Dear Editor:

I believe another thank you from the Boothbay Harbor Town Office is in order - perhaps overdue. (Last week our new Town Manager expressed his appreciation for the support he received from the community).

After completing another problem-free referendum election, I want to thank everyone who made that possible. The Public Works crew started the morning off by setting up booths, tables, signs and a special area for equipment for the visually impaired. Our new warden, Bob McFetridge, arrived at 8 a.m. to continue the set up of all that is necessary to open the polls at 9 a.m. Leah Sample and Calista Boyd took the first shift at the incoming voter table with Stephanie Hawke filling a noon to 2:30 pm. time slot for Calista. At 2:30 pm., Marilyn Sewall and Marlene Coady took over and stayed to help with the final tally of votes that was completed by 8:30 p.m.

We had a very high turnout of voters on November 6. I hope that this is a sign! EVERY VOTE COUNTS ! To all who helped this time and to all who have worked the polls in the past - THANK YOU.

Pat Wheeler/Town Clerk

Boothbay Harbor

Dear Editor:

We, the undersigned, wish to congratulate Representative Bruce MacDonald for his level of responsibility for the community that elected him to represent it. Bruce has kept his electoral promise to be a spokesperson for the region and to this end has sponsored legislation that seeks to guard its future safety and economic viability. Bruce has carefully sponsored legislation that reflects our community's needs such as the Liquor License measure, support for lobstermen, funding community colleges and, most recently, setting standards for coal emission. He diligently seeks out community input and uses it to forge his own conclusions. He has shown his independence in his response to school redistricting. Bruce works continuously with colleagues on both sides of the aisle and manages to consistently vote his conscience. This ability has led him to vote in such a manner that means that many signers listed below may have individual differences with some of his specific votes. However, it is just this characteristic that makes Bruce represent the kind of politician who demonstrates the ideal of independence that is the mark of a true political statesman. In this particular historical moment, when the word politician is used as a dirty word, Bruce reminds us that there are amongst us people who take pride in performing a job, that is continuously frustrating as well as poorly reimbursed.

U.S. history has had from its very beginnings the conflict between the ideal of a Democratic society and the specificity of the means through which to accomplish these ends. We have had many moments when the country appeared to be dismantling but the power of the ideological assumptions of representative government prevailed. Being lucky enough to have a representative who consistently seeks to interact with his constituency is a privilege. In the larger sense, Bruce, and many others like him on both sides of the aisle, in their willingness to take on the frustration of the messiness of the day-to-day progress, provide us models. They are the evidence that, like all other groups, politicians are not a single mold.

Nancy Adams, Barbara Prose,

Chris and Ron Bastian,

Paula Ragsdale, Val Betts,

Theodore Repa, Leslie Bird,

Stephanie Blecharczyk,

Sandra and Steve Rumery

Ron Conant,

Gloria and Jim Taliana,

Liz Director, George Goodwin,

David and Ellie Taylor,

Jerry Topinka, Kitty Hartford,

Andrew Twaddle, Fred Nehring,

Karen and Michael McConnell,

Betsy and David Wells,

Peggy Voight

Dear Editor:

We would like to express our deep appreciation to B&B Tree Service, one of your advertisers, and Brian Cookson in particular, for a service performed for us on Friday, November 2.

Our young "indoor" cat, Sheba, got outside and had scooted up a very tall and dense fir tree. It was so dense and tall that we could not climb it or put up a ladder to rescue her. She seemed terrified to climb down herself.

The tree was so dense we could not see her, but could hear her meowing. After about six hours she became very quiet. We even thought she might have somehow managed to make it down by herself. But then we heard a faint whimper. It was obvious she wasn't coming down by herself. She would have a spent a very cold night high in the three if nothing was done.

We looked through your classified for someone with a bucket truck who could get up high enough to locate her and hopefully bring her down. We found B&B Tree Service and gave them a call.

Although it was getting late, after five p.m., Brian agreed to come by and see what he could do. He showed up with two others and proceeded to set up the truck and raise the bucket. By this time Sheba had been in the tree over eight hours - and it was getting COLD. Within ten minutes he had found her and brought her down.

We had yet to discuss the price of his call, so we told him to charge whatever he felt was fair. To my great surprise he said there would be NO charge.

I believe that people such as this should be highly commented, and recognized for their great compassion and thoughtfulness to others.

Again, many thanks B&B and Brian.

Roland and Nancy Boardman

East Boothbay