Tag: Randy Seaver

Pour Some Sugar on Me

~ Randy Seaver ~ 6 Comments

There’s no denying it. This is not your father’s news industry anymore. That’s good news, but it’s also very bad news.

I’m writing this because there were three significant local changes in the news industry that happened in just the last two weeks.

More about that in just a moment.

Traditional, legacy media outlets are no longer the sole guardians of truth and justice, and that fact — like it or not – will impact you — and it might even hurt you.

For centuries, newspapers, (and then later) radio and television news operations kept an immeasurable amount of gravitas in their pants’ pocket, like so many nickels and dimes. The publishers, editors (and oftentimes the reporters) took your trust in them for granted.

Nearly 300 years ago, Edmund Burke, a member of British Parliament, reportedly coined the term “Fourth Estate” to describe the press, pointing out its obligations as a check in government oversight and its responsibility to frame political issues as well as to be an advocate for the general public.

Pretty big responsibility, eh?

The industry that was once the trusted and almost sole gatekeeper of vital public news and information is now scrambling, desperately trying to find a way to remain relevant or at least financially solvent.

So, what are the threats and challenges facing both you as a news consumer and traditional media outlets?

First and foremost, social media platforms are taking over the distribution of news and information. There are no more paperboys and even newsrooms are shifting away from brick-and-mortar structures.

In survey after survey; in poll after poll, one fact becomes abundantly clear. Consumers want their news on their schedule (on demand). Readers also try to skirt paywalls, no longer seeing the value of paid news subscriptions.

Readers today gravitate toward click-bait headlines and “news” websites that match their own political ideology.

Photo: The Death of the Newspaper Industry | John W. Hayes)

Never-ending competition, a 24-7 news cycle and the disturbing rise of AI (artificial intelligence) all remain as threats to established and not-so-established news outlets.

And to top it off, reader trust in traditional news outlets is plummeting faster than shares of K-Mart stock.

In his Nov. 29, 2022 opinion column, Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby pointed to a recent Gallup report, which revealed that just one out of three Americans claimed to have a “great deal” or a “fair amount” of confidence in the media.

We could talk all day about the national news scene and the spiraling demise of legacy media, but let’s take a deeper look at the news on a local level, right here where it hurts the most.

Today, almost everyone is a journalist – or so they believe. All you need is a keyboard and an internet connection and it’s off to the races.

While I love certain aspects of “citizen journalism” it does sort of invite a Wild, Wild West approach in reporting news.

While I love certain aspects of “citizen journalism” it does sort of invite a Wild, Wild West approach
in reporting news.

These citizens journalists typically do not have editors or the resources of an editorial board. They have no professional training. Ethics and objectivity are now electives, no longer requirements.

In other ways, however, these pesky citizen journalists and their social media followers do keep some much needed pressure on those Fourth Estate guys, the traditional legacy media outlets.

We’re not in Kansas anymore

Speaking of legacy, traditional media, the Bangor Daily News (BDN) – Maine’s preeminent source of political news – decided last week to shut down its editorial board. The paper will no longer have an Op-Ed (Opinion-Editorial) section.

I found that news strange. It struck me as counter-intuitive, especially since so many people are saying that readers are flocking toward opinion and away from objective news reporting.

In a Jan. 24 column, the BDN described the move as “the end of an era.”

Susan Young, the paper’s opinion editor, said the news was “bittersweet.”

“Far too few people read opinion content, so we have to try different things,” Young told me during an online conversation, saying the decision was influenced by the paper’s digital analytics.

The BDN’s decision will also mean the end of rigorous and highly regarded opinion columns from people like Amy Fried on the political left to Matt Gagnon on the political right.

Still closer to home, the publishers of the Biddeford-Saco Courier announced on Wednesday that they will now offer their subscribers a digital weekly update via email.

That “announcement” dropped exactly two weeks after I formally launched the Biddeford Gazette, a free digital newspaper dedicated to covering Biddeford news, opinion and events.

For more than 30 years, the Courier has relied upon free delivery of its print publication at newsstands or tossed into the driveways of private homes.

The Courier was founded and locally owned by David and Carolyn Flood. A few years ago, the paper was then sold to the owners of the Portland Press Herald who also own a number of weekly and daily publications.

Courier reporter Sydney Richelieu announced the “inaugural edition” of “Biddeford-Saco | Now” in an email sent to subscribers. The move, she said, is designed to offer readers another option in finding out what is happening in their community.

I have some unsolicited advice for Sydney and the Courier’s editors, please stop printing press releases and then labeling them with a byline of “Staff Reports.”

Otherwise, I am quite pleased that you guys finally want to step up your game in covering local news.

To be honest, I have a bit of an advantage over the other guys. I’m a Biddeford native and resident, and I have been covering Biddeford for nearly three decades. I have a stockpile of sources and lots of time on my hands.

Just a few days ago, a close friend of mine remarked that other local publications are now starting to pay more attention (deservedly so) to the city of Biddeford, since I launched the Gazette.

