LETTERS: Speaking for the Unheard

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To the editor:

Sparked by a letter to the editor from an AARP volunteer in Maine, highlights how the issue of social isolation among adults 50 and older, 28 percent of seniors living alone totaling more than 14.7 million people (5 million men and 9.7 million women) remains a global concern.

This illustration comes at a perfect time, leading us into June, which is Elder Abuse Awareness Month. Social isolation is a key factor contributing to elder abuse, a problem that is distressingly common and remains unseen. We know individuals affected by this personal problem and may one day be facing it ourselves.

Living through the pandemic’s aftermath recall how widespread social isolation felt and how this mirrors the daily reality of many elders, particularly those lacking close family connections, who also experienced profound feelings of disconnection. Whether a person’s social circle is large or small, being cut off from others has significant consequences. There is a growing body of research confirming that social connections are vital for an individual’s overall mental and physical health.

Let us advocate for our elder population and use Maine’s proactive approach of providing supported resources to aid them directly as an example. I implore you, the readers, to show compassion by actively reaching out to someone who may need to hear a friendly voice, volunteering at a local senior living facility, visiting neighbors or loved ones that are craving your attention. The lives of elders matter too and should matter to you.

Angelica Caballero,
Los Banos

LETTERS: Get involved with civic engagement

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To the editor:

After attending a screening of “Join or Die” last year, a documentary about the decline of civic engagement across the United States, I felt inspired to get involved in Skowhegan. That led me to join the Skowhegan Heritage Council, a town commission dedicated to preserving our history and strengthening collaboration among local organizations.

In many ways, the Heritage Council is about building bridges: between generations, between organizations, and between our past and our future. It’s a small but essential part of our civic infrastructure. Like all infrastructure, it depends on people to keep it strong. In a time when federal funding is shrinking and competition for grants is growing, Skowhegan needs structures like this. Not only to protect what we value, but to coordinate efforts effectively and make the most of our shared resources.

Right now, the Heritage Council is seeking new members to help sustain its work and safeguard Skowhegan’s heritage for the future. You don’t need to be an expert, just someone who cares about Skowhegan and wants to contribute. If you’re interested in joining, nomination applications can be submitted to the Town Manager’s Office at the Skowhegan Municipal Building.

And if you are located elsewhere, I encourage you to get involved where you are. Whether it’s a committee, a library, or a local volunteer group, showing up is how we shape and strengthen the places we call home.

Celeste Banda
Skowhegan

LETTERS: Electricity rates continue to be a burden on Mainers

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To the editor:

Rising electricity rates continue to be a burden on Mainers which is why I am writing to express concern regarding LD 186, “An Act to Clarify the Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) Authority to Establish Time of Use Pricing for Standard Offer Service.” This bill could have a significant impact on older Mainers’ electric bills.

The bill would allow the PUC to impose time of use (TOU) rates for Standard Offer Service (the supply of electricity for nearly all Maine electric customers). TOU involves charging different rates for electricity usage during peak and off-peak hours. This is something the Commission has publicly stated they wish to do, even though a full analysis has yet to be completed in Maine.

Shifting to TOU would disproportionately impact retirees, family caregivers, and those who work from home. Individuals who are home during peak hours could find it difficult to shift their energy usage to off-peak times. Also, many Mainers have switched to heat pumps or are thinking about making the switch. TOU pricing would make home heating even more expensive since these devices are 100 percent electric.

As part of a 2022 proceeding, the PUC ordered Central Maine Power to evaluate various rate design offerings (including TOU) and submit recommendations by December 2025. We question why the PUC is pushing a move towards TOU before this analysis and its subsequent recommendations have been completed.

I was made aware of this pending legislation through my volunteer work with AARP Maine. I urge all readers to join AARP in opposing LD 186. Please contact your legislators and encourage them to vote against this bill. It is crucial that we protect our older residents from policies that could harm their financial stability and well-being.

John White
Lead Utilities Advocacy Volunteer, AARP Maine
Greene, Maine

LETTERS: Somerville adrift

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To the editor:

The letter (The Town Line, January 2, 2025) portraying Somerville as a ship cast into chaos after a “mutiny” overlooks some critical truths. There was no mutiny. There was a vote – and the so-called “captain” wasn’t tossed overboard; he was removed by the will of the people. He didn’t even choose to stand on the ballot. Instead, he opted for a last-minute, clandestine write-in campaign – one seemingly aimed less at public service and more at undermining a fellow Somerville resident who had the integrity to run openly and transparently.

