Do you argue about politics on social media? Do you find yourself getting angry and often one step away from "unfriending" someone or blocking them? And what happens when you argue about politics with someone right in front of you? Are you able to keep calm or do you feel your blood begin to boil? … Continue reading Pretty Persuasion
Category: BLOG POSTS
Commentary that has not been published elsewhere.
It’s been a slow turning
I have come full circle. When I first met Laura, she was running for one of two seats on the Old Orchard Beach School Board. I was the editor of a local newspaper, and generally wrote endorsements for various candidates in five different communities. In that particular race, I endorsed the incumbent, mistakenly thinking there … Continue reading It’s been a slow turning
Meet your candidates
Hear ye, hear ye . . . I have just returned from Biddeford City Hall with the official list of mayoral and city council candidates. The deadline for filing nomination papers has come and gone; and these are the names you will find on your November 3 ballot. Let's start at the top . . … Continue reading Meet your candidates
#Black Lives Matter
I had a little bit of an epiphany yesterday during an especially long drive home. To prevent road boredom, I was a listening to talk radio, and a news segment about the Black Lives Matter movement caught my attention. Before we proceed, a bit of disclosure: I am a white, middle-aged man. Up until yesterday, … Continue reading #Black Lives Matter
When love comes to town
And, they're off! The 2015 municipal election season in Biddeford has started with a bang, according to this story from the Portland Press Herald. As someone who has worked professionally on local, statewide and federal campaigns over the last several years, I find all of this somewhat fascinating. I have been covering Biddeford's political landscape … Continue reading When love comes to town
Bang and blame
Like most everyone else in the free world, I have finally finished the third season of House of Cards, a Netflix original series. And like most other House of Cards fans, I have been consistently intrigued with Francis Underwood, a ruthless politician played by Kevin Spacey. As Season Three begins to unfold, President Underwood hires … Continue reading Bang and blame
The Doctor is In
It's only July, but it looks like it could be a crowded field in November with several potential candidates jousting for the mayor's seat in Biddeford. Mayor Alan Casavant announced in April that he would seek a third two-year term. A few weeks before Casavant's announcement, Perry Aberele made a statement to a Boston Globe … Continue reading The Doctor is In
Boys Don’t Cry
Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was that more than 150 people had packed themselves into the tiny and cramped Biddeford City Council Chambers. More than likely, it was because tensions remain high between the city council and the Teamsters union that represents the city's police, fire and public works department in ongoing contract … Continue reading Boys Don’t Cry
August and everything after
That fire, like so many other fires, started as an accident. Sitting here now, only a few feet from the southwest shore of Rangeley Lake, it seems strange that I would be thinking about something that happened more than 30 years ago. The sun has barely risen, and it cuts across the lake like a … Continue reading August and everything after
Send in the clowns
Some 48 hours before Donald Trump "officially" announced his candidacy for president on Tuesday, I posted a quip on Facebook that I would be seeking the mayor's seat in Biddeford. The idea was jokingly bantered about while Mayor Alan Casavant was attending a party at my home. (Full disclosure: Casavant is serious about seeking a … Continue reading Send in the clowns
NOTES TO CARL | LESSONS IN MEDIOCRITY 