Alyce Maragus
MAGIC - On It's Way Out?
By Alyce Maragus
Jul 7, 2008 - 7:00:40 PM

For those who don't read the Lincoln News, there is a "cry me a river" article pertaining to MAGIC's future. Catch the 7/3/08 edition.

First we have poor Bruce McLean , MAGIC's Executive Director, who just may have to find other employment (maybe like regular people) since MAGIC is no longer being funded by our three towns. What? no more $65,000 to $70,000 salary? How will he survive? All I can say is that it's about time the three towns woke up. Please be aware that McLean will still be willing to meet with people in the evenings and will help "for as long as he is able to do so".

The bad news is, don't count on him disappearing.

Then of course, we have Gail Fanjoy mouthing off as usual. Wouldn't it be nice if she were to tuck her tail between her legs and concede to a bad idea instead of pushing her white elephant uphill. She seems confused as to "what MAGIC will be, going forward". How about dead in the water? "Clearly we're not going to be as we were". Thank God for that, but just exactly what was MAGIC except a tool for Matt Polstein's project.

She goes on to say that due to MAGIC's corporate status, it could be helpful in obtaining grants. Isn't that what MAGIC has been doing all along, but have any of you taxpayers seen any of that grant money? Or real results from its use?

Next we have Rick Levasseur lamenting the fact that there are still many people who don't know what MAGIC does or they have been fed "misinformation" (here we go again with the misinformation). Rick, wake up! It's been eight long years and over a million dollars with little or no successes. That is not "misinformation." That is fact.

Skip on down to Marie Vienneau who is quoted as saying "but as far as I can see MAGIC hasn't been about what it was originally intended for a while". Oh! My goodness - a breath of fresh air, and the truth for a change.

Of course, ultimately, as per Bruce, "the negativity some have cast on the organization has created an atmosphere where clients - have to use the back door instead of acknowledging they've received it". And the "board members" agreed that the lies and misinformation put out there by a certain group of people (notice they aren't saying "small" group) hurt the organizations's ability to help the area".

I simply can't believe that supposedly intelligent perople (MAGIC) can keep blaming their failure on lies and misinformation. Don't they understand all they had to do with all that money thrown at them, was create a nominal amount of JOBS. If they had even partly succeeded, the public would never have believed the so-called lies and misinformation.

Instead they prefer to blame others for their failures and then, to add insult to injury, expect all of you to believe what they say even with little or no results. Hopefully Millinocket people will not be taken in by this sob story.

If it talks like a scam and acts like a scam, then in all probability that's just what it is - a scam.