That’s actually really good news, especially for the people of Biddeford.

The other guys may not like the fact that I am now in the mix, but they should remember the folks at the Journal Tribune were none too happy when the Courier was launched in 1989; and the folks at the Courier were none too happy that Saco Bay News came along in 2019 and showed off the nimble advantages of being a digital publication.

Increased competition does not help the Courier, Saco Bay News or the Biddeford Gazette, but it does keep a fire lit under our asses; and that is good news for readers.

The people of Biddeford should not have to rely upon just one reporter for the news that matters to them.

Competition keeps reporters motivated, but more importantly – it keeps them in check.

The Biddeford Gazette is not trying to put anyone else out of business. In fact, the opposite is true.

The Biddeford Gazette uses its own social media pages on Facebook, BlueSky and X to round up and share local news stories from other media companies. No one else does that.

You read that right. We take the time to share news from the other guys on our social media pages. And when you click to read those stories, you are not directed to our website, instead all the postings will link automatically to whatever source produced the news, whether it’s Saco Bay News, the Courier or WGME-TV.

Please visit our new Facebook page and follow us to experience a new level of local news coverage.

Whenever or wherever news about Biddeford is published, we will be there to make sure you know about it.

That’s my mission. That’s my passion.

I value your trust.

I will not stop.

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Smokin’ In The Boys’ Room

~ Randy Seaver ~ 1 Comment

It’s really not that surprising, and I’m not so sure that I disagree with Maine Governor Janet Mills.

Here’s the set-up: Maine Democrats – who have majority control of both chambers in the State House – are in a tough spot.

Why? Because there is a possible and significant state budget shortfall on the horizon.

To pay for everything their party approved last year, and to keep pace with the additional spending the governor wants — not to mention that Mills’ latest budget proposal is roughly 10 percent higher than the last biennial budget — the Democrats are going to need to find some new revenue.

Stat!

And where is the easiest place to find new tax revenue without inciting street riots from Sanford to Caribou?

You go for the low hanging fruit – a.k.a. the people who don’t have a team of lobbyists and consultants in their back pockets; the people easiest to demonize.

You go for the smokers. Nobody – except other smokers – really likes cigarette smokers. They stink, they tend to be less educated and low-income workers. . . you know? . . . the very same people that Democrats claim to love and care for so dearly.

Although no can really blame Republicans for crowing about this targeting of low wage earners (Why not? It kind of makes Democrats look bad) but there is plenty of hypocrisy here for the Maine GOP, as well.

Sure, sure, sure . . . Mills has also set her sights on some other relatively easy targets for additional revenue.

After all, we can’t expect the smokers to live long enough to become a reliable revenue stream for our ever-increasing state budget. Many of these folks can’t even walk down a grocery aisle without coughing and feeling out of breath.

In addition to an increased cigarette tax, Mills and her gang are also eyeing increased taxes on streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify; as well as a four percent increase on cannabis taxes.

Nobody – except other smokers – really likes cigarette smokers.

That’s okay. The stoners won’t even notice that they are paying more for weed while watching back-to-back reruns of Breaking Bad.

Right on cue, Republicans have stepped forward to skewer the governor for supposedly hurting the very same people she claims to care so much about.

“We’re already one of the highest taxed states in the country so we don’t see a need to increase any taxes,” House minority leader Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham said, according to a story filed by WMTW-TV.

In that same news story, Mills defended her decision to go after smokers for additional revenue.

“Let me just say Maine has the highest adult smoking rate and the second highest youth smoking rate in New England, Mills told reporters. “We also have the cheapest cigarettes of nearly every state in New England, and we haven’t raised the cigarette excise tax in two decades.”

In her defense, Mills makes some excellent points.

There is no question whatsoever that people who smoke on a regular basis are much more likely to develop serious health problems.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, cigarette smoking cost the United States more than an estimated $600 billion in 2018, including more than $240 billion in health care spending.

They say that no one is more stridently opposed to cigarettes than former smokers. That may be true.

Up until just a few years ago, I smoked more than two packs of unfiltered cigarettes every day. It was a habit I started during basic training in the U.S. Air Force. The guys who smoked got frequent breaks while the rest of us did not.

When I quit smoking in 2016, the owners of 3Ds Variety on Main Street in Biddeford filed for federal relief funds to help offset the loss of revenue. (Relax, that is a joke). At that time, I was spending roughly $20 per day to support a habit that benefitted no one, especially me.

Last year, I did some rough calculating. By quitting smoking, I saved more than $45,000. But by then, some irreversible damage had already been done.

I lost several of my upper and lower teeth near the front of mouth. Remember that kid playing the banjo in the movie Deliverance?

Yeah, well — that kid has more of his teeth than I do. I will have to wear partial dentures every day for the rest of my life or figure out how to consume all my meals through a straw.

I don’t blame the Air Force or the R.J. Reynold’s Tobacco Company for the damage I caused by choosing to smoke.

