al clients plan their adventures there but had never been. Also, I knew there was so much more I didn’t know. I needed to go.

So, I applied. But I didn’t get accept ed initially. I was crushed but understood. There were only a limited number of spots available. Then the call came in from Gabi and I was in.

Now I was in and in shock! I had to fgure out what to pack! It was late Au gust in Maine, but it was still winter in Patagonia! I bought a new pair of hiking pants from Patagonia in Freeport to take to Patagonia, Chile! HA! A bottle of maple bourbon to share made the cut, along with a new solar powered water bottle/lantern, rain gear, layers, and more layers.

Patagonia is located at the southern tip of the South American continent and is divided into four provinces: Magallanes, Última Esperanza, Tierra del Fuego, and Antarctica. Our experiences would be centered in and around the Torres del

Paine National Park in the Magallanes re gion of Chile.

“Reconnect, Reactivate, and Regener ate” was the theme of the event. Adven ture travel tour operators, travel advisors, members of the media from around the globe, were invited to experience the wonders of the Patagonian Magellanes re gion frsthand and learn more about how we can matter. We began our adventure with a six-day “Pre-Adventure,” followed by a “Day of Adventure,” and then two incredible days of networking at Río Ser rano hotel with amazing food, wine, speak ers, connections and conversations.

There were four Pre-Adventures to choose from:

1. Kayaking the Magellan Straight (diffcultly level - High)

2. Multi-Sport - Hiking, Kayaking, Wildlife Watching, E-Bike (diffculty level – Moderate/High)

3. Discovering the Last Hope Province –Hike, Kayak, Horseback Riding, E-Bike (Moderate/High)

4. The W-Trek – Torres del Paine – Hiking, Ice Hiking, Kayaking (Moderate/High)

They found a spot for me on Pre-Ad venture #4: The W-Trek! There are many ways to explore Torres del Paine National Park and several different hiking routes, but the most famous is the W! I was eager, excited, and a bit nervous!

The W Trek connects the best selec tion of Patagonia’s highlights. Our group would hike from west to east, starting at

the Grey Glacier, heading down to Paine Grande, up the French Valley, and then around and up towards the base lookout of the towers. The W is a non-technical hike, meaning you can hike it without ropes and harnesses. Non-technical does not mean easy!

September in Patagonia is like March in the mountains of Maine. The weather is cold and unpredictable. Our views were spectacular, yet the hiking through pristine landscapes, past rivers, lakes, and rocky peaks was challenging, cold, and very windy at times.

Our adventure began on September 7th, but my journey started the day be fore. It took about twenty hours via Port land, Boston, Miami, and Santiago before arriving in Puerto Natales. Lively music, local dancers, and the famed Pisco Sours welcomed us warmly!

We connected with our luggage and Pre-Adventure W-Trek guides Camillo and Baru from Chile. My Pre-Adventure teammates were from the UK, Australia, Spain, France, Canada, the Netherlands, Colorado, New Jersey, and Washington.

We spent the frst evening at the Ho tel Lago Grey getting acquainted and en joying an amazing feast. I felt so welcomed by the beautiful and friendly Chilean peo ple.

The next morning, we boarded the ferry to cross Lago Grey (Grey Lake) to the Grey Glacier. While sipping “one cour tesy Pisco Sour,” we passed foating blue icebergs and took in spectacular views of the snowy peaks and forests that border

the lake. Dropped at the base of Grey Gla cier we began our W-Trek.

W-Trek was three nights of remote (pre-season) winter camping, trekking, kayaking, glacier climbing, condors, rain bows, eagles, ferce winds, and draw drop ping views that literally took my breath away! The weather gods were on our side.

The W-Trek was epic and life chang ing! Stay tuned for more of my Patagonian adventure next month. I am already plan ning to go back. Let me know if you want to join me!

To be continued…

“Great news- We have a spot for you to join us in Patagonia!!”

Hiking the W-Trek in Pantagonia. September in Chile is like March in Maine, and though it is a non-technical hike, it wasn't easy! -Photos courtesy of Nancy Dorrans Nancy Dorrans (right) on the Lago Grey shuttle with Laura Mandelkorn from Go CustomTravel Seattle.

Nancy Dorrans is a professional travel expert and founded Adventure Mar ketplace in 2014.

Third Party Spoiler Trivia

1. What Democratic nominee finished 3rd in the Maine governer’s race in 2010, behind Paul Lepage and Eliot Cutler?

2. 2000s spoiler Ralph Nader first came to prominence with the book Unsafe At Any Speed, a critique of safety in what industry?

