North of Bangor

Sun, 03/07/2010 - 8:07pm
Michelle Anderson North of Bangor: Steve Abbott, Gubernatorial Candidate Interview, 3/4/10

I met up with Steve Abbott at Ruthie's Hotel Terrace Restaurant in Millinocket, where I had the chance to ask him about what he thinks is important for the state, and particularly the northern part of the state. He talked to me about LURC, about jobs, about Dirigo, and about laptops.

The most surprising thing he said to me over coffee was this:

"Over the course of the last decade, Maine has added a net of 56 jobs…You can't sustain an economy like that. To me, more than any other statistic, that tells you in a nutshell what's wrong with Maine."



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Sun, 03/07/2010 - 12:03pm

Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

The following is the second half of my interview with Traci Gauthier, who is running for the state senate seat in District 30.

On Elizabeth Schneider's phone call to the morning show on WVOM, Traci said, "…at the end of that little tirade that [Elizabeth Schneider] was on, she said she felt that people with an aversion to Obama ought to do a little soul-searching to make sure it wasn't because of the color of his skin. And then she tried to deny that she said people were against Obama because they were racist. I don't think that has a place in politics. I think that's weasel-speak for 'sit down and shut up.'"

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Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor: Interview w/ SD 30 Candidate Traci Gauthier Pt 1

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Sat, 12/12/2009 - 7:22pm
Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

Gubernatorial Candidate Donna Dion
I met with Donna Dion, a Democrat candidate who wishes to be governor for the State of Maine. In this, the first half of the interview, she explained why she decided to run, what she plans to do for the state, and her thoughts about jobs, education, and Tabor.

"[Students] would come in and say, "Well, I'd like this commuter class...They chose what they wanted, which was not necessarily what was needed. So let's be more stringent with our money and allocate it to people who can be trained into jobs that we know businesses will have."



Sun, 11/15/2009 - 10:59am
Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

2nd Congressional District Candidate Jason Levesque
The other night, Jason Levesque was in Millinocket for a fundraiser, and we took that opportunity to speak to him again.

We talked about what he's been doing since our last interview with him, tea parties, how he intends to deal with with town hall meetings and people who are unhappy with him, and funding for the wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

"There needs to be a tie-in in all bills. So you can't have one bill that covers multiple different issues, that's just three of four bills piled into one. That's the problem. Each thing needs to be addressed in turn appropriately...[C]areer politicians don't want to change that because that's where they thrive. They develop chaos. They develop problems, and then they adocate that they're the only ones who can fix the problems..."



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Sun, 11/15/2009 - 10:54am
On Monday, October 26, my daughter was deployed to Iraq.

On Friday, October 9, I realized that I didn't know what the mission was in Iraq. In an effort to find out, I called my senator, Susan Collins, but they couldn't tell me. I called another of her offices, and then another. When I got no real answer there, I called Senator Olympia Snowe's offices, and then my congressman, Mike Michaud.

It was then that I decided that no one would ever believe some of the responses I was getting, and at that point, I decided to record my odyssey. This podcast is the result of those recordings. Please forgive the frustration in my voice, but by the time we got to this point, frustrated is exactly what I was.

Sun, 11/08/2009 - 9:42pm
Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

Independent Gubernatorial Candidate Samme Bailey Pt 2

In the second half of my interview with Samme Bailey, we discussed the value of building a foundation, welfare, education, and why he's running for Governor.

"No. I'm not a big government guy. But there are some things in day and age, in this modern world...for which you should use government funds as a stimulus."

I apologize for the technical glitch near the beginning of the podcast.



Part 1 of Michelle Anderson’s interview with Samme Bailey is available on AMG’s North of Bangor Archive Blog.
Thu, 10/15/2009 - 11:55pm
Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

Independent Gubernatorial Candidate Samme Bailey

Last week, I met with Samme Bailey, Independent candidate for governor, in Bangor, at Governor's Restaurant, to discuss his view of the situation Maine finds itself in, and how he believes he can help to change that situation if he is elected Governor.

We discussed the economic state of affairs in Aroostook County, what we need to do about the outflow of our "best and brightest," and economic recovery.

"We have, for the past 50 to 100 years, let large companies come in...but we don't require their management to be there. It's always out of state management. So when...the company gets ready to go under, you don't have any management expertise that can continue it. And that culture needs to change."

Wed, 10/14/2009 - 10:58pm
Michelle Anderson Interview Bob Emrich, Stand for Marriage Maine, 10/7
Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

Bob Emrich of Stand for Marriage Maine Interview

I met with Bob Emrich, of Stand for Marriage Maine, last week at the Tim Horton's in Newport.

We discussed the "Yes on 1" campaign, the consequences of changing the definition of marriage, the difference between the gay rights legislation and the redefinition of marriage, the famous "second collection, and the overall agenda of the progressive movement.

"If you change the definition of marriage, you have to change the way you start about it in schools...It just strikes me as bizarre that they deny that that will happen."

Note: The "No on 1" campaign, though contacted repeatedly, did not return my calls.

