Letters to the Editor

Leave them cats alone

To the editor,

I am bemused by the recent spate of attacks by some folks and pundits on cats, attempting to punish and neuter cats for, well, being cats, citing the predation of birds.

In our neighborhood there are no feral cats, and I believe only a couple of outdoor cats We love all our feathered friends who grace and feed, nest and live in our garden safely.

Pesticides, glass windows, jet engines, Cooper’s hawks, kestrels, owls, other raptors, crows, jays, raccoons, squirrels, foxes, coyotes and other wildlife take birds or nestlings routinely.

Why don’t we sanction and issue trespassing ordinances against all of them as well?

The ancient Egyptians knew a thing or two including the value and wisdom of felines.

Don’t tread on cats. Let them live peacefully and continue to bring us great joy.

Ravi Koil

South Portland

Music boosters host online apparel sale

To the editor,

A note to all families of current and past South Portland students and their neighbors, friends, and relatives: The South Portland Music Boosters is holding an online apparel sale through Friday, April 21. A wide selection of apparel in adult and youth sizes is available, as well as items like a tumbler, stadium blanket, and gear bag. You can choose either general “SP” and “Red Riots” gear or “SP Music”-related gear.

The sale is entirely online and items are sent to your home, which also makes it great for sharing with family and friends from afar. The best part is that all proceeds support South Portland School District’s fantastic music program! Thank you for your support.

Please visit this website for the online sale: https://fancloth.shop/XWKVL.

Amy Haskins
South Portland Music Boosters member

City is on a slippery slope

To the editor,

On Tuesday, March 28, South Portland Sustainability Director Julie Rosenbach presented the “One Climate Future” plan to the city council. While it was a brief rundown of the overall plan, two items were specifically addressed and presented for future workshops. One was taking the city to a pay per bag rubbish disposal system. The other was to ban gas powered lawn mowers and equipment.

Both of these would deeply impact the pockets of already overburdened taxpayers in the city, but what is more alarming is both the amount of misinformation presented, and lack of information needed. While the nearly 300-page report outlines what needs to be done to go to zero emissions, it clearly does not detail any repercussions in doing so. Not once was there any mention of what to do with discarded lithium ion batteries. Also not mentioned, was the fact that South Portland’s waste is currently taken to the ecoMaine waste-to-energy plant where it is turned into clean electricity with little waste.

By switching to pay-per-bag, it would likely require more labor in collecting trash and recycled material, and still cost the city just as much to dispose of it. The director also referred to lawn mowers as two-cycle engines that were extremely bad for the climate. She repeated that statement when interviewed by local news media the following day. For those that do not know, there is no such thing as a two-cycle lawn mower, They are all four-cycle engines.

Also worth noting are the comments from councilor Jocelyn Leighton. She stated that being on the city council was one of the worst things she has ever done and that she hated it. Well, councilor Leighton, no one is forcing you to be there. She also stated that she is not an expert on these issues and does not know a lot about them. That is a very true fact, for all councilors. They are not experts in many of the decisions that they are responsible for making. But in electing them, I think the expectation is that they would look at the facts, do some research, and make the best decision possible on what they learned.

Another part of that is listening to constituents, which this council has clearly shown issues in doing. When information presented to them by so-called professionals such as Julie Rosenbach isn’t accurate, then we are in trouble. Also noteworthy is the fact that these initiatives would not have moved forward for lack of votes, but councilor Misha Pride added his approval to keep them alive. And not sure where councilor Deqa Dhalac was. She wasn’t present in person or via Zoom. Likely pushing her agenda in Augusta.

I really hope the citizens of South Portland follow this closely, get involved, and speak their minds. This city is heading down a slippery slope. Removing peoples rights, pricing people out of living here, and creating a city that is just not worthy of being in, and it’s not going to get better unless people push back.

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