3. Dean Barkley was the spoiler in 2008 when Al Franken was elected to the Senate from what state?

4. What former president formed the new Progressive Party and ran against William Taft and Woodrow Wilson in 1912?

Mondays @ Foulmouthed Brewing and Lazzari

Tuesdays @ Ri Ra

Thursdays @ Arcadia and Locally Sauced Find out more on Facebook and Instagram: @bestworsttrivia

Find the answers online at thewestendnews.com/puzzle-solutions!

Book Short The Group

By Mary McCarthy

ed power plays. Plus, no one can outclass the Group when it comes to snark – par ticularly all the brutally personal commen tary they leave unsaid while they are being polite to each other. It left me thinking, “And these women like each other?!”

None of them seem to fnd joy, but several fnd comfort, and most of them achieve success either through work or marriage. These ordinary struggles are part of the charm – ordinary for the Vas sar crowd, that is. It keeps this novel time ly over seventy years later.

Review by Stephanie Miller

Take a trip back to the thirties with eight Vassar roommates, collectively

The story begins on beautiful July day, one week after grad uation, with one of the Group’s weddings, and ends on another beautiful July day eight years later with one of their funerals.

In between, there is celebrated au thor Mary McCarthy’s unique sardonic wit and worldview, as the women struggle to fnd a place for themselves in a soci ety that is between world wars and un sure what role it wants women to play. With a few notable exceptions, most of the love interests are distasteful creatures – indifferent bullies and even rapists who are spoiled, self-centered, and emotionally stunted. In other words, shaped by their upbringing just like the Group.

The book’s central theme is how a graduate from Vassar – trained to contrib ute mostly by dressing well, performing good works, and obeying her husband –earns a living and discovers her authen tic self. The Group fail around fnding the answer. Their choices highlight their individual personalities and backgrounds, but also their sense of community with friends, family, and humanity. Several move between soul-crushing entry level jobs with lecherous bosses into disastrous love affairs, all the while giving and receiv ing terrifcally bad advice with each other.

It’s not all sadness and misery.They do have an awful lot of great parties, mostly in small walk-up apartments in New York City.There are some clever and unexpect

As a story, “The Group” is a bit too complex for casual reading. It’s hard to keep that many main characters straight. But as a social history and a commentary on female friendship, it’s a good read. Mc Carthy weaves their stories in captivating ways, even if you might not actually be that interested in society women’s lives in the 1930s. Almost against my will, I sympa thized with, related to, and cheered on the Group, despite being, just like their for mer classmates, an irrevocable outsider to their circle.

Bayside resident Stephanie Miller is a voracious reader and bibliophile and spends a lot of time lost in the stacks of bookstores and libraries. Find her online @StephanieSAM.

Thank you for reading!

Thank

Next

The End of Traditional Journalism

By Sadie Levy

Is social media putting an end to tra ditional journalism? I think it’s natural evo lution.

Many, however, disagree. A number of journalists report that social media plat forms have negatively affected their indus try. The general population no longer gets most of their news from TV stations or print newspapers. As the world we live in advances, everyday Americans have been shifting to using the internet as their ma jor source of news.

Many believe that receiving news from social media contributes to inaccu rate and biased information. Yet in today’s world, there is misinformation in many different forms of news, not just the inter net. The line between news and entertain ment continues to blur. There is a growing responsibility on media consumers to ap proach news with caution, to fact check, and to be a skeptical audience.

Social media also gives a platform to voices that wouldn’t otherwise have one. This certainly risks credibility of informa tion and allows for more opinion than fact. I also see it as a democratic move ment and potentially vital development in journalism. The opportunity for citizens

to have a platform aligns with some of the core values of journalism such as trans parency and offering voices who might not have been heard before a place to be listened to.

For example, when the Rus sia-Ukraine war broke out in February, ev eryday Ukrainians were providing updates in real time. Posting videos, photographs, and stories of what they were experienc ing. This new capability spread information to the rest of the world before exten sive articles could be published or other means of news could reach consumers. My generation was informed on current issues more than ever before.

Many journalists and news broadcast ing platforms have taken part in using so cial media as a means of communication with their audiences. Americans want con sumer convenience, and social media is accessible, quick, and easy. Journalism can take many forms, it won’t be exclusively digital, but it is and will continue to be a crucial platform for journalists to use to keep up with the cultural media advance ments.

Sadie Levy is a Junior at Waynfete high school in Portland, Maine. She loves writing and adventuring in nature.

La

End Life Stumps, Trees & Wells

By Rosanne Graef

Between the fnal days of winter and the emergence of the frst leaves, Herb Adams trudged the streets of Parkside, clipboard in hand, conducting Portland’s frst neighborhood census of street trees. The impetus for this project was CMP’s cutting of a large, mature maple deemed “inconvenient.” Needless to say, the neigh borhood was outraged, and the tree count was born.

