Saturday Night at Clewley's - Full House

Dola packed 'em in last night. Not a chair or table to be had in the joint by 8pm. The prime rib looked so good people were drooling (and the portion size should have required a doggie bag to go). Some spontaneous dancing sprung up around 10pm - not to mention the conga line with adults and children earlier in the evening -or the three-some down in the lounge from time to time. We won't get into that!! :-)! Some of the songs Dola sang brought back such memories people couldn't help singing along while others just started smiling. I even spotted a few folks holding hands. HINT: A "TIP" jar would mean the woman wouldn't have to sweep up all that money at the end of the night, guys. Just a thought...;-)

Good popcorn up at the bar this week. Bob seems to have this knack of remembering who drinks what when they slip onto a bar stool. Although, what with the traffic from the thirsty crowd down in the lounge and dining room, he nearly ran out of glasses - started grumbling he might have to learn to wash dishes. Of course Bob enjoys grumbling. :-D

Folks were there from Clifton, Glenburn, Dover (that's what I heard), as well as some of the Eddington regulars from last week (and a few more). Tuesday's Town Meeting was being talked over - as well as the dismal voter turnout. Seems my estimate of the number in attendance at the Town Meeting was a bit high. Susan Shane (she and Mark were there having dinner) said she'd gotten an estimate from the Town Office that put the number closer to 90.

On the other hand, the talk around the tables gave BIG kudos to Selectman Charles Baker for having the huevos to vote in favor of the Amendment to Article 11 (in spite of the stern "directions" being given to Board members by Chairwoman Brooks during the meeting). It was noted that Chuck Baker was the ONLY member of the Board to vote in favor of the Amendment and the Article with the Amendment. Seems Chairwoman Brooks was still "talking" to Chuck after the meeting and she wasn't smiling. Independent thinking and the backbone to go with it can be sooo irritating.

I wasn't sitting in the school auditorium where I could observe any of this so I can only report what I was told Saturday night (although I'd heard some of it during the week from people who called) - but apparently several people interpreted the looks and actions of the Board Chair to mean she was none too pleased to see the townspeople assert their rights to know in advance what kind of long-term financial commitments the Board was making on behalf of the resident taxpayers. (And even more displeased there was rebellion (?) in the ranks of fellow Selectmen.) Considering that the taxpayers/residents/voters ARE the Board's employers - and the position of Chair is to be a Facilitator, not the ruler - seems to me it is the responsibility of the EmployER to know and approve such actions in advance before the EmployEEs take on any long-term project no matter how trusted or appreciated the employees may be. I, for one, appreciate independent thinking by members of the Board. They're elected independently. Seems they should vote that way.

EDDINGTON SCHOOL PLAY - "Magical Land of Oz" - Show time, Tuesday, March 31 at 6:30.

EASTER EGG HUNT AT THE EDDINGTON TOWN OFFICE - Saturday, April 4 from Noon - 2pm sponsored by the Eddington Fire Department. (Let's pray for good weather)

LD1195 is a proposed bit of legislation that, if approved, would allow NON-citizens to vote in the state of Maine. It has been proposed by two Democrats in the Maine Legislature. Excuse me? I thought one had to be a U.S. citizen to vote in this country. Why would the Maine Legislature want to propose this? It's bad enough that we have U.S. citizens who own property in our towns, pay property taxes to those towns and yet, because they live out of state for six months and 1 day (to avoid the excessive state income tax which is too high for retirees) they are not allowed to vote at Town Meetings. I'm not talking about State elections - just Town Meeetings which directly effect how these people's property taxes are going to be spent. Seems if we want to give someone the right to vote in this state (other than full time residents), it should be U.S. citizens who own property in towns with populations under 5,000, pay property taxes on that property, and are present for those towns' Town Meetings. They're paying for the school budgets, as well, and are usually at an age when their children are grown and gone. Since they're paying the bills, seems they should have the right to vote.

But as to NON-U.S. citizens voting anywhere in this country? - NO. Good Grief! Want to write to our State Legislative Reps? Here're the addresses: Rep. Ben Pratt, 2 State House Station, Augusta 04333, or email: bpratt@yahoo.com; Senator Richard Rosen, 3 State House Station, augusta 04333, or email: rrosen113@aol.com Make reference to LD1195 (Want more info: See the BDN) or go online to pending legislation - maine.gov. I don't have the exact website address but maybe someone reading this can post it in the comment section.

Once last word (today at least) re: Voting. More than once over the past few years comments have been made that Eddington voters traditionally vote for whoever has his/her name at the top of the ballot. Of course the names are listed in alphabetical order. That means if Peter Vigue ever ran for Selectman in Eddington he'd have zero change of getting elected. Don't know who Peter Vigue is? He's the CEO of Cianbro - the man with the vision for Maine. You might want to do a "search" on Google to find out more about this man - my point is that voters should be informed about the choices they have on a ballot, what a candidate stands for/against and proposes to bring to the town and residents REGARDLESS of whether his/her last name begins with a letter that's at the beginning, middle or end of the alphabet (or whether one can easily pronounce it which is another story altogether).