Cluchey for state rep.
My wife Sally Cluchey is running for State Representative in District 52, serving Bowdoin, Bowdoinham and Richmond. After much consideration, I have decided to vote for her.
When I first met Sally, she was working for the U.S. Army on a vaccine to prevent malaria. She worked in the lab every day, then worked nights and weekends as a cocktail waitress at a bar called The Barking Dog. Several mornings a week, she woke up early to run with participants in a program called Back on My Feet, which combats homelessness through the power of fitness.
This work ethic, intelligence and dedication to helping others is at the core of the woman I’ve had the good fortune to know for the past two decades. In that time, she has built on those traits, both professionally as a corporate leader and small business owner and personally as a devoted and loving mother to our two kids.
I have spent the past six years serving on Bowdoinham’s Select Board. That experience has given me the opportunity to see a wide variety of leadership styles in action. More than ever, we need leaders who listen, engage thoughtfully, ask difficult questions, and work calmly and collaboratively to find solutions. Sally is that kind of leader.
We could all use someone in our corner right now, and I’m here to tell you there is no one better to have in your corner than Sally Cluchey. She loves this community, she’ll always fight for us, and we’ll be lucky to have her in Augusta.
Jeremy Cluchey,
Bowdoinham
Campaign concerns
People running for political offices are actually applying for a job. All of the citizens of the country have a say in who gets the job. The following are questions and concerns about that process.
1. Should we be concerned if the applicant lies about the other applicants? When we discuss our fellow citizens, we need to step up on a higher moral ground. We need to treat one another fairly and truthfully. It is a matter of trust. It is a matter of civility.
2. If an applicant complains about what a rival has done should we expect that this applicant can tell us what they would do instead? To complain without offering a solution does not show any preparation to be fit for the job.
3. Using fear of government agencies to sway the people’s vote is just wrong. We are a country that is based upon the rule of law. There is no need to fear any government agency if you follow the law as it is agreed upon when it is written. Anyone who uses these fear tactics are the ones to be feared and they do not deserve to be hired to the position.
A group of people in government have been called members of the swamp. There are those who say they want to clean out the swamp. Talk of this kind has only generated great division between those people who are needed to do the work of governing this nation. To lie in order to get what you want has become more of the norm and that norm has got to stop. Truth and justice must prevail, or we certainly are lost.
Robert Stevens,
Harpswell
What the heck is a register of probate?
If you asked ten voters on election day what is involved in the work of a Register of Probate, I would venture to guess that 10 out of 10 would tell you they had no idea. That’s understandable, as probate courts tend to be unassuming by nature and their actions rarely make headlines. They do however oversee major legal milestones in some families’ lives.
Probate courts in Maine handle the legal proceedings for many family-related matters. County probate courts process such transactions as adoptions, guardianships, conservatorships, and legal change of name, as well as determining legitimacy of last wills and testaments, the distribution of estates of deceased residents, the appointment of personal representatives, and more. They have jurisdiction over a variety of legal issues that many residents need, sometimes under critical or challenging circumstances.
The Register of Probate is the court administrator, responsible for coordinating all court operations. Among other important responsibilities, they maintain files of court actions, manage the docket, archive original records dating back over hundred years, and process public records requests under the Freedom of Access law. They must understand public policy, budgeting, human resources, legal terminology, court forms, e-filings and state statutes. The Register has quasi-judicial powers and, by state law, must be bondable to the county treasurer and maintain that surety bond via the accuracy of their work. Their job is complex, and they need to conduct their work with compassion, integrity, and precision.
In Maine, the Register of Probate for each county is an elected position. This November the position of Sagadahoc County Register of Probate is on the ballot, and Jean Guzzetti is running for re-election. Jean has the skills and experience the role requires, understands the demands of the job, and has demonstrated her commitment to the residents of Sagadahoc County. I believe she has earned re-election to this vital yet under-the-radar position. I encourage you to join me in voting for Jean Guzzetti for Register of Probate on Nov. 8.
Kathy Montejo,
Bowdoinham
Mattie Daughtry for SenateSen. Mattie Daughtry has served admirably in her first term. Elected Assistant Senate Majority Leader, she led the charge on legislation to protect Maine’s working families, fully fund schools, restore revenue sharing, create a Paid Family and Medical Leave system, and raise Maine’s rainy-day fund to a new record amount – all without raising taxes.
Her election to leadership was recognition of her effectiveness in the Maine House, where she crafted common-sense legislation to protect local food systems, passed legislation to keep carcinogenic chemicals out of our food and water and, as Chair of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, wrote and passed nationally recognized bills to reduce student debt.
