Thumbs up to the Sanford School Committee for agreeing to at least consider the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission’s complaint about the school’s use of the team name “Redskins.” Though the school has largely separated itself from the name, by dropping it from jerseys in favor of the letter “S,” it is still the official moniker of Sanford sports teams.
Whatever people may feel from years of using the term, if it is offensive to the people to whom it refers, there is no defensible reason to continue using it. The school board will appear more noble if they take this up quickly in the new year and drop the name of their own volition, rather than waiting for state law to possibly force their hand in late January.
Thumbs down to miscommunication from the Regional School Unit 21 board to Arundel residents, regarding the formation of a cost sharing committee. The group was formed with the understanding that it would be charged with resolving a dispute over old debt from School Administrative District 71, which included only Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. However, once it was convened, Arundel representatives were surprised to learn that the district’s entire cost-sharing formula would be reviewed. It should have been made clear at the time of the committee’s formation, before selectmen appointed representatives, that it would have a much broader charge than the old debt issue. Though this process is legal and arguably a good step to take at this time because of proposed new debt, it has caused unnecessary hard feelings in a relationship that is already struggling.
Thumbs up to the Town of Wells for its significant conservation efforts that will designate open land for wildlife and visitors alike. The Tilton family should be commended for preparing to sign over a 130-acre area with more than 50 feet of frontage on the Merriland River, as well as wetlands and habitat for wildlife, and the voters are in line for praise, too, for approving the necessary funds. The town is also preparing to conserve a 288-acre parcel known as the Granite State land, further adding to its preserved areas, such as the Fenderson Commons. These efforts are important not only for local ecology but also for tourism, since people come to Maine not for the strip malls but for the natural atmosphere.
Thumbs down to Sanford voters who rejected the pay-as-you-throw proposal for waste disposal, leaving the town with a $700,000 budget gap in the current year and a projected $1 million gap in the fiscal year that begins July 1. Those voters should have known that furlough days, significant tax increases and cuts to the library and social services would be coming down the pipe after they shot down the bag fee. Now residents could be feeling some real financial hurt ”“ to the tune of $1.04 more per $1,000 worth of property ”“ if all municipal services are funded at the current level in the next fiscal year. Instead of facing such cuts, the town could have simply recycled more and watched their waste, but now some tough decisions will have to be made that will have a much bigger impact than the cost of a plastic bag or two each week.
Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you would like to respond, please write the Reader’s Forum via e-mail at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.
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