County events afford local voters access to candidates
To the editor:
It was very gratifying to watch high-energy candidates in action at events hosted by my wife over the weekend of June 25th. Jason Levesque, Paul LePage, Dan Deveau, Rudy St. Peter and Dave Salkind should have been nervous and a little tongue tied when voters were up close and personal asking them tough questions.
These five candidates were very well informed and treated us voters like talking to a friend. They were not separated by the stage my wife set up at the Stockholm Legion Hall, instead they chose to sit on the edge of the stage closer to the people. They answered each question in detail with an interconnected flow of statements and ideas from the crowd. All the hot topics were covered Jobs, the government over-regulations that keep business from coming into Maine, taxes driving out many existing businesses, the railroads, the economy and more.
One lady asked the question I’ve been dying to ask for years, “What guarantees can you give me to get my vote, in other words, what guarantees do I have you won’t be just like the officials I have now?” The candidates jostled one another to be first to answer that question, however, Jason Levesque answered this way: “There are no guarantees, if we don’t do the job you want us to do while in office vote us out at the next election. But I can tell you I will work extremely hard and will not forget why you voted for me.” Paul LePage answered, “If a politician gives you a guarantee that he will do something in office the politician is lying;” other candidates answered in the same vein. I would personally add that we know the current elected officials are not doing what is best for Maine and that we have to keeping electing individuals until we the people find the ones that will work to make Maine the strong and vibrant state it used to be. The crowd came away shaking their heads up and down, including the woman who didn’t get a guarantee!
At the Acadian Festival in Madawaska, they finished the parade in a downpour, then moved to the Meet, Greet, and Eat Candidates Barbecue. Five men ignored the rain, just moved through the crowd in wet clothes, sharing a meal with the people while discussing their top issues in Maine and the country.
Voters thanked the candidates for appearing in Aroostook County; Gary Delaney spoke for most when he said, “I have never seen Mike Michaud in the county and few other candidates ever come here to talk to the people. Many politicians treat Aroostook County as the second State of Maine, or the other side of the tracks.
Jason Levesque stated that he planned to make a mobile office that would travel the Aroostook area so that we could connect with Jason after he is elected.
It was a great weekend for many in Saint John Valley and Aroostook County. People met, ate a lot of red dogs and talked with the candidates. For the people who missed meeting these candidates they will be in the County again for the Fort Fairfield Potato Festival July 17th & 18th. I urge you to go there and speak with them. I know my wife and I came away feeling better informed. More important, I felt that these candidates really listened to me, something I never experienced before!
Stockholm
