There is a special election on June 12, in which voters will decide the fate of the Portland Public Library and the state’s drinking water, highways, ports, and bike trails. Well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but how else are we supposed to make it seem even slightly interesting?
What’s really at stake on this ballot are two statewide questions. The first is to approve — or reject, as never happens — a $112 million bond for improvements to roads, public transportation, harbor facilities, and bike and walking trails (although the less than $2 million that’s going toward trails is far less than the $10 million that the Bicycle Coalition of Maine had requested). The other question asks about an $18 million bond to support keeping Maine’s drinking water clean.
Portland voters will also decide whether or not to approve an extra $1 million (to be added to the $4 million approved in 2004) that would go toward moving the Portland Public Library from its current location to the old Portland Public Market building.
Oh yeah, and Peter Eglinton is running unopposed for the District Three seat on Portland’s School Committee — the one vacated by USM student Jason Toothaker, who skipped out on a $4.65 cab fare after a night of drinking last December and then resigned from the board.
The local League of Young Voters (formerly the League of Pissed Off Voters) is doing its part to drum up what enthusiasm it can by throwing a bit of local politics into its second annual ReEmergence party on May 31; its official stance for the election is the utterly vanilla “Show Up and Vote.”
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This Just In
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