Lets Move On To 2011

Well folks, 2010 is winding down. The ol beachball will drop at midnight, ushering in the new year. Steve Smith is probably taping the lights on as I write this. This has become an awesome tradition for downtown Bangor. Who would have thought that a beachball from Mardens, a couple strings of lights from Rite-Aid, a little duct tape, and the notion that Bangor is just as cool as New York, would have morphed into the downtown celebration we have these days. Steve and his family received a well deserved proclamation at a recent City Council meeting. All I can say is Thanks Steve!

A lot of things stuck in my craw this past year. The 2 major items were the proposed arena and the state of the Bangor Police Dept.

On the arena front, support for this project is pretty much split down the middle. I've been to a few shows in Massachusetts this past month, and have seen some first class venues. Boy, a nice new building similar to the DCU Center in Worcester, or the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH would be awesome. I looked into the upcoming event schedules at both of these places and found a common thread. That being major sport team affiliates. Hockey and basketball teams are filling these places a good chunk of Feb and March. Sure there are a few shows scheduled, big names like Sir Elton John are coming, but that's not the bread and butter of these facilities. Bangor will need something going on almost daily to fill the arena and defray operating costs. I don't see Mike Dyer working that hard. He hasn't in the past, why would he now? The plan to hire an outside group to run this place is a step in the right direction. However, that was tried before at the old Mecca, and as soon as a profit was shown by the operator, the City Council pulled the plug in a mad revenue grab. Maybe we'll have better luck this time around, if its even built. I love the idea of a new facility, but paying for it is another story. The budget proposals and forecasting done by the City are not conservative enough, and the anticipated operating costs are inaccurate and low for sure. Lots of smoke and mirrors going on in the funding-budget process. Numerous folks came forward to ask about the numbers. They wanted to see the "real" numbers in writing, a little transparency if you will. Not much straight talk from the Council. Gerry Palmer admitted that the website was a mess and could use work, but never really answered the question on accountability. Bottom line is, unless a semi-pro team drops from the sky, this project is not feasible and will cost the taxpayers in the end. That's the rear-end for sure.

On the Police Dept side, where do I begin? First off, we had to get those 4 new officers or the City would go to hell in a hand basket. So now we'll be stuck with those salaries in a few years once the Federal grant runs out. Make no bones about it, the City has an excellent force, and cops from surrounding towns would love to sign up. The raise in pay alone makes this a good place to work. However, lets look at the math here people. I'll round things off to make it easy. Lets say on officer makes $50k a year (thats way low folks). With four new officers, that makes it $200k per year. As a recent article in the Bangor Daily pointed out, these positions are ofter held for 20+ years. Add it all up and its 4 million dollars over 20 years. Not to mention the cost of living raises, etc. to jack this up to almost 6 million. Thats a pretty good chunk of change thats not in the budget yet. The Chief has no idea how he's going to pay this bill when it comes due in 3 years. Of course, he could step up parking enforcement.........The bottom line is, the Chief sucks at his job. He has no control over his team. His officers make no bones about performing personal errands (aka: voting) while on duty. I even saw one officer playing solitare on his laptop while sitting in a "speed trap" on Union St. Lets not forget about the killing of Greenie over Labor Day. The Chief and DA are really treading water on this one. They know who the 5 young men involved are, as do most of the people around town. It was pretty ironic to see a story on the murder on page one of the BDN, and another story concerning the main suspect's basketball skills at Bates College in the sports section. A massive cover-up from day 1. This young man has close family ties to the Penobscot County Sherriffs Dept, so we can see where this is going. 2 of the other "witnesses" ( suspects) are sons of a School Dept head, so no charges for them either. This is total bullshit. The Chief is cowering to the DA, and the cover up continues. If these had been transients, they would be in jail right now, awaiting trail. But they are from well-to-do families, so they get to spend the holidays out drinking with friends. Lets hope they dont kill anyone over New Years...

That being said...I'll see you downtown at midnight.

Moving On.....