I am also not holier than thou when it comes to addictive behavior. If I found myself unhoused, with no family, no car and sleeping outside in freezing weather, I’m pretty sure that I would pick up the habit again.

Yup, smokers have a pretty weak lobby in the Legislature. And most people – Democrats and Republicans — will likely support a tax increase on cigarettes.

As the old saying goes, “smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.”

Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know wants free help in quitting smoking, please visit the Maine Quit Link

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Hello, Goodbye

~ Randy Seaver ~ 4 Comments

Dear readers,

Once again, I have some good news and some bad news. Let’s start with the good news.

Roughly 24 hours ago, Laura told me it was time for me to get a bit more serious about the Biddeford Gazette, an online multi-media news source focused on the city of Biddeford.

Instead of trying to run the Gazette as a subpage here — on my personal blog site — I went ahead and purchased a new domain so that the Gazette could stand on its own without all the clutter and distraction of my blog, Lessons in Mediocrity.

Going forward, as time and funding allows, I will be making enhancements to the Biddeford Gazette site to improve its functionality and design.

My goal is to give you an alternative and comprehensive overview of what is happening in the Biddeford area.

Now the bad news.

As I continue working to build the Biddeford Gazette, I am going to need your help. Mainly, I’m hoping you will subscribe (for free) and follow us on social media.

By subscribing, you will get an email update every time a new story is published. Your email address will NOT be shared with anyone else. Go here to subscribe.

I hate to be a pain in the ass, but if you are already a subscriber of my blog, you will need to subscribe separately to the Biddeford Gazette. It’s free and it’s worth it.

Throughout all of this, I will continue my blog on a more personal scale. To learn more about the Biddeford Gazette go here.

As always, thank you so much for reading!

Biddeford lawmakers brace for ‘tough’ session

~ Randy Seaver ~ Leave a comment

With the 132nd Legislature now officially underway and facing a state budget shortfall, members of Biddeford’s legislative delegation are preparing for what is expected to be a battle of spending priorities.

Members of Biddeford’s delegation are all Democrats, the party that holds a solid majority in both the House and Senate; as well as the Blaine House where Gov. Janet Mills is now serving the final two years of her second term in office.

Last week, Mills presented lawmakers with a proposed two-year budget that is roughly 10 percent higher than the current $10.5 billion budget.

Mills has also cautioned lawmakers that the state will need to be especially prudent with its spending because of a potential $450 million deficit.

State Sen. Henry Ingwersen (D-Arundel) represents Biddeford in the 35-member state senate.  During a telephone interview on Sunday, Ingwersen said he is still going through the details of Mills’ proposed budget, which was released on Friday.

Sen. Henry Ingwersen

“I haven’t yet gone through all the fine print, but there is no question that we have our work cut out for us,” Ingwersen said.

Adding to his workload, Ingwersen has also been named as senate chair of the Health & Human Services Committee, which has the biggest impact on the state budget in terms of spending, especially for the growing MaineCare program.

The MaineCare program provides free and low-cost health insurance to residents who meet certain income guidelines

“Maine people have clearly shown support for the expansion of MaineCare, but we also have a tighter budget and facing increasing demand for services,” Ingwersen said. “It’s going to be a challenge for all of us.”

State Rep. Marc Malon (D-Biddeford) agreed with Ingwersen about the daunting budget process.

“We have to be willing to examine everything, but it’s also important to note that some of our past spending increases have provided Maine people with really good outcomes,” Malon said, pointing to the state’s relatively new commitment to provide 55 percent of local education costs in the General-Purpose Aid (GPA) for education budget.

It’s going to be a balancing act, but it will not be impossible.”

— State Rep. Marc Malon

Like Ingwersen, Malon is also beginning his second, two-year term in the Legislature. Malon will again serve on the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee and was appointed this year to serve on the Housing Committee.

Rep, Marc Malon

“Despite some of the challenges we’re facing, I firmly believe that we will be able to deliver a balanced budget without tapping into our ‘rainy day’ fund,” Malon said. “It’s going to be a balancing act, but it will not be impossible.”

Malon said he has submitted nine bills for consideration, including one that will likely breeze through the legislative approval process.

Malon is the primary sponsor of a bill that would allow the cities of Biddeford and Saco to rename the bridge at the bottom of York Hill in honor of the late Gen. Wallace Nutting, a Saco native who became Biddeford’s mayor after an extraordinary military career.

That bill, LD 79, has already been referred to the Joint Transportation Committee and is being co-sponsored by every member of the Biddeford-Saco delegation, including Ingwersen; Sen. Donna Bailey of Saco; Reps. Marshall Archer and Lynn Copeland of Saco and Reps. Ryan Fecteau and Traci Gere of Biddeford.

Malon has also submitted bills intended to improve state review of proposed housing projects, new regulations related to medical cannabis sales and a bill that could place some limits on local real estate taxes by assessing only a parcel’s land value.

