Maine students host Prepare Maine Gubernatorial Candidate Forum

A crowd of nearly 300 students, parents and community members gathered at Bangor High School’s Peaks Auditorium on Wed., Oct. 27 for the Prepare Maine Gubernatorial Candidate Forum. The event was student-run and sponsored by the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education and WABI-TV.

The forum began the candidates’ biographies, which were written and presented by students. The presenters came from all over Maine, ranging in age from 12 years old to 18 years old.

The five candidates were asked student-written and presented questions pertaining to issues such as energy policy, job creation and healthcare. The most discussed topic of the evening was education.

A student from Bangor High School asked the candidates how they would address the 20 percent drop-out rate that affects Maine’s school systems.

All of the candidates focused their answers on ways to create more student interest in learning.

Republican Paul LePage believed that Maine’s education should become a “learn to earn” environment, in which high school students have the opportunity to gain college credit, and a possible associates degree, while still in school.

Democrat Libby Mitchell suggested that hands-on learning become more prevalent in education, and vocational and co-op programs be more accessible to students.

Independent Shawn Moody, who became a business entrepreneur at 17, stood by Sen. Mitchell on this issue and stressed that Maine education should “redirect students into curriculums that work for them,” which may not necessarily mean college.

Independent Eliot Cutler said that longer school years, and rewards for teachers will improve Maine’s education system. Cutler suggested that Maine work on “developing teachers” so that they are better able to serve students.

Independent Kevin Scott said giving students the opportunity to voice their needs will allow Maine to create solutions in education.

Representatives from organizations such as Opportunity Maine and the Maine Women’s Lobby were in attendance at the forum. Sarah Standiford, executive director of the Maine Women’s Lobby, said that “it isn’t an option” for students to not vote in this election. “This election is a very unique time for Maine,” said Standiford, “Maine could move in a very different direction”.

First-year Bangor High School student, Bryan Palma, said that even though he is too young to vote, he still has an opinion on this election. “I am supporting Cutler because of his innocence in which he isn’t primarily involved in the nagging,” said Palma.

After the forum, all of the candidates could agree on at least one thing, Maine is a state worth fighting for. Sen. Mitchell quoted one of the most well-known Maine advocates in history, Henry David Thoreau, in saying “why would anyone go West? When Maine has everything”.

To view coverage of the Prepare Maine forum and to research how the gubernatorial candidates stand on issues such as education, visit Prepare Maine. To read about how the candidates have used social networking throughout their campaigns, visit Bryan Roche’sreport. To see what Maine student’s know about the upcoming election, visit Amy Becker’sreport.

Maine women show concern for the upcoming gubernatorial election

ORONO, ME-- More than 90 years have passed since the 19th Amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution, allowing American women the right to vote. Since then, women’s political involvement has become more prevalent throughout the United States and within the state of Maine.

Sixty years ago, Margaret Chase Smith took the seat of her deceased husband in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Maine became the first state to send a woman to the U.S. Congress. Today, women make up 17 percent of the Congress and 30 percent of the Maine state legislature, however they have never seen the Blaine House.

“We have a long way to go before we have equal representation on the ballot,” said Rep. Emily Cain. Rep. Cain has served three terms in the Maine House for district 19, and she is campaigning for her fourth.

Rep. Cain said that gender has always been an issue within her own political career and it is “absolutely an issue” in this upcoming gubernatorial race.

Gubernatorial candidate, Democrat Libby Mitchell, is the only woman in the United States to serve as both senate president and speaker of the house. Although Mitchell displays substantial political experience, Rep. Cain said that as the only woman in the gubernatorial race, Mitchell’s gender could pose as a threat.

Not only are women on the ballot, but they are in the voting booths as well.  According to a blog post by the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network, the voter turnout for women now equals or exceeds the amount for men, causing women to be a highly targeted group in this year’s gubernatorial race. Organizations such as the Maine Women’s Lobby and the Maine Civil Liberties Union are stressing the importance of the female vote.

Ann Schonberger is the director of the University of Maine women’s studies department. When asked if she was afraid of the possible turnout for the gubernatorial race, she simply replied “yes”. Schonberger stressed the importance of young women researching this election and keeping women’s issues in mind when they look into this year’s gubernatorial candidates. “[Young women] don’t remember when it wasn’t possible to be able to choose whether you’ll have a baby or not,” said Schonberger.

Schonberger said that reproductive rights, sexual and domestic violence prevention and equal pay are just some of the women’s issues that are at stake by this year’s election. “There is still a lot of work that needs to be done,” she said.

Rep. Cain also said that the women’s rights movement is far from over. “Maybe the feminist movement has a new face,” said Rep. Cain “but I would say it is even more relevant than before”.

The gubernatorial candidates continue to have varying opinions on women’s issues, and women all over Maine are taking these opinions into consideration.

Carey Nason is a social worker and coordinator of the University of Maine Safe Campus Project. Nason said that she was most concerned about the affects that this election could have on social welfare programs.

Amelia Butman is a fourth-year student at the University of Maine, who said that she is concerned about how the outcome of this election will affect her education.

Kathryn Card is a fourth-year University of Maine student. Card said that marriage equality and reproductive rights are important issues to her.

To learn more about women’s involvement in politics and other women’s issues by visiting the Maine Women’s Lobby, the Maine Civil Liberties Union and A Rising Tide.

To read about how Maine's youth are affected by the upcoming election, visit Amy Becker's report. To learn about what Maine's educators think about the gubernatorial race, visit Bryan Roche's report. 

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5 Easy Ways to go Green

1. Ditch the bottled water and reconnect with your tap. According to the Food and Water Watch, plastic bottle production in the United States annually uses about 17.6 million barrels of oil, and 86 percent of those bottles end up in our landfills. The Environmental Protection Agency requires that all public water sources, including those in restaurants, are extensively tested for harmful contaminants. So start using a reusable water bottle because not only is tap water safe and healthy for all of us to drink, it's better for the environment as well.

2. Turn your computer off when you are not using it. The Daily Green magazine says that this simple tip could save you more than 90 dollars worth of electricity per year. Plug your computer into a surge protector that is easy to shut on and off because even when the computer is fully charged, the charger is still "phantom loading".

3. Switch your 75-watt incandescent light bulbs out for compact fluorescent bulbs. Compact fluorescent bulbs consume 75 percent less electricity and last 10 times longer than their counterparts. According to Better Homes and Gardens magazine, this simple switch could save you more than 83 dollars over the life of each bulb.

4. Wash your clothing in cold water. According to the World Watch Institute, heating water accounts for 85 percent of the energy used to complete a load of laundry. To save even more money, use a clothing rack or clothes line to dry your clothes. You will save yourself some green and green up the environment if you cut down on running your clothes dryer.

5. Support your local farmers and small business owners. According to a study done by the Hometown Advantage Organization, for every 100 dollars spent locally, 45 dollars remains in the community, boosting the local economy and creating jobs. You can locate your closest farmer's market by visiting www.getrealmaine.com!