Time for a few folks to move along...... Election 2010 has come and gone and the VOB was pretty spot on with his predictions. Glad to see Joe Perry and Hal Wheeler got the boot from voters. Both men are an embarrassment to the City. I'll miss the sometimes comical utterings of Hal, but not the looooong winded oratory that came with them. Joe can go back to running McDonalds Market. Shelling out stamps and 40 oz beers to the locals is really all that dope was ever qualified to do. So in the end, a good day for Bangor on that front.

Sorry to see DA Almy tripping over his feet with the murder of "Greenie" down on the waterfront over Labor Day weekend. He's got the names and all the evidence he needs, but hasn't come forth with the story. Greeenies friends and relatives deserve better than that. Looks like some major favoritism being handed out by law enforcement. Must be nice to have parents in high places.

I'm a little pissed about the Bangor Police officer who was told to remove his firearm prior to entering the polls in Bangor. Lets make a big deal about nothing, and cloud over the REAL issue here people. Why was this dipshit voting while on duty??? And he did it again on Election Day! This just shows how Bangor Police feel they are better than you and I. I'm sure he had plenty of off-duty time to early vote, or go to the polls on Election Day. This is outrageous in my book, and Chief "Chicken Little" Gastia should grow a pair and discipline this officer publicly. I voted on my lunch break, thank you very much.

Hats off to the Bangor Boys Soccer team for the State Title. I was impressed by the showing by parents and fans lining the bridges over I-95 waving to the departing buses. Lets see if the football team can pull it off as well.

Thats it for now, keep the faith folks..........

Down to the Wire - Election 2010

Here we go kids, down to the wire. This is going to be a close one on all fronts. Here's my take.....

For the Gov race- put me down for Cutler. I like LaPage, but I think he'll slide at the end due to some of his behavior. Many old timers are a little afraid of him. Either way, Paul or Eliot, Maine will be a better place to work and live. My wife thinks Paul's to drastic, but I think drastic things need to be done.

For State Senate - Sorry Joe, shows over for you. Even without all the nasty campaign rhetoric that's been flying on this one. Nichi is embarrassed by some of the mailings going out, but she's not involved in it. Blame the RNC for the mud slinging. Joe has such a piss poor record in Augusta, he should be easy pickings, without all the mud slinging. I do find the humor in the "Joe Perry needs to keep his hands in his own pockets" mailings. That's some funny shit right there my friends.

For State Rep, I'll give the nod to Damon. Butterfield is a tool, plain and simple. He's a hack from day one. He needs to get a real job for a change. He actually stated that Mainers are overtaxed, but we should "get over it". Steve, the doors over there.......

For City Council I've gotta go with Durgin, Hawes, and Bearse. I'd like to see Longo beat out Ms Hawes, but that wont happen. She's entrenched in that seat for another term. Hal Wheeler's days are numbered, as they should be. He's dumped a ton of cash into radio and BDN advertising this past week. I thought you were in danger of loosing your house Hal? Maybe you should focus on that, and save your money.

On the National stage, I'm thinking that Mike will get re-elected, and possibly Pingree, although she's been getting bit of a run for her money lately, so we'll call that one a toss-up.

That's all from me. Read em and weep folks.

Its About To Hit The Fan

Tons of things going on around town, and some of its hard to believe. It election time, so we should be used to it by now. From the City, to the State, lots of issues, lots of candidates. I'll make my early reviews, and we'll see where I stand on election day.

For the City Council race I don't know where to turn. I don't really have a dog in this fight. Susan Hawes and Hal Wheeler are both up for re-election. I'm surprised to see Susan running. She obviously doesn't have the drive anymore. She's aged 20 years during her tenure, and that's not a good thing. Hal is Hal and I'll leave it at that. On the newcomers side we have the young kid Longo, Chuck Bearce, and Nelson Durgin. Bearce is a strong candidate anytime he runs for office, but his strong "Arena" position takes him out in my playbook. Durgin is a good man and we should be proud he wants the job. Longo is too young for me. Try paying property taxes a few years, then you'll have better perspective my friend. So where does that lead us? Who knows, not far from where we are right now I think.