Although the budget will consume much of the conversation, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say housing issues will be a top priority for the Legislature.

“Housing really affects so many other things,” Malon said. “Businesses need workers, but those workers need homes in proximity to their workplace. We need affordable housing, but we also need to increase our supply of modest starter homes that allow young families the opportunity to start building equity.”

To address the housing crisis, Malon says state and local leaders will need to look at and reconsider certain zoning restrictions and find ways to cut red tape for builders and developers.

“It’s not going to be an easy two years,’ Malon said. “But it’s not going to be the end of the world either. Maine has faced tough budgets before. We will get through this, keep our commitments to Maine people by working together and being creative.”

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A Change Will Do You Good

~ Randy Seaver ~ 6 Comments

“So I turned myself to face me

But I’ve never caught a glimpse

How the others must see the faker

I’m much too fast to take that test”

— David Bowie, Changes (1971)

Today – almost 44 years later – I still enjoy telling the story about the first time something that I wrote was published.

It was 1981. I was 16 and a high school junior. We were required to do a one-week work-study project, exploring a career field that seemed of interest.

I thought I wanted to be a newspaper reporter. So, I called the Journal Tribune —then this region’s daily newspaper – to make an inquiry. The editor (Eric Reiss) agreed to let me shadow a couple of reporters and work in the newsroom.

Back then smoking was allowed in newsrooms. So was coffee, profanity, screaming matches and the constant hum from a chorus of IBM Selectric II typewriters.

A typical newsroom in the 1970s (Chicago Tribune)

It was a marvelous time, especially for an enthusiastic high school kid with dreams of grandeur about becoming the next Bob Woodward.

Near the end of the week, I was allowed to occupy an empty desk that was closest to the cranky city editor, Bob Melville – a man who wore his glasses perched low on his nose.

Mr. Melville would later become a well-known real estate agent and was repeatedly elected to serve on the Biddeford School Board after his retirement. In real-life, Bob had a great sense of humor and was well-regarded as a hard-working, respectable man of intellect and integrity.

But for me, a skinny 16-year-old kid with stubborn acne, Mr. Melville was like the Wizard of Oz, and I was a combination of the Cowardly Lion and The Scarecrow. I had neither brains nor courage.

I was just sitting there at that desk, wondering what I should do. Phones were ringing all around me, but I was not allowed to answer them.

Our deadline was looming. If you have ever worked in a newsroom, you know that editors become increasingly grumpy with each passing second closer to deadline.

Melville, clutching his phone, suddenly turned to me, staring at me over the glasses that remain still perched on the end of his nose.

Mr. Melville was like the Wizard of Oz, and I was a combination of the Cowardly Lion and The Scarecrow. I had neither brains nor courage.

“Kid!” he barked. “Line Two.”

I was shocked, excited and terrified. The city editor was giving me a story. Finally! Something I could actually write! I was on my way now!

Oh, the places you will go

Turns out that the guy on ‘Line 2’ was a local funeral director. He was calling to give me a last-minute obituary for that afternoon’s newspaper.

I took copious notes on a legal pad. I do not remember the name of the gentleman I was writing about. I only remember that he belonged to about every social club you could imagine: The Elks, The Eagles, The Lions, Rotary . . . the list seemed endless.

The deceased also had roughly 250,000 nieces, nephews, cousins and grandchildren.

I hung up the phone and loaded a fresh sheet of paper into my typewriter. I had never written an obituary before, but Mr. Melville gave me a stack of some recent obits as a guide.

I put my very best effort into writing that obituary. I pained over each word, doing my best to avoid split infinitives and ending any sentence with a preposition.

Melville kept glancing at me and then the clock on the wall. I could tell he was becoming impatient.

I tore the copy from my typewriter and proudly placed it in a wire basket on Melville’s desk before returning to my chair.

I watched as he began to read my masterpiece. His brow furrowed and his posture stiffened. He grabbed a red pen and was waving it across my piece with an almost gleeful abandon.

After several painstaking seconds of anticipation, he finally turned to me and asked: “Where do you go to high school?”

Actually, that year I was attending Rumford High School, but I blurted out “Thornton Academy.”

“Well, don’t they teach English at Thornton Academy?” he huffed.

I was humiliated but could barely wait until the first run of that day’s paper was completed. I anxiously turned to the obituaries page but found nothing that remotely resembled my masterpiece.

In the end, the only two things I got right was the man’s name and age. Basically, everything else had been rewritten. No matter, I was proud.

My mother was proud, too. She cut out that obituary and posted that poor bastard’s obituary on our refrigerator – I was now part of an elite clan: a newspaper reporter who had published something in a real newspaper.

In the mood

More than four decades later, and I am now a semi-retired newspaper editor and reporter.

A few weeks ago, I launched a new endeavor, The Biddeford Gazette. The Gazette is a free, online news outlet that focuses on Biddeford news and events.

A lot has changed in the newspaper business over the last 40 years. For example, you can no longer smoke in a newsroom, but profanity among your coworkers is still strongly encouraged.

