Governor Candidates Have Breakfast With Community
By Betty Jespersen
Maine governor candidates at a breakfast forum Friday spoke to more than 60 community members about issues such as tax reform, Poland Spring, Dirigo Health and funding for higher education. Those attending the Western Maine Legislative Caucus at the University of Maine at Farmington were Republican David Emery; State Sen. Peter Mills, R-Cornville; Green Party candidate Patricia LaMarche; and Democrat Christopher Miller of Gray. All candidates were invited.
"I don't have a problem with Nestle putting (water) in bottles ... but I want that natural resource to be respected as a value ... and seen as a source of revenue that could be used to help fund our university system." — Pat LaMarche |
The format allowed for brief presentations followed by audience questions. Moderator was UMF President Theodora Kalikow.
One question touched on Nestle Water/North America, owner of Poland Springs Bottling Co., which proposes to tap into aquifers in Dallas Plantation, a project approved by the Land Use Regulation Commission, and in Kingfield, where a bottling plant is planned, as well.
Mills, a Farmington native, said he supports Poland Springs' proposal. "For 150 years, Rangeley has been largely owned by people from out of state and it still is. Now, Nestle is interested in taking a small fraction of water from a large aquifer and adding significant value to it. ... I welcome Nestle's interest in bringing jobs and economic development into the state."
LaMarche said the natural resource is valued for its purity because it has been protected from contamination by tax dollars and property owners. Instead of giving it away, water should be used as oil is in Alaska, where oil revenues are used to send students to college for free. "I don't have a problem with Nestle putting (water) in bottles ... but I want that natural resource to be respected as a value ... and seen as a source of revenue that could be used to help fund our university system."