On the State side, it's no surprise I'm for Nichi Farnhum in the Senate race. Joe Perry has helped run this State into the ground, so it should be a no-braina. I like Doug Damon as well, strong fiscal conservatives always get my vote. Throw in some real world experience and business attitude, and you've got the real deal. Mr. Butterfield has been a HUUUUGE disappointment, as I predicted. Hopefully Doug gets the nod this time around.

For the Governors race it gets harder everyday. I watched the Bangor debate last night and came away feeling even more torn. I hate to say it, but Cutler came out the best last night with LePage sounding guarded and Mitchell condescending. The other two dopes should throw in the towel.

For Congress its Michaud vs LeVesque. Who gives a shit. They both suck in my opinion.

I've been watching the City meetings lately and its looking like "pay-as-you-throw" is coming to Bangor next summer. Brace yourselves my friends and grab your ankles. Fancy new trash bags and more cash from your wallet. The citizens of Bangor should demand a referendum vote on this very important issue. This should not be left up to the Council to decide.

It looks like we need to keep those child molesters a few more feet away from the school zones. What another waste of time for the Council to consider this crap. Another unenforceable ordinance wont make the City's kids any safer. If your concerned about where these predators live, then check out the State Registry website. But you cant keep these pieces of crap from walking around the streets. It is, after all is said, a free country. Parents need to be vigilant and watch the youngsters. Its a tough one, that's for sure.

I was chatting with a few guys at the local store the other day, concerning the piss poor results of the City Manager search. One person stated that if he went out to dinner with Gerry Palmer, Geoff Gratwick, and Hal Wheeler, he'd sneak out while pretending to go to the restroom! That's probably pretty close to what actually went down. The guys probably still running......

On the disturbing news side, rumor has it that Bangor police have suspects in the beating death of a Bangor man just before Labor Day. That's the good news. The disturbing part is the identity of these young men accused of the attack. These aren't street hooligans thinking they're gang members. They're well known kids from "good" homes. I'd like to think that the Police are doing a thorough investigation before they release the list of suspects, but it's probably covering a certain some one's butt. We even may see a prominent figure step down before this is all said and done. Don't say I didn't warn you........

Till next time, keep the faith.

Summers here and the time is right....

For dancin in the streets? Well that's whats going on down by the waterfront these days. And I for one, couldn't be any happier. With the new Waterfront Concert Series in full swing, whats not to smile about. I have been lucky enough to be involved in both shows so far and all I can say is KEEP IT UP. From the promoters, to the ushers, the support staff, and especially, the fans, you all have done your city proud. Cary Weston's daughter made a loud proclamation of "Welcome to Bangor!" and kicked this off. And what a welcome its been. I've talked with lots of folks these past few weeks and its the main point of conversation, all positive. Just what the doctor ordered for this once nasty area of town. And everyone knows that my fellow Bangorians are starving for live music. Keep it up Alex and Robbie, and we'll keep showing up.

All the music talk has brought out the age old question as to why Bangor has fallen off the concert tour map. Most think its due to the age of the auditorium, but that not it. I've seen plenty of shows in places in waaaay worse shape than the old Mecca. The reality is that no one has been pursuing the touring bands to come to Bangor. No promoters, and certainly not our director down at Bass Park. Mike Dyer is perfectly happy with the basketball tourney, the flower show, the State Fair, and the Shrine Circus. As long as nobody on the Council asks the hard questions, Mike's job is safe. I'm all for hiring an outside company to manage this facility, and the new arena as well. They'll pump a few bucks into the joint and maybe even upgrade the restrooms and concessions. Wouldn't that be nice? Lets get this done and show Mike the door. Its long overdue.....

Lots of questions surrounding the Hollywood Slots 1% payout and how it being divided out. No one seems to know where the cash is going, except the arena fund folks. Our beloved legislature wants answers they say. All the really want is to grab a few buck for themselves.