For better or worse, more and more people are turning to social media for their news and information. Thanks to technology, today’s news consumers can now custom tailor their news feed almost in the same way you create a music playlist on Spotify or YouTube.

Some of the changes are good, but many of the changes – especially AI (Artificial Intelligence) – are not so good.

Launching my own media source was never intended to become a source of income. It’s basically a hobby, a tool to help provide some handrails on the road of life.

Yes, I still do a little political consulting and some public relations work for clients throughout New England, but none in the Biddeford or Saco area.

The Biddeford Gazette allows me to report news on my terms, when I want and how I want. I’m not here to compete with any other traditional publication, including Saco Bay News, the Biddeford-Saco Courier or the Portland Press Herald.

Up until last year, my website was called Randy Seaver Consulting and provided an overview of the services I offered as a public relations consultant.

My lingering mental health issues, however, played a part in me stepping away from the full-time, stress-packed world of political consulting.

Then, as I began shifting my professional career, I renamed the site, Lessons in Mediocrity so that I could basically do whatever I want: serious journalism, political satire, fiction, local news and a diary of coping tools against schizophrenia, anxiety and depression.

Well, how did I get here?

Today is the first day of 2025.

I am no longer that skinny kid with pimples too afraid to look a girl in the eye. I am once again going to rebrand this website as the Biddeford Gazette.

Up until today, the Biddeford Gazette was a sub-page on my blog. Rest assured, my personal blog will continue – but now as a subpage to the Gazette.

Since launching the Biddeford Gazette just six weeks ago, I have been able to break some significant news stories and also have a bit of fun at the expense of local politicians. (Someone needs to keep them on their toes)

And I am pleased to announce that beginning January 6, 2025, the Biddeford Gazette will publish local obituaries that are supplied by local funeral homes.

Traditional media outlets charge significant fees to publish an obituary. The Biddeford Gazette will publish them for free with the help of some social media partners in the Biddeford and Saco area.

Imagine that, 44 years later, and I am going right back to where I started, doing my best to honor and remember those who are no longer with us.

This change just feels right.

Happy New Year!

P.S. This website is currently being reconfigured.

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A Legacy of Service Deserves Nothing Less

~ Randy Seaver ~ 3 Comments

Gen. Wallace Nutting was the walking, talking definition of being a local bad ass, but he was also one of the most humble and sincere people I have ever met: a man who led by persuasion — a man always in search of the potential good in others.

Therefore, I think it’s the very least we can do to rename a bridge in honor of a man who gave so much back to his community during a lifetime of service to others.

I clearly remember the first time I interviewed Wallace Nutting, a four-star U.S. Army general who grew up in Saco and later decided to run for mayor in Biddeford.

Nutting was nothing short of daunting. He was tall, well-built and leaned into his words with a gravelly voice and a demeanor that reeked of honor and respect.

But he was also a bit mischievous and his blue eyes would often twinkle while his mouth formed a sly grin.

In this 2004 photo, Nutting chats with Erin Donovan, a Main Street business owner, during a walking tour of downtown Biddeford

I started off that interview by implying that he was off his rocker with the idea of becoming Biddeford’s mayor. He was, after all, a Saco native who graduated from Thornton Academy. Worse yet, he was a registered Republican in a city dominated by Democrats.

He just smiled at me. I was playing checkers. He was playing chess.

At the height of his career, Nutting was Commander-in-Chief, United States Southern Command. He was the one who executed the plan to extract Manuel Noreiga from Panama in 1990.

While working at the Pentagon, Nutting was a senior advisor to President Ronald Reagan. Despite all this, I predicted that he would get creamed in a three-way race for mayor against Daniel Boucher and City Councilor Marc Lessard.

It wasn’t even close. Nutting won that 2003 election with 3,184 votes compared to 2,339 for Boucher and 2,244 for Lessard.

Two years later, when Nutting decided to seek reelection, no one even dared run against him.

During his four years at the helm of Biddeford, Nutting was faced with several daunting challenges, not the least of which was the city’s relationship with the owners of the Maine Energy Recovery Company, the downtown trash-to-energy incinerator.

Despite the often prevalent odors of trash being burned in the center of the city, Nutting had nothing but optimism for Biddeford’s nearly hollowed out downtown area.

Nutting was a true believer of Biddeford’s downtown, a visionary who consistently extolled a message of optimism, predicting a rebirth – a revitalization of a downtown, then almost ignored by City Hall.

But there was nothing Nutting loved more than his wife, Jane and their four children.

Nutting didn’t like the invisible division between the cities of Biddeford and Saco. He pushed for regional planning, for shared resources and ideas. To him, the two cities were one community, much stronger when they worked together.

One of my favorite quotes from Nutting was this, when asked how he won his first election as mayor of Biddeford:

“People have told me that they feel as if I speak with sincerity, truth . . . I articulated my message positively, Nutting told me. “You have to radiate integrity. You don’t lead soldiers into battle in a half-assed manner.”

