NOTES TO CARL | LESSONS IN MEDIOCRITY
Randy Seaver, a grumpy old guy, offers advice to his grandson and howls at the moon
Selected posts about local political machinations in my small hometown of Biddeford, Maine
Fifteen years ago, what happened in Biddeford on Tuesday would have been unimaginable . . . but in the context of today’s Biddeford, Roch Angers’ brutal defeat for a seat on the York County Commissioners board was quite predictable.
The value of historical context when writing community news. Case in point, the meteoric rise of a local politician, Ryan Fecteau
Although I am no longer working as a political/PR consultant (Thank Christ), I still find the subject matter intriguing, especially when it's literally taking place in my own back yard. Today, I am pretty much consumed with running the Biddeford Gazette, a non-profit media outlet hyper-focused on covering the city of Biddeford. As part of … Continue reading Unsolicited advice for a young candidate
From what I am told, some people in Biddeford do not like me very much. Shocker! This has been hard news for me to process and absorb. So please bear with me. It was only three weeks ago that someone suggested that I was the “God of Biddo.” What went wrong?
City official resigns, releases video regarding Saco River Originally published in Saco Bay News, July 1, 2024 By RANDY SEAVER Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman said this week that the city may not be included in the review process of a new pier that the University of New England wants to build on the Saco River. … Continue reading Biddeford may ‘step away’ from review of UNE pier proposal
Originally published in Saco Bay News Although he wears many hats, Richard Rhames of Biddeford could probably best be described with just three words: authentic, passionate and persistent. Rhames, 78, is a well-known commodity at City Hall. He is an outspoken member of the public, a former city councilor and a tireless member of the … Continue reading Richard Rhames: A Dying Breed, Biddeford’s last dirt farmer
Originally published on the Saco Bay News website, May 2024 By RANDY SEAVER Tensions about a proposed pier that the University of New England wants to construct on the Saco River prompted Biddeford City Manager James Bennett to remove the city’s harbormaster from the review process of UNE’s proposed pier. The pending application from UNE … Continue reading City manager quashes Biddeford harbormaster
After more than 12 years, I have finally gotten around to publishing an update about who I consider to be the most influential politicians, policy makers and staffers in the Biddeford-Saco area. The Top-20.
If you ask Alan Casavant to describe his time as Biddeford’s mayor, he’ll tell you he used the same basic approach that he used as a high school teacher for more than 35 years. Casavant, 71, is now completely retired as both a teacher and politician. He served 12 years (six consecutive terms) as the … Continue reading Alan Casavant: Interview
Talk seems to be what we do best. We talk. We write white papers and convene focus groups. We talk some more. We spend money on consultants and form more committees. We pontificate and bloviate in newspaper editorials and at the podium in the City Council Chambers.
NOTES TO CARL | LESSONS IN MEDIOCRITY 