Nichi Farnum is off and running in her race against Joe Perry's State Senate seat. I hear footsteps Joe.............

Summers Here And The Time Is Right.....

...For raising taxes??? I don't think that's what Martha and the Vandella's we're singing about, but our beloved City Council has done it again. This band of dolts has been beating the budget to death these past few months. Nobody can come up with any real ideas to keep property taxes at bay. We'll be paying for more and getting less. The "pay as you throw" trash collection is probably the biggest slap in the face. We cant cut Police OT, or any services for that matter. Lets take a peak at the Bangor Housing Authority's budget and trim the fat off that beast. As Bangor continues to become the dumping ground for the county's low-life's, Sean Yardley just smiles and passes out the vouchers. This dipshit is the biggest "waster" of money we have, and I for one, am sick and tired of covering his outrageous spending spree. Apparently, no one but Dave Neally gets it. Take off your rose colored "we need a new arena" glasses and do what you were elected to do, CUT SPENDING AND BALANCE THE BUDGET!!!!!! C'mon, even a 3rd grader could get that point. This is clearly not the time to raise taxes, especially for seniors on a fixed income. Even Hal Wheeler should know better, he's on the verge of loosing his house to the bank. So I say to all the Council, get your head's out of your collective butt's and do whats right for a change.

I got a kick out of Diane Cormier's plea to the City at the Business and Economic Development meeting a few weeks back. Her whining was falling on deaf ears. The only uptick was a few folks who stood up to say she had a right to be heard by the full Council. Hal and Pat should be commended for their stand on that issue. They also had their undies in a bunch over a statement submitted by Council Chair Stone. The biggest concern was the apparent bias of Chair Stone against Diva's. In the end, the statement was read, but it wasn't inflammatory at all. no slander, no NIMBY stuff, no bias, just a statement. To bad, I was hoping for a fist fight to break out. Cary Weston had all he could do to keep Ms Cormier in line, on and off the record. In the end, the Ordinance was not repealed or changed, and it looks like Diva's is well behind in rent. This might be the beginning of the end for Bangor's only Gentleman's Club. Maybe if she promised to give a percent of the lap-dance money to the arena fund, they would have helped her out. All payed with $1.00 bills of course.

I got a few mailings from our good "friend" Joe Perry last week. It seems he thinks we we're duped into voting out his tax revision bill. We're not as stupid as you think we are Joe. This bill was a farce, and even though some items had merit, most did not. The whole concept of shifting taxes to tourist has some appeal, but your team at Appropriations went waaaay over the line. The taxes proposed were so broad based that most folks would have been impacted. For example, taxes on auto repairs would have really sucked. I've got a 12 year old Volvo my kids drive around. It's pretty solid, but like any car that age, has an issue once in a while. Its not uncommon to dump $500 into that thing every year. The new tax would have added another $50 to the repair bill, something my daughter doesn't really have. And by the way Joe, she's not a tourist. But, on the other side...the lodging tax placed on hotels is a great idea. This would basically be completely paid by tourists. I travel quite a bit and Maine is one of the few States that does not have this tax. Maybe Bangor should consider a local option tax for the numerous hotels in the area. That might even keep my property taxes down, god forbid. This isn't rocket science people. Of course, our Council would put the new found funds into the "arena account lock-box" and STILL raise my taxes. So Joe sends me some glossy print flyer saying he's trying to cut taxes. Sorry Joe, nice try. Take your ball and go home, we're done playing games with you. Until we have real educated business people in Augusta (un-like Joe and Emily Caine), the taxes will continue to climb and Maine will be seen as a backwater State that's anti-business.

Speaking of Joe Perry, The son of the late, legendary clam cook Joe Perry (former owner of Perry's on Maine Street) has opened up a pub in Searsport. Thats right folks, Joe Perry Jr. has recently launched a new venture on Maine Street across from the Maritime Museum. The grand opening will soon be announced. He's working with former Perry's cook Paul Nelligan to finalize the menu and get the kitchen moving. Good luck to Joey and Mary Beth....and pass the tartar sauce.

