Commentary by Matthew Polstein, Millinocket Town Councilor

When Jim Giffune made the comment last night, “We all know what the issues are and what needs to be done,” I thought how simple and true; we are not powerless to affect our future, we know what needs to be done; the question is,do we have the strength to do it? The answer to that question is also simple, we have no choice. I got the message loud and clear last night; the time for action is now and we have real choices to make.

Are we going to step up to the plate and position this town for a positive future, or are we going to continue on in idle bobbing about in the sea of local and world events that threaten to drown us. For me there is no real choice. I am not proud to say that I have been floating for the better part of the past two years, our failure as a council to make hard decisions in a meaningful fashion took the wind out of my sails, but it didn’t take my sails away. It is time again for me to hit the deck and get sailing. With a set rudder and full sails the question for me now is who else is on deck and who is still floating near the beach sipping cocktails.

I am in high hopes that everyone is on deck. If we are all on deck we will be successful in positioning our town for the best future possible and we will be able to do it with an appropriate level of sensitivity and decorum. If we’re not all on deck at best we may get there, but a process that is not apt to be pretty, may be far more ugly than it needs to be. This will be particularly true in the area of working with town employees to craft more efficient and less costly government.

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A Council united with its manager will be far more likely to foster an evironment in which everyone wants to get on the boat to pull together towards a common goal than one in which there is division.

If you’re ready to set sail we should immediately consider the following:

1. Amend the GNP TIF agreement to make it fully transferable in an asset sale and remove the employment level language. This part of the TIF is punitive and not in the town’s interest. These portions of the TIF are a deterrent to a buyer and work against the needs of an owner to make and enjoy the full benefit of important decisions that will immediately affect the ability of the mill to be successful. Further by leaving the TIF in place we encourage the buyer to make investments in our town within the next three years. By failing to amend the TIF we tell prospective buyers, you are our hostage. We are in no position to be taking hostages at a time when we should be administering life support.

2. Open our personnel policy and further address the many sticky issues included in it that cost the town more than it can afford, or justify in any case spending. Again we all know what the issues are ...

3. Ask the school board to consider the following, tuitioning our middle school students to East in the event that East decides to tuition high school students to Millinocket. Better still craft a plan that gives East and Medway equal representation with Millinocket on a new school board that is formed to govern a new SAD. Seek state help with the Millinocket School debt that seems to be a barrier to East and Medway joining us in an SAD or act on our own to address East and Medway’s fears about that debt. If we are unable to move ahead with a plan to address school issues cooperatively with East and or Medway, ask our school board to present a school budget with at least a 10 percent reduction in demand for $$$ from the town.

4. Thoroughly review the need for a municipally run single town ambulance service considering the options of a private service as well as the option of a joint service with East.

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