Sadly, General Nutting died last year at the age of 95.

“You have to radiate integrity. You don’t lead soldiers into battle in a half-assed manner.”

— Gen. Wallace Nutting

If all goes as planned, the bridge connecting Biddeford and Saco at the bottom of York Hill will soon be named in honor of a man who was one of the community’s most distinguished and accomplished citizens.

City officials in both Biddeford and Saco have jointly petitioned the Maine Legislature to officially name the bridge in honor of Gen. Wallace Nutting, a man who was literally dedicated to bridge building between the two cities.

He was a Thornton Academy graduate from Saco, but loved Biddeford dearly.

“You know, I’m a local boy, too,” Nutting told me. “I went sledding in Clifford Park and jumped into the river with the kids from Biddeford, and flew model airplanes off the runway at the Biddeford Airport.”

As I said at the top, naming a bridge in Nutting’s honor is the least we can do.

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Parking garage woes continue in Biddeford

~ Randy Seaver ~ 8 Comments

More than four years after it was opened, several Biddeford officials remain frustrated about how the city’s parking garage is being operated, saying the garage operators still have no incentive to increase efficiency and lower the city’s financial obligations.

Over the past year, the city has paid the garage owners nearly $570,000 in stabilization payments in order to guarantee a profit from the garage.

On Tuesday, the city council heard a presentation from Premium Parking, a New Orleans-based company that operates parking facilities all over the country.

Councilors said they were hoping to hear and see more “hard data” about how the garage is used and what can be done to lower the city’s ongoing financial commitment.

“We got a lot of icing, but I was looking for cake,” said Councilor Marc Lessard during an interview after the meeting. “There was no substance. They [Premium Parking] have no incentive to increase efficiency and lower costs.”

Under a contractual agreement with the garage developers, every six months the city is required to make a “stabilization payment” to the developers in order to guarantee a profit for the private company, regardless of customer usage.

In June of this year, the city paid $208,227 as a stabilization payment. Previously, in December 2023, the city paid $169, 695; and in June 2023 the city paid $191,246 to the developers.

During Tuesday’s council meeting, Charlie Grab, a “market president” from Premium Parking made a brief and rather perfunctory presentation to the council.

Grab, who has handled his company’s New England operations for roughly six months, was scheduled to appear in person but said he was ill and conducted his presentation via ZOOM.

Grab told the council that almost half of customers use smart phone cameras to pay for parking over the last three months. Use of the company’s mobile app has increased 47 percent Grab said while direct cash or credit card payments at a kiosk have decreased by 41 percent.

Grab also said that most customers use either the garage or surface lots for a duration of two hours, making up 56 percent of all transactions.

Earlier this year, parking at the Washington Street parking lot was reconfigured converting to more short-term parking versus day-long parking. Grab described that change as a “nice success story” by doubling revenue at that lot.

But once again, Grab was somewhat vague when asked for recommendations about how to improve efficiency and usage at the garage.

Grab said many other communities with an open-roof garage use the space for things such as “beer festivals” and “pickle-ball tournaments.”

Grab also said his company is working on “an outreach effort” in order to form partnerships with downtown business owners and possibly creating a “newsletter” to explain how the garage operates as well as “fine tuning” signage.

Councilor Roger Beaupre said he was less than impressed after the presentation.

“It’s just the same old story,” Beaupre said. “It seems to be a constant problem. They have no incentive to do anything because they are guaranteed a profit.”

During his campaign to become the city’s mayor, then city councilor Marty Grohman had strong words for Premium Parking, promising to “get tough” with the garage operators and have them appear before the council on a regular basis.

“It seems to be a constant problem. They have no incentive to do anything because they are guaranteed a profit.”

— City Councilor Roger Beaupre

On Tuesday, the mayor’s tone about the garage and surface lots was markedly different, saying the company has been “very responsive” and saying that he liked their ideas for increasing usage.

Council President Liam LaFountain also said he was hoping to drill further down in the data and hear more concrete solutions on Tuesday.

LaFountain pointed out that the council – in August 2023 — asked City Manager Jim Bennett to provide the council with some ideas about parking companies that could be used in Biddeford.

Bennet said “things were going well” and that he basically forgot about the council’s request.

Betsy Martin, a senior citizen advocate and chair of Age Friendly Biddeford, said she has received a lot of negative feedback about the garage.

She suggested that the city should implement a shuttle service between the garage and downtown because “it’s not an easy walk” for seniors.

Grab said that he would personally attend the council’s next meeting in January.

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A Fork in the Road: Sympathy for the Devil

~ Randy Seaver ~ 2 Comments

As Chaucer once said, all good things must come to an end.

And that’s where I find myself today: another fork in the road, another pivot point in my career.

Over the past few days, several people have asked me why I started the Biddeford Gazette, and why I am no longer writing for Saco Bay News.