Let’s not rewrite history.

The chaos we now face wasn’t born in recent months but was the product of years of miscommunication, deflection, and carefully cultivated confusion. Under the former officeholder’s watch, Somerville was not led – it was slowly destabilized, and left in a financially precarious position that the current administration is now working diligently to correct.

To romanticize his time in office as a noble command at sea is misleading. If anything, the town’s former “captain” was more of a ship’s biscuit – dry, hard, and ultimately a liability in any true storm.

As residents look toward future leadership, we should not confuse experience with effectiveness, nor deception with strategy. What Somerville needs now is not a return to quiet dysfunction, but a commitment to honest, capable governance.

Michael Cox
Somerville Resident

LETTERS: Funding for climate change research is needed

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To the editor:

As a scientist, I am deeply alarmed by the news that NOAA was asked to supply a list of active climate-related grant funding. This request raises alarms about potential cuts to critical climate research and mitigation efforts. There is no meaningful scientific debate about the reality of climate change, and over 70 percent of adults believe climate change will harm future generations. In the wake of recent natural disasters, climate change risks are clear, and defunding these grants could have severe consequences for human health and well-being.

Climate-related research funded by federal agencies supports climate monitoring, weather forecasting, and cutting-edge science. This research highlights vulnerable resources where the need for intervention is highest and is critical to mounting an effective response to climate change and understanding the potential risks.

Here in Maine, we have recently seen an increase in sea level, leading to coastal flooding and other natural disasters. But other climate-change risks are more subtle. My own master’s research has highlighted how anthropogenic climate change is altering the fall color timing and intensity in the northeast, which could have substantial impacts on Maine’s late fall tourism. Without the data to drive informed policy and decision-making, we leave our coasts and communities vulnerable to climate, economic, and public health disasters, ultimately weakening our national security.

I urge policymakers, scientists, and the public to push for continued federal funding of climate research and, in doing so, reaffirm that scientific research is essential for safeguarding our communities from climate change.

Alexis Garretson
Hampden

LETTERS: Sadly, estranged from my daughter

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To the editor:

Regarding my daughter’s rebuttal letter to The Town Line, it should be noted that the only references to dollars was what I paid a man to share my driving back to Maine. I would remind her I allowed her to write her own checks from our joint account, in her own words, “I do really appreciate your helping me out!”

I saw a lawyer who said I did nothing wrong: 1) Telling senior citizens not to make the mistake I did. 2) no malice, I wrote the truth. 3) it was not meant for her eyes to see and why I wrote to The Town Line, 2,000 miles away from Florida. My lawyer asked me and I ask you editor, et al, how the heck did she get to even know about The Town Line, or access it? Oh well, I am now estranged from my daughter. Sad as it has to be.

Frank Slason
Augusta

LETTERS: Ending EV mandate shortsighted

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To the editor:

In response to President Trump’s inauguration speech on January 20, 2025, I found it profoundly concerning that the new president seems intent on reversing our country’s progress toward lasting energy solutions amid an energy crisis.

In his speech, President Trump pledged to end the electric vehicle mandate and increase crude oil drilling in the United States. This approach is extremely shortsighted. The more dependent we become on non-renewable energy sources, such as oil, the more at risk we are of quickening their depletion, leaving us vulnerable when we need energy the most.

Without the electric vehicle mandate, we’ll need oil to power cars, heat homes, generate electricity, and fuel planes. What happens when we run out? What do we do without gas-powered vehicles and generators and heating systems and electric systems when there’s no more oil left? This issue is vital in Maine, which is heavily reliant on heating oil in the winter.

Therefore, I urge members of Congress to incentivize energy efficiency and promote transitions to renewable energy options. I insist readers contact their local Senator or Representative and advocate for better incentives for energy transitions. I suggest readers research ways to make their homes more energy efficient, thereby reducing their individual reliance on heating oil.

