Down the Road
Goin' Green, not some other direction
By Milt Gross
Feb 14, 2010 - 12:15:08 AM

"They" tell me a vote for the small political party is a vote for the large party, Democrat or Republican.

But, I'm not so sure about that. Dolores and I are thinking about voting for the Green Party candidate for governor, Lynne Williams, a Bar Harbor attorney who apparently takes cases to help lower income and less powerful people and causes, including the battle against annoying low-frequency sounds from wind-turbine projects.

What if a vote for Lynne Williams turns out to be a vote for Lynne Williams? How will I know unless I vote for Lynne Williams? And then how will I know my vote actually went toward Lynne Williams becoming our next governor?

A few days ago I took a day off. I had taken one off the week before, so Dolores and I could go to the dentist. That was so much fun -- the day off part, not the dentist -- that I decided to do it again this week.

During the midmorning of this day off, while we were drinking coffee and reading the morning paper -- a true day off. A car drove into our dooryard. Thinking it was a census taker, we were looking around for places to hide. Don't want to take all that time to tell someone we are here on a day off.

But it turned out to be a man asking us to sign a petition so Lynne Williams can be a candidate for governor. We signed the first two lines of the blank sheet, and the man explained that he had been knocking on doors all morning and we were the first ones willing to sign.

We were also the first ones on the list of Green Party members that the Lynne Williams campaign had purchased who actually were members of the Green Party. The man didn't say where they bought the list. Isn't that information free under the freedom-of-information or whatever-it's-called act?

The volunteer seemed kind of frustrated. He was so frustrated that as he hurried out the door, I don't think he heard me offer to do a little volunteer PR writing for the Lynne Williams campaign. Or maybe he's read what I write.

I voted for Democrat John Baldacci. I like spaghetti, and his spaghetti suppers were worth attending. I thought maybe his being governor would also be good. I think it has been, although it's hard to tell since no matter what he or any active politician does seems the perfect target for those angry idiots who didn't win. What they do in their non-winning years following the election is criticize everything the winner does or says.

I do fondly remember Joe Brennan, whom I followed a bit as a reporter over in western Maine in the good old days or the bad old days. (I can't seem to remember which kind they were as I look back from these good now days -- or bad now days, depending on the day.)

I liked Joe Brennan, because he wore old shoes with holes in the soles. He was my kind of guy. I too could afford that kind of shoes.

I liked Independent Jim Longley too. I don't remember why. It must have been something he said -- or I ate. Whatever the reason, I've always thought he did a good job as governor.

I was teaching at the time of his campaign, and my principal told me that if I voted for Longley I'd lose my teaching job. I asked the principal if he would fire me for voting for Longley, and he said that no he wouldn't but that Longley would reduce state spending for education so my job wouldn't exist.

About that time, the state's annual teachers' convention was being held in Augusta -- not far from the Jim Longley campaign headquarters. Not a whole lot had changed in teaching methods, nor had they since my mother had taught and shook the kids by the front of their shirts if they didn't properly understand my mother's role in their lives. It's different now in Maine. Kids can grab your shirt, but you can't grab theirs. And no one seems clear on anyone's role anywhere.

Anyhow, I visited the Jim Longley headquarters and was impressed enough to cheer him on and pass my vote his way. I remember the disappointment in the TV news reporter's voice the night he announced Longley's victory in his run for the gubernatorial seat. It would be the end of the world as we knew it. It was too as well as the beginning of a world with more responsible state government.

I wondered if it was my vote that won him that gubernatorial seat.

I also wondered -- and still do -- why they call it that.

My teaching job didn't disappear until I became bored by the fly on the classroom windowsill one June day and became a news reporter.

I wonder if Dolores and I vote for Lynne Williams, will our votes count for her or instead for a candidate of either the Democrat or Republican parties. Let's see now, check that box followed by the name Lynne Williams. Results: you have just voted for someone else.

Will our votes help Lynne Williams be able to sit in that same seat, you know, the gubernatorial one?

And will I ever find out why they call that seat by that name?

Milt Gross can be reached for corrections, harassment, or other purposes at lesstraveledway@midmaine.com.

Milton M. Gross Copyright 2010

Milt Gross' Down the Road Column