Some have speculated that I had a “falling out” with Liz Gotthelf, the publisher of Saco Bay News. Nothing could be further from the truth – at least from my perspective.

In fact, I consider Liz to be a good friend, and I very much respect and admire what she has built from the ashes of the Journal Tribune, once this area’s daily newspaper.

With grit, determination and maybe a prayer, Liz launched Saco Bay News only weeks after the Tribune closed its doors forever in 2019. Since then, she has almost single-handedly built her business into an active and respected local news source.

A couple of years ago, Liz approached me and asked if I would be interested in being a contributing writer for her publication. Although I had given up professional journalism many years prior, I thought that the idea would be a good side hustle.

I was already writing a blog about Biddeford politics, and I missed the dynamic ebb and flow of the news business. I would only need to avoid writing about my PR clients.

Liz could not afford to pay me very much, but that was okay. One of the benefits was that she would publish my All Along The Watchtower satire column once a month.

Over the next two years, I wrote more than 140 stories for Saco Bay News, including breaking crime stories, political coverage, feature stories and 12 of my opinion columns.

I gave Liz her money’s worth in coverage, often breaking news stories well ahead of the Portland Press Herald, the Biddeford-Saco Courier and Portland’s television stations.

Liz gave me a lot of latitude, and I like to think that I helped her solidify the reputation of Saco Bay News as a serious and respected news outlet that left no stone unturned.

I was especially proud of an in-depth, three-part series I wrote about the region’s growing problem regarding our unhoused population.

I also received many accolades from colleagues across the state for another three-part series I wrote earlier this year regarding the University of New England’s controversial proposal to build a new, massive pier on the Saco River.

I am an old-fashioned reporter. I ask hard questions and do not shy from controversy, but not everyone likes a reporter with lots of questions, especially those who had become comfortable in an environment of comfortable journalism.

This is where it ends

Things seemed to be going well. Summer was quickly approaching and news stories were popping all over the place.

Writer George Orwell reportedly once said that “journalism is printing something that someone does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.”

That distinction was apparently lost on those who control the campuses of the University of New England and Thornton Academy, a public-private high school in Saco.

The PR folks at both institutions were less than impressed with my reporting of their activities. They didn’t complain to me. They went straight to Liz and suggested that it would be best if I don’t publish any more stories about them.

They didn’t offer any corrections or additional perspective. They just didn’t like the idea of me shaking the bushes. Liz — who had only days before lost her husband to a sudden illness — quickly agreed to their requests. I was not part of the meeting. I was not asked for input or clarification.

I was pissed with the intimidation tactics deployed by both UNE and Thornton Academy, but I also understood that Liz is running a media outlet on a shoe-string budget. She is alone at the helm of the ship. She decided it wasn’t a battle worth fighting.

Fine. Let’s just move on. There’s plenty of other stuff to cover. At the same time, more and more people were reaching out to me, telling me stories of dysfunction at Biddeford City Hall.

For better or worse, I have a reputation for digging up news in places that would rather remain darkened.

Former city councilors, current city employees, former city employees, business people, civic groups and municipal leaders from other communities were all calling and texting me, complaining with one central theme: Biddeford City Manager James Bennett was acting like Nucky Thompson in Boardwalk Empire.

The complaints kept coming. I had people meeting me in my backyard, breaking down in tears as they described what it’s like to work in City Hall, afraid that Bennett would find out they were talking to me.

I never liked Bennett anyway. I had nothing to lose. No one else was willing to step up, so I decided to take on the task, even though by doing so I had to relinquish what I loved: covering Biddeford City Hall.

Liz and I met at Garside’s Ice Cream. I told her that I would begin an organized effort to oust the city manager. Further complicating things, my stepsister had become Saco’s new mayor. I was up to my eyeballs in conflicts of interest. I told Liz that I would still write feature stories for her.

She agreed. I then turned my attention on ousting Bennett. It took me less than eleven weeks before he finally announced his resignation.

But now, with Bennett finally put in place, how am I supposed to be an unbiased reporter again? I can’t, and that’s why I decided to launch the Biddeford Gazette, especially since it was becoming increasingly clear that Liz was pulling further away, wanting to avoid ruffling feathers and steering clear of any controversy.

Liz and I are friends, but we have very different styles in pursuing news stories. Both styles are necessary and equally valid, which is why Woodward and Bernstein made such a good pair at the Washington Post. Liz is more like Woodward, curious but cautious. I’m more like Bernstein, brash and impatient.

A few weeks ago, I pitched a story idea about a high-profile real estate developer filing bankruptcy. She said she was not sure she wanted the story. A couple of days later, she asked if I had any related files. She was giving the story to someone else.

I politely forwarded the files, and Saco Bay News published the story with absolutely no mention of my contributing work. It was now crystal clear to me. It was time for me to move on.

A man of wealth and taste

A few months ago, I started re-reading Outlaw Journalist, a biography of one of my favorite writers, Hunter S. Thompson.