Rashmi Mohan
Bar Harbor

LETTERS: Rebuttal to dad’s letter

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To the editor:

This was my dad’s letter…advice to seniors. Readers deserve to know the truth. Please publish this as it is not fair to allow my dad to slander me and not let me tell my side:

I opened my home up to my dad..he sold his place in Maine (his own decision). I did not take his money or open a joint account. He offered to open the joint account and told the BofA banker “we only have each other…we are all we have”. He offered to purchase the Mercedes car for me (a 2009) which I traded my car in to help with the cost. I was NOT taking his money or using him in anyway. I was not looking for a horse farm…my dad mentioned that he wanted to live in the country and we drove by a 5-acre place that was for sale…he wanted to see it!

I was not upset at my dad…in fact, he told me he wanted to move back to Maine and I asked him to really consider it first and to give things time. I have a 3/2 home in Dunnellon, Florida, and I gave him my master bedroom and bath and I did not put any restrictions on him. I paid for all the utilities, he only had to pay for his groceries and gas.

He agreed to stay but after a few weeks decided he was leaving. He told me on a Monday morning (while I am getting ready for work) that he is driving back to Maine on Friday, He failed to tell me that a neighbor (that lives down the street named Gary) would be accompanying him on the trip. (which my dad had to pay him for and ended up costing over $1,000 between eating out, hotel and paying him $250 to ride with him, as well as paying for Gary’s flight back to Florida).

Here I am worried that my dad is on the road alone. Friday morning when my dad left (at 8 a.m.) I hugged him good bye and told him “this is your decision, you don’t have to go”, but he told me he was leaving. I asked him how far he was driving and he said “to Jacksonville” which I thought was odd as that is not far away. All this time my dad knew that I did not know Gary was going to be with him. This was hurtful. I thought for my dad to hide this fact.

As far as my cats…they eat and sleep and did not bother my dad in anyway. In fact, he would talk to them and petted them and seemed to enjoy their company.

I tried calling my dad only for him to hang up on me and then he wrote me and asked to only contact him by mail. So let me advise those children that have aging parents and they want to move in…have a long conversation first. My dad had a choice but his choice was to leave without providing any closure for me (as to why).

It is not right to let my dad write lies and lead people to believe his story…please publish this so that (maybe my dad) will be able to know how I feel…since he will not even speak to me.

Holly Slason
Dunnellon, Florida

LETTERS: Where is the town of Somerville heading?

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To the editor:

The township is floundering and there is no clear direction or leadership for Somerville residents. The captain was tossed overboard during a mutiny election. The executive officer resigned and the staff petty officers abandoned ship, save for one remaining in a lifeboat doing her best to keep the ship off the rocks awaiting new recruits. In an upcoming election on January 7, 2025, a new XO will be elected to back up the captain who deposed the mutinied captain. The mutinied captain had managerial experience, municipal knowledge and boatloads of government bureaucratic insight. Though deposed of official duties while in attendance in war room meetings, his knowledge and expertise were volunteered and solicited to chart course directions. With unknowns seeking the open XO slot, perhaps the township folks may be wise to write in the name of the deposed captain on the election ballot to get the ship upright and sailing forward again.

Joe LaMacchia
Somerville

LETTERS: Mainers at higher risk of social isolation

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To the editor:

In Maine, approximately 135,000 people 50 and older live alone and are at higher risk of social isolation and loneliness. If there is one thing the pandemic made clear, it is that personal connections are vital to our mental and physical well-being.

With the holidays upon us, feelings of loneliness and isolation can be heightened, particularly if we have lost a loved one in the past year. A survey conducted by AARP found that three-in-ten respondents (31%) say they have felt lonely during past holiday seasons. In addition, four-in-ten (41%) respondents say they have worried about a friend or family member feeling lonely during the holidays. Fortunately, the holidays give us a reason to connect.

AARP Maine has posted a guide with resources for Mainers who may be experiencing loneliness. Some of the resources include a tool to measure your risk for isolation, an invitation to receive a friendly phone call from an AARP volunteer, opportunities to volunteer, and information on local services. The guide includes additional support for family caregivers. You can find the guide here: https://states.aarp.org/maine/isolation.

We often experience more kindness from strangers during the holidays. Perhaps if each one of us can commit to being that “kind stranger” we can all have a meaningful impact in another person’s life. A simple act of kindness – a friendly call, an offer to help with shopping, sharing a laugh over a cup of tea – can make all the difference to someone who is lonely.

André Chassé
AARP Maine
Volunteer State President