On the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day, the Parkside Neighborhood Associa tion presented their Street Tree Survey to the City. Details of the census:

• 510 street trees

• 18 stumps to be removed and replaced

• 12 empty tree wells to be flled

• 4 sealed tree wells to be opened and planted

The city’s Forestry Division has plant ed some new trees in Parkside already. Ad ams says all neighborhoods should form a planting partnership with the City, as well as advocate for a second tree-planting team for 2023. For Adams, “To plant a tree is to show faith in the future, and in days like these we need that more than ever.”

Liz Parsons’s moment of outrage occurred a few years ago when several healthy, mature trees were unceremo niously cut near the former Convent of the Precious Blood. That led her to spear head the movement that resulted in the adoption of Portland’s Heritage Tree Or dinance, an ordinance she hopes will be expanded to protect trees throughout Portland.

But waiting for that to happen, Par sons is focused on the street tree canopy, especially on the peninsula. She plans to take Adams’s advice and build a team to conduct a similar tree census in the West End Neighborhood Association’s territo ry. In addition, she hopes to cultivate res idents’ interest in caring for new trees by encouraging them to become Tree Adopt ers – to water and keep ‘their’ tree’s planting area free of trash, dog poop, and soil compaction.

As a kid, Parsons says she spent hours in her family’s backyard mulberry tree and took for granted that trees would al ways be plentiful and present. The natural world’s rapid destruction over the past

Post Offce Square, Portland.

-WEN fle by Rosanne Graef (2019)

several decades is now obvious, danger ous, and emotionally overwhelming. Many responses to the climate crisis are very technical, requiring certain expertise, but Parsons believes we’re all social creatures at heart.

“Nurturing trees — which do so much to reduce carbon pollution and heat, while also being beautiful — is some thing everyone can do, see, and feel,” she says. “Working on tree canopy, particularly street trees, in our own civic backyard is helpful and hopeful to me.”

I know I want to be a part of this tree project! Confession time: when I was young I had a couple of imaginary friends, a fox named Chocly and a tree brilliantly named Tree-y. Tree-y was always there for me, so now’s my time to be there for real trees.

If you’re also interested in helping out with WENA’s tree inventory and/or tree adoption projects, please e-mail hello@ wenamaine .org and put “TREES” in the subject line.

Rosanne Graef lives in the West End and is a regular volunteer contributor. Email her at lavidalocalwen@gmail.com.

JUSTICE

We’re All in This Together Get Out the Vote: Life on Earth Depends on It

By Tom Berry and Peter Dugas

With another national election on the horizon, one often hears statements like: “This will be the most consequential election of our lives.”

This description may be justifed in recent elections, but many disengaged or disenchanted voters simply shrug off these types of descriptions as exaggeration or political hyperventilating. For them, it has become just a boy-who-cried-wolf refrain.

After another summer of re cord-breaking heat, drought, glacial melt and fooding, the global climate crisis is persistently escalating and intensifying. If the need for climate action grows more urgent every year, are we not consistently facing our most consequential election?

To stabilize the climate, it’s critical we build on the success of the recently passed Infation Reduction Act. This ambi tious climate legislation would have been impossible if not for the slim Senate ma jority achieved through massive Get Out the Vote campaigns in Georgia and other swing states. While we have good reason to celebrate, we are still far from meeting critical climate goals.

For the past few elections, groups like the Environmental Voter Project (EVP) have worked hard to bring climate-anx ious voters to the polls. According to their

research, those that claim climate or the environment as a top issue are the LEAST likely to vote! The Environmental Voter Project has proven effective in swinging close elections by bringing this reluctant voting block to the polls.

As another critical election approach es, there are many opportunities to en gage voters. Through envrionmnetalvoter. org you can fnd canvassing, phone, and text banking opportunities throughout the country. It couldn’t be easier, plus it’s effective and… fun! My daughter still claims partial responsibility for the sur prise election of two environmentalist Senators from Georgia after her EVP calls convinced Georgians to try something new and vote.

This is not a time to sit on the side lines and assume that someone else will take care of the climate. We have both ur gency and agency!

Please register to vote. tell your friends to vote for candidates that sup port climate action, and volunteer for the Environmental Voter Project in the coming days. With so much at stake and a shrinking timeframe to act, our world and all of humanity cannot wait!

We’re All in this Together is a monthly Climate Justice column provided by the Port land chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

BRIGHT IDEA: Eat to Save the World

Last month, we introduced the notion of minimizing your food miles. So, let’s share a few priorities for eating as if the climate really mattered.

