“I am not in support of this until we take care of our own people”. That was Commissioner Terry Brann’s reason for protecting the northern tier of our county from the 500 immigrants he is convinced are on our doorstep. The hyperbole of his statement would be laughable if the consequences of his decision-making were not so serious.
In the same issue of The Bulldog we read that Wilton Town Manager Rhonda Irish is concerned about the loss of necessary transportation services for her residents. That is the result of the Commissioner’s decision not to fund Western Maine Transportation along with Western Maine Community Action and Seniors Plus, all organizations with long histories of providing essential services to local residents. The savings from this decision amounted to a few cents per resident per year. Further, this was contrary to the expressed will of the community.
Regarding the immigrant horde they are apparently afraid of I’ll ask the commissioners, whose charge it is to look out for our economic interests, just how they plan to address the aging and shrinking Franklin County population. We are in negative growth, folks. The young are steadily leaving this area and we are well on our way into the demographic death cycle of an aging population and declining worker base. An infusion of immigrants might be just what we need. In fact communities that have welcomed them have seen improved tax bases, revitalized school systems, and the vitality that comes from small business creation.
These poorly considered decisions may be examples of how the Commissioners plan to take care of themselves but not how they are going to take care of the rest of us.
Steve Bien, MD
Jay