Till next time...keep the faith folks

Its Been Awhile.....

I've been traveling around this great country of ours lately. Haven't really had the time to keep up on everything around town, but I'm doing my best to catch up on the foolishness. So many things to get to, so I'll just jump right in.....

The new and improved Coffee Pot Cafe is up and running on Broadway. Skip's a little more than pissed, to say the least. I'd be mad as well. Mad at myself for not taking advantage of the situation and selling out. Now you get nothing, and the sandwich's keep coming. Did you honestly think that your former employees couldn't still chop the onions and get this job done? What a dope. And to add insult to injury, you tore down the old building and created a non-conforming lot. Did I say dope? Should have said asshat.

Gabby Price and Dan Tremble have opened up a Pepinos take-out on Hammond Street next to Gambinos. Those two know how to do things right, and make a little coin to boot. Good luck with the new venture, not that you'll need it.

A huge field is getting prepped for a run at the Blaine House this fall. Lots of talent in this pool. Who will rise to the top? For the Republicans, I always like a fiscal conservative, so LaPage and Beardsley peak my interest. You usually cant go wrong with a well respected businessman, so Les Otten has an edge there. Last businessman we elected was Angus King, and we did pretty well under his leadership. Then there's Steve Abbott, Suzy Collins left nut. Seems like the usual cardboard cut-out we expect from DC, but has a strong following among the party leaders. Anyone with Peter Vigues' endorsement has a little juice on his side and must be on the ball. Then there's Mills and Jacobson and a few others I forget.......For the Dems, not much to see here folks....Pat McGowen? C'mon, really? Then we have Libby Mitchell. I actually like Libby in the legislature. We need tough old broads to get things done, and she's hard as nails. But I don't want those traits in my Governor, thank you very much. In the end, she's just a mean spirited old lady who wont get elected. Of course, there's Rosa too. A fresh face they say. That just means no experience. She's got a strong following in Portland, so maybe the City Council would be a better place to start.....It will be interesting to see who gets the nod.

The Bangor school budget is up for approval and I am dead against it. When will these people realize that the property tax burden in Bangor is outrageous? Anything that raises taxes should be squashed. We are going broke so fast we cant keep up. Tough choices MUST be made. Betsy needs to man up and grow a pair.

Lastly......with the Memorial Day Weekend coming up, lets talk about displaying of the US flag. Nothing pisses me off more than seeing a ragged flag flapping in the wind. The one on top of the Fairpoint office downtown is a disgrace. It would seem that most dont realize that the US flag is to fly higher than the State of Maine, the Canadian, or yes, even the Red Sox Nation flag. Business owners in the City should really look at the condition of some of these tattered flags, and replace them. Have a little pride in your Country for Christs sake.....

Till next time folks...keep on keepin on

Deep Throat

Apparently, Hal Wheeler has been reading to many spy novels. He's out looking for the dirt on the Folk Festival finances, and will stop at nothing to get the facts straight. He's hoping to meet up with someone over at the City parking garage (late at night) who'll spill the beans. He'll be wearing a trench coat I would imagine, and of course, he'll be taping the conversation. Its to bad that Woodward and Bernstein never thought of that. As a matter of fact, the only one stupid enough to try and pull this off was George Costanza in a famous Seinfeld episode. But now we have Hal as well. Hal and George, 2 peas in a pod. This latest behavior is fairly iradict and borderline for a sitting Councilor. Hal's loved ones should watch him closely as this dementia he's shown is probably the onset of Alzheimer's. If not that, its clearly "angry old man syndrome"

Nichi Farhnum has tossed her hat in the ring seeking to unseat Joe Perry as the Senate Rep from Bangor. I'll make an early prediction that she cruises to victory. She's done a lot of good things for this City, unlike Joe. Come to think of it, what has Joe done exactly? mmmmmmmmm? That's a damn good question.........

