March 28, 2024
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Rural confederation proposal gains ground

MILLINOCKET – Town Councilor Wallace Paul’s idea to form a regional advisory board of Northern Maine towns has drawn the attention of Houlton, a tentative endorsement of East Millinocket and Medway, and a target.

Houlton Town Manager Douglas Hazlett called Town Manager Eugene Conlogue, and representatives of East Millinocket and Medway endorsed the idea during a Joint Elected Officials Board meeting on Dec. 7, Paul and Conlogue said.

“We haven’t heard from anyone else yet,” Paul said Tuesday. “I am not surprised by that, and it doesn’t mean that there won’t be interest in it once people hear what we are going for.”

Paul’s idea: To form a confederation of municipal government officials who could lobby state and federal government officials and otherwise unite on common concerns. They could include Roxanne Quimby and environmental preservationist land purchases; mill longevity and the economic security of other traditional Maine industries; sportsmen’s access; protection from convicted sex offenders; and economic development in rural areas.

Paul first proposed his idea late last month, saying that rural residents and governments feel increasingly isolated and at the mercy of outside forces, such as Quimby or the state and federal government. A board of rural municipal representatives ranging from Howland to Presque Isle or farther, he said, would find strength in numbers.

Such a board doesn’t exist on a municipal level, but it does among state legislators, Conlogue said. The Maine Rural Caucus is co-chaired by Rep. Herbert Clark, D-Millinocket, and confederation board members would probably be interested in working with it.

“We would like to have their ear on issues that are critical to rural communities,” Conlogue said of the caucus. “They like to hear from their constituencies and they don’t hear from other [municipal elected officials] like this board. If they could hear from another group of people out here who are also elected and who also have constituencies, it would be a different level of input than they are used to.”

Paul said, “I feel that the legislators in the north do a pretty good job, if not statewide, in general, but I also think that we leave them hanging a lot without giving them the support or contact that they need.”

East Millinocket Selectman Larry MacKenzie and Medway Selectmen David Dickey and James Lee said they found merit in the idea and would want to discuss it further when the joint board meets again on Jan. 18 in Millinocket.

“We’ll make a presentation to them on Jan. 18 and see where it goes from there,” Paul said. “They are our closest neighbors and partners, so that is the best place to start.”

Any local government officials interested in being part of such a regional board are asked to call Conlogue at 723-7000.


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