Thompson worked as a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine and several other publications across the country, and he is the one who coined the phrase “Gonzo Journalism.”

Wikipedia describes Gonzo-style journalism as “an approach to news reporting that represents a notable departure from traditional media protocols. Gonzo journalism offers readers a ‘more personal approach’ to news reporting. This style of reporting is not limited by the standards of objectivity and often includes the reporter providing a first-person narrative of the story.”

Common trademarks of Gonzo Journalism include sarcasm, humor and profanity.

I suddenly had what alcoholics describe as a “moment of clarity.”

I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and how I wanted to do it. I am now semi-retired, and I have more years behind me than I have in front of me.

If I’m going to be broke, frustrated and full of discontent, why not move forward on my own terms? Why not write and publish whatever I want, whenever I want?

The Biddeford Gazette is NOT intended to compete with Saco Bay News, the Courier or the Press Herald. I’ll be leaving traditional coverage to them..

In my mind, the Biddeford Gazette will serve three primary functions.

  • We will use social media tools to collect and share news about Biddeford from other media outlets. We will only publish their headlines and provide our readers a direct link to their news site. This gives people in Biddeford, a convenient one-stop destination to find out what’s happening in their community. It also helps other media outlets by driving more traffic to their sites.
  • We will fill some notable gaps in local news coverage by publishing limited, original content in a non-traditional manner, Gonzo Journalism. Unlike other media outlets, we will focus solely on the city of Biddeford.
  • Finally, the Biddeford Gazette will track and monitor the actions and maneuvers of our city’s legislative delegation, something that is not being regularly reported on by existing media outlets.
State Rep. Ryan Fecteau

For example, this week I am working on a story that will provide a preview of the upcoming legislative session and what our Biddeford delegation is planning. We will interview each of them and ask hard questions.

State Rep. Ryan Fecteau has once again been named as Speaker of the Maine House. That’s great news. But is Fecteau skirting at least the spirit of Maine’s term limits law? He already served four terms in the House before moving to a new district a few blocks away from his former home.? As Speaker, can he give his full attention to his Biddeford constituents?

State Rep. Marc Malon

State Rep. Marc Malon is returning for a second term. Congratulations! I put one of his campaign signs on my lawn, but how does he plan to separate his full-time job with the Maine Democratic Party from his service to constituents who might not be Democrats?

Hang on, things are going to be fun. We’re dusting off our keyboards and putting fresh batteries in our flashlights. We’re working for you. If you have a news tip, question or concern, please let me know. biddefordgazette@gmail.com

Cheers!

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Saco’s finance director returning to Biddeford

~ Randy Seaver ~ 1 Comment

As Biddeford’s municipal finance department continues to face internal challenges, Geraldine Matherne, the city of Saco’s finance director, is poised to become Biddeford’s next finance director.

Matherne previously served as the Biddeford’s deputy finance director for nearly 10 years, between 2013 and 2022 before leaving to take the finance director job in Saco.

If approved by the Biddeford City Council, Matherne will become Biddeford’s seventh finance director in just the last five years.

Sasha Pavlak, the city’s current finance director, was hired several months ago but announced her resignation on November 19. Pavlak indicated that she would remain in her current job until December 31, if necessary.

In her email to members of the Biddeford City Council, Pavlak said the job was not a “good fit” for her.

Although most city operations are running smoothly, the Finance Department has been plagued by high employee turnover and controversies, including delayed tax and sewer bills, delayed vendor payments and other challenges.

The city council is expected to vote Tuesday (Dec. 3) to confirm Matherne’s employment.

According to her resume, Matherne holds a Graduate Certificate in Accounting from the University of Southern Maine and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Endicott College.

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Biddeford loses another finance director, making plans to replace city manager

~ Randy Seaver ~ 1 Comment

The Biddeford Gazette learned Tuesday that the city of Biddeford is losing yet another Finance Department director.


According to Mayor Marty Grohman, Sasha Pavlak submitted her resignation letter yesterday. Pavlak provided the city with ample notice. Her resignation will be effective Dec. 31, 2024
Pavlak, hired just a few months ago, was the city’s sixth finance director in just the last five years.


Grohman said Pavlak decided that the job was “not a good fit.” The mayor also said, Pavlak was able to accomplish “many good things for the city.”


Pavlak’s resignation follows on the heels of some chaos in City Hall, including delayed tax and sewer bills and “cash flow” issues. In October, Biddeford City Manager James Bennett announced his own resignation, effective April 26, 2025, roughly 16 months before his contract was set to expire.

Grohman said he is optimistic that city can find a well-qualified persons for both positions.
Grohman said the city has issued an RFP (Request for Proposal) in order to hire a national search firm. So far, nine national firms have responded.


On December 10, the Biddeford City Council will host a public workshop to solicit public input about what they want in a new city manager. Grohman said two members of the public will be invited to join selected city councilors in the interview process.

“I think we’re going to land in a good space,” Grohman said, “I’m optimistic. I think we’ll be okay.”

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