There’s more to do. As a small business owner and native Mainer, Daughtry has experienced firsthand the difficulties we all face – buying supplies, finding affordable housing, or just filling the tank. Yet, even as our wallets are being stretched, our ability to find solutions has been made more difficult by national politics. Here’s where Daughtry’s effectiveness shines – in both the House and the Senate, she has regularly formed bipartisan coalitions to get things done for our state.
Daughtry is running for reelection in the newly constituted District 23 (Brunswick, Harpswell, Freeport, Pownal, a portion of Yarmouth and Chebeague Island). Let’s send her back there to continue her good work.
Peter Simmons,
Brunswick
Cluchey for Representative
I am writing to support Sally Cluchey for State Representative in House District 52 (Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Richmond). Sally Cluchey will work hard for all of the residents of District 52. She has demonstrated her ability to make a difference through her work heading up the Bowdoinham Food Pantry that serves Bowdoin and Bowdoinham.I know she has tirelessly knocked on 2000 doors in the district and taken the time to listen to residents’ concerns and questions, and to share ways that she will work on behalf of our community. As I have talked with others in my town, I’ve heard from so many who know and are impressed with Sally Cluchey. They have shared stories about her compassion, her ingenuity in solving problems, and her leadership in working with volunteers to keep the food pantry open during the pandemic. Just as she has made a difference in our community, she will make a difference in the State Legislature. I hope my friends and neighbors in Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, and Richmond join me in voting for Sally Cluchey this November.
Eileen Johnson,
Bowdoin
Golek for District 99
We write in support of Cheryl Golek for State Representative in District 99, a district that has been expanded to include more of eastern Brunswick. Cheryl was born and raised in Brunswick and lives and works in Harpswell. She knows the issues that we face in our daily lives and her record of hard work and service demonstrates that she will work hard and effectively in meeting those issues for us. Cheryl has been and will continue to be our advocate for fair taxation, improved transportation, support for health care, and protection of our fishing heritage and our environment. Please join us in voting for Cheryl on Election Day, Nov. 8.
Daniel and Polly Harris,
Brunswick
Vitelli for re-election
In these last days before the election, I wanted to highlight a significant legislative effort which Sen. Vitelli supported. This was the bill to provide people with brain injuries the protection of their rights, their needs for rehabilitation, and access to a full and meaningful life in their recovery.
Specifically, this bill adds references to persons with acquired brain injuries to Maine laws providing rights and basic protections to persons with intellectual disabilities or autism, including laws governing grievance procedures. It directs the Commissioner of Health and Human Services to convene a task force to develop and recommend rules and procedures regarding the rights and basic protections of persons with acquired brain injuries.
This effort by people with brain injuries, their families, and supporters took over ten years to finally gain approval. As a member of the Brain Injury Association of America’s Maine Chapter and father of an adult son who recovered from a traumatic brain injury I can attest to the importance of this bill and the full active participation of Senator Vitelli in securing its passage.
Please join me in returning Senator Vitelli to the Maine Senate with your vote.
Richard M. Brown,
Dresden
Who we want representing District 48
This is the sort of woman we want representing District 48:
I had the privilege of driving Rep. Holly Stover as she knocked on doors in South Bristol during Pumpkinfest Weekend. We found lots of people at home – Democrat, unenrolled, and Republican voters – all of them welcomed her as we traveled down winding, wooded drives to houses large and small.
About halfway through our 4-hour session, Holly was engaged in an extended conversation with a couple who often vote Republican when both of her phones began to buzz and buzz and buzz some more as I sat in the cab of my pickup truck. She climbed back into her seat, and I let her know someone, a couple of someones, had been trying hard to contact her.
And this is where our afternoon of campaigning together ended.
Because in her follow-up phone calls, she was told that there had been an emergency in Boothbay, and her help was needed to connect community members in crisis with the services and support they needed. She assured her contact, “I can be there in 40 minutes.”
She then turned to me and said, “Sorry, Geoff. I need to go. NOW.”
She could have kept on campaigning. But Rep. Holly Stover is not just our representative in Augusta. With her work on the Community Resource Council and Lincoln County Dental, her service extends deeply into the fabric of our County. Maybe she could have found someone else to help out. But not Holly. We said our goodbyes and she was off.
We need Holly, and frankly more folks like Holly, in Augusta…people who care deeply about their constituents – the people for whom she and all legislators are working. Her actions that afternoon made it quite apparent that Holly understands that it’s people, not politics or profits – or even re-election, for that matter – that should come first in state government.
Please join me in voting for Holly Stover for State Representative of District 48.
Geoff Bates,
South Bristol
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