For the second time Cape Elizabeth voters rejected a school bond in a bitter election, but unlike 2022 when the $116M bond went down in flames, this time the margins were very close. Just 166 votes separated the "no" vote from the "yes," with 213 blanks. What does this bode for the future? Will the election of three new town councilors, all of whom supported the school bond, mean a re-do in June? Larry Benoit joins the show with his analysis of this and other political news of the day. We call it a "red tide" here in New England.
Read MoreHow much will Cape Elizabeth taxpayers spend on the "legal" advice we got Monday night that the the Cookie Jar parking spaces that have been in use for more than 50 years and appear on an approved site plan "don't exist?"
Tim Reiniger is back to break down what happened at the Special Town Council meeting about whether to grant a license to help a beloved small business. Is the “Save the Cookie Jar” campaign political? You're damn right it is - as it should be!
Plus, the new school enrollment numbers are in and cast doubt about the proposed new $94.7 M new Middle School project on the ballot. Why now? Larry Benoit joins the show wit the hard numbers and cold truth.
Read MoreTim Reiniger joins the show again to explain his action as Chair of the Cape Elizabeth Town Council calling a special meeting for Monday night to take up a proposed license agreement that could save a beloved local business, the Cookie Jar bakery, from strangulation by bureaucratic red tape.
Reiniger, also a candidate for re-election, has proposed a simple solution to a problem manufactured, some say, by a zealous planning department led by one of his opponents in the race. He joins the show as a guest.
Is the proposed licensing agreement a responsible, responsive government solution or a political stunt? Tune in!
Read MoreFor dinner she loves a ribeye steak, medium rare, with green beans. Her dog's name is "Love." She survived and transcended a highly dysfunctional family as the oldest of six kids and has traveled the world on top of legislating for families and kids.
Meet Annie Christy, the woman behind the signs in Cape Elizabeth, running to be the next state representative for District 123 as a moderate Republican in Cape Elizabeth, a town dominated by Democrats.
Is she voting for Donald Trump? "I'de rather not say."
Is she voting for the school bond? "I like Option B."
Why should you vote for her? Tune in!
Read More"Despite running on a ticket with two other candidates for town council who oppose the controversial $94.7 M school bond, Cape Elizabeth resident David Hughes is his own man and on a mission to "save" an iconic business on Shore Road and save taxpayers money. That's his campaign pitch, anyway, and it seems to be resonating! The Cookie Jar is under siege, again, by the Planning Board some say in this small coastal town of 9700 residents. The latest requirement the Board is hoisting on the back of a beloved bakery is expensive and time consuming site review process to make minor changes to the driveway.
"Enough is enough," the new signs say with the Cookie Jar logo and David Hughes and fellow candidate David Andrews names on signs all over town.
"I'm extremely independent," Hughes says, and brave, apparently. He and fellow candidates are set to be dunked at the upcoming Harvest Fest for the local elementary school kids. "Let's throw the gauntlet down and see who can raise the most money for the kids."
Read MoreEntrepreneur, husband, father, coach and local Facebook Group tribal leader Michael Hussey joins the show to discuss the latest sign-stealing scandal in Cape Elizabeth, what voting "yes" on the controversial $94.7M school bond will do to middle school sports, and who he plans to vote for November 5th for town council.
A new show! Subscribe. Leave a comment. Buckle up.
Read MoreTim Reiniger joins the show again to address head-