Wed, 10/14/2009 - 8:31pm
Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

Michelle Anderson Interviews Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Matt Jacobson Pt 1

I had the opportunity to sit down at Starbucks Coffee in Bangor to talk to candidate Matt Jacobson about Plum Creek, LURC, local control, and opportunity in Maine.

"LURC, it seems to me that there's a faction of people who want to use LURC and turn northern Maine into a national park and forbid any kind of opportunity.

"I think that this is one of those cases where local control is really important. The people in northern Maine ought to decide the development and the plans for northern Maine, not bureaucrats out of Augusta..."



Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Matt Jacobson Pt. 2

"In Maine right now, 25% of our kids drop out of high school. Within ten years of starting high school, only 25% have a one-, two-, or four-year degree. So that means that within ten years of high school, half the kids -- their highest attainment is high school. That's not good enough...I recruit companies every day, and not one of them has ever asked me for an ignorant workforce."

(There is a small repetition of the last part of the first half of the interview for continuity's sake.)

Tue, 10/13/2009 - 10:52pm
Michelle Anderson Interviews TABOR NOW Chair David Crocker, 10/12

Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

TABOR NOW Chair David Crocker Interview

I talked on the telephone last weekend with TABOR chairman David Crocker, from his home in Portland.

We discussed TABOR II, charges that TABOR would cause disasters in the infrastructure, schools, and other "vital services," and the claims that Colorado suspended its TABOR law because of those problems.

"Those are the three questions: promises made and broken, look whose talking, and follow the money."

Tue, 10/13/2009 - 10:47pm
Michelle Anderson Interviews Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Bruce Poliquin, 9/28 Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

Bruce Poliquin Interview Part 1

Earlier this month, I met with Bruce Poliquin at the Woodlands Country Club in Falmouth.

Over our coffee, we discussed his thoughts about taxes, Dirigo, MaineCare, and LURC.

"We haven't reduced taxes at all. We've just changed the way we collect the same amount of money."



Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

Bruce Poliquin Interview Part 2

In the second half of our interview with Bruce Poliquin, he discussed his thoughts on a county form of government, use taxes, infrastructure, and education.

"We need to not only...reduce our taxes. We need to be dead serious about controlling our costs because if we can get our costs under control and live within our means, then that will support tax reductions. And then we will have the assets that we need to focus on our high energy costs, to focus on a better educational service and experience for our citizens."

Tue, 10/13/2009 - 10:37pm
Michelle Anderson Interviews Democrat Gubernatorial Candidate Rosa Scarcelli, 9/8/09 Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

Rosa Scarcelli Interview Part 2

This is the second half of my conversation with Democrat gubernatorial candidate Rosa Scarcelli, who came up to Millinocket to have coffee with me here at the Appalachian trail cafe. In this portion, we discussed Dirigo, the laptop program, the upcoming hole in the budget, and jails.

Last week, we ended the first half speaking about Dirigo and the fact that, in Rosa's words, "it was another example of where our policies were a mile wide and an inch deep."

And that's where we will pick up in this second half.

For continuity's sake, we will listen to a little bit of the beginning of that discussion before going on to the second half.



Rosa Scarcelli Interview Part 1


Tue, 10/13/2009 - 10:30pm
Michelle Anderson Interviews Lynne Williams, 9/1/09 Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

Lynne Williams Interview Part 2

I recently had coffee with Lynne Williams, the Green candidate for governor. We sat down in Border's Bookstore's cafe and discussed why northern Mainers would want to vote for Lynne Williams.

Lynne, a lawyer who holds a doctorate in psychology, explained her stance on windpower, clean coal, and nuclear power, as well as other issues which affect those of us who are North of Bangor.

"The Green Party has officially come out against the recent tax bill...and we're collecting signatures for that repeal. The reason we did that is that we have always believed -- and I believe this too -- that sales tax are a regressive tax. They are not progressive. So we're increasing it, and it is not just tourists who are going to be paying these sales taxes. Haircuts? My son's barber said to me, 'So people are going to be paying this sales tax, and they're going to be giving me less of a tip.' It is wrong. It is harmful to working people. That's why we're not supporting it.



Lynne Williams Interview Part 1

Tue, 10/13/2009 - 10:22pm
Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

Interview: Jason Levesque, 2nd CD Candidate, 6/27 (Time: 7 mins. 3 secs)

Saturday morning, the Lincoln Area Republicans hosted a meeting during which Jason Levesque introduced himself.

The 36-year-old fifth-generation Mainer who started Argo Marketing Group before his 30th birthday, sat down with me to answer a few questions about what he's about and how he's going to help the Second District.


Mon, 09/28/2009 - 8:59am

Michelle Anderson: North of Bangor

Paul LePage: The Interview

Last Tuesday, as word was leaking out that Waterville Mayor Paul LePage was throwing his hat into the ring, he met with me in Bangor at the Starbucks on the Hogan Road.

We talked over coffee about his thoughts about how the state should be run, including opinions about LURC, school consolidation, and the tax and fees situation in the state.

"It's illegal in the state of Maine to go in and remove the pigeons. You have to call the state. They send up a biologist. He kills all the pigeons, removes the nest, and charges you $900...They don't want to have owners be cruel to animals."

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