Thru The Looking Glass

I feel like Alice in Wonderland some days. I cant believe most of what I hear, and half of what I see. These past few weeks have been a little strange to say the least. There's a lot of stuff to go over, so lets get right to it.

Proposed State budget cuts have City Officials scrambling. The biggest issue I see is the cut to aid for housing. These are State and Federal mandates to be clear. The City has become a dumping ground for Section 8 tenants, and any cut in State appropriations will have to be made up by the taxpayers. Most folks don't realize how huge a problem this is. I've had a few rental units in my day and am pretty familiar with the system. I'll nutshell it for you. Housing aid for a single person (insert "un-wed mother" here) with 2 children runs about $1000 per month. Lets not even talk about food stamps, heating assistance, and other emergency vouchers, this is strictly rent and utilities. So, lets just say there are 100 families in Bangor receiving this aide. That's $100,000 per month, or $1.2 million per year to Bangor residents. The real number is closer to 1000 families, so the costs go up to $12 million. Now you gettin it? A 10% drop in State funds means a $1.2 million shortfall to the City. Remember, the City has to take care of these folks, by Federal and State statute, so this has to come from somewhere. Does Deb Cyr have a pot of gold ? I hope so. Does anyone realize that Shawn Yardley has commandered a good chunk of the Ranger Inn on Outer Hammond Street to house some folks. The School Dept. has to send a bus way the hell out there as well. Where does this free ride end?

Our beloved State Senator Joe Perry went to the City Council to complain about the Letter to the Editor that was published in the BDN a few weeks back. He was obviously fired up and expressed his displeasure with the Council. Hey Joe! Who do you work for? Maybe if you spent more time working with the Council and actually helping Bangor, the letter could have been avoided. Instead of leadership, ideas, and solutions that would benefit the City, you whine and cry like the little putz that you are. Go ahead Joe, take your ball and go home. We'll play the game without you. Just like when you were a kid, eh? Keep it up. It will only ensure your re-election bid will fall flat in 2012.

I know I've been riding Police Chief Gastia alot lately. But I'm big enough to give him props when its deserved. The parking ticket quota fiasco has died down and the random tickets for minor infractions has been scaled back. None of the patrons at my business has had any issues this past month. The complaints at City Hall were heard and things have been corrected. The Chief has gone as far as introducing the "Non-Ticket" in the downtown area. This is a great idea that has been used in Portland for a decade. The idea is that you can get a ticket every 90 days and not have to pay. This sends a message to chronic illegal parkers, and doesn't nail the shopper who comes into downtown occasionally. Its a good call by the Chief.

Deb Cyr has been working overtime on the City budget. She's worked with the City Departments and has developed a trimmed budget for the remaining 5 months of the fiscal year. She's located around a million bucks in savings that can help finish the year off with a balanced budget. Great work Deb. OUTSTANDING!!! I found it odd that Hal Wheeler was put out about not sending a City rep to the Council of Governments Convention in Vegas this year. As he puts it, the savings of $2500 wont amount to a "hill of beans". Well Hal, as a taxpayer I'm pissed. WTF? Sorry pal but I work for a living and $2500 is half of my property tax bill. Think before you speak next time numbnuts.

I'm soooo glad the the new mission statement has been finalized. What a joke. I've come to expect this type of poor performance from Annie Hawes. Very, very disappointing. And we lost the best City Manager in the State over this? Sad.

Jim Elmore is running on empty with his petition for the recall of 5 Councilors. Only 200 signatures so far. That's piss poor folks. Get off your ass people, or get out your wallets. This Council talks about savings and keeping the tax rate even, but that's double speak at its best. The arena project will probably double taxes. This will have 3 major effects. Massive home sales as folks flock out of town, lower housing prices as the market will be flooded with homes, and a lower tax base, resulting in even higher property taxes. Its like a big dog chasing its own tail.

And last, but not least, traffic in the downtown area needs to slow the hell down. Please remember that people in the crosswalk have the right-of-way. So please, stay of my back bumper and we just might avoid an accident.

Till next time...keep the faith folks