While eating less meat is a pretty well-known option, grass-fed beef and lamb rate high on the list of positive considerations. Droppings from grazing animals restore organic matter to the soil which is an invaluable carbon sink. And, con sumed in moderation, red meat increases the bioavailability of nutrients from plant foods. Grass, rich in nutrients, is diffcult for humans to digest, but ruminants such as cattle and sheep require it for their survival. There is a good reason why humans have coevolved alongside animals.

Since the weight and water content of fruit and vegetables make transport ineffcient, it’s best to grow your own or to seek out the local farmers’ market, farmstand, or pick-your own orchard or farm.

Mussels and other bivalves are nutrient-dense and adept at seques tering carbon while also purifying sea water. They transform waste into carbon storage and delicious food. Seaweed is seen as a “superfood” due to its environmen tal benefts and potent nutritional properties.

Most importantly, if we just stopped wasting food, we’d eliminate 8% of our emissions.

BRIGHT IDEA: Dispose of PPE Properly

Covid-era PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) can harm wildlife by winding up in nests, getting wrapped around legs, or ending up in the stomachs of wildlife. Please dispose of PPE correctly. It’s not hard to cut the strings and throw used masks into a bin.

Similarly, if you are a dog owner, please dispose of the waste properly by tossing it into a bin. Leaving dog waste by the side of the trail, on a sidewalk, or a storm drain means plastic and feces can easily wash into sewers and, from there, the ocean or other waterway.

BRIGHT IDEA: Retroft to Save Energy

Offer a new standard to your home heating oil. Lower your carbon impact by more than 1,500lbs this year with Maine Standard Biofuels!

By retroftting older houses, energy bills could be lowered and access to elec tricity during power outages ensured. A full menu of clean energy options includes energy-effcient lighting, an electric vehicle charger, an electric stove, electric heat pumps for heating and air conditioning, a smart thermostat, solar panels on the roof and a back-up battery. All-electric homes help cut greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution.

Credits

“Sitopia: How Food Can Save the World,” by Carolyn Steel.

“The Plan to turn blighted houses into a new source of green power for the grid,” by Emily Pontecorvo, Grist.org.

Bright Ideas is brought to you by Portland Climate Action Team which, during the pandemic, meets online on the fourth Thursday of every month, 6 to 7:30 p.m. All are wel come to join in. For more info email: portlandclimateaction@gmail.com.

24/7 service.

-WEN fle photo by Nancy Dorrans

THE DUMPSTER

WHERE WE THROW EVERYTHING THAT WE COULDN'T FIT...

Portland unveils fve new creative bus shelters at the library, Empire restaurant, USM roundabout, Northern Light Mercy Hospital, and Deering High School… Longfellow Park in the University Neighbor hood celebrates its 95th anniversary with new outdoor lighting designs by Brent McHale and Theo Darvin… Maine is the 5th most vaccinated state when compar ing share of vaccinated children, fu vaccination rates, and coverage of other vaccinations like tetanus and HPV… Portland schools opened a new mobile makerspace providing a space for exploring and sharing high-tech and no-tech tools… The Portland Hurling Club took on the Irish Navy when the Irish ship the James Joyce visited Portland… The other Portland makes Wallethub’s list of 20 best cities for coffee lovers but our fair city just isn’t spending enough on highly caffeinated beverages… In cel ebration of the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi over 20 churches around Maine blessed beloved pets with a gentle sprinkle of holy water… Meanwhile to celebrate National Lobster Day local shippers offered special deals on the beloved crustacean…

Trees

Do trees have feelings I’d sure like to know Or do they stand around And silently grow?

Where the leaves of Autumn All fall to the ground Are the trees in despair Yet don’t make a sound?

In the Spring when the leaves Turn pretty and green Are they really happy Or just making a scene? They never sit down But they never complain No cares about weather Be it snow, sleet, or rain!

-By Elaine Carver, West End

Snowfall-Rainfall

Snowfall comes down quietly

Like puffs of drifting cotton.

Rainfall usually smacks and splatters

Against the world like the tap dances of fat fairies

Snowfall covers and transforms Bushes and hillocks into smooth vanilla ice cream scoops

Rainfall washes away the grime of daily toil Revealing the reality of earth's rocks and soil

Snowfall promises sled rides and snowmen Rainfall promises mud pies and puddles

Sometimes a soul needs to snuggle under a blanket of snow

Knowing full well it will melt in due time.

Sometimes a gentle rain will calm the spirit and ease the pain Weather comes in cycles So does life

-By Susan Bassler Pickford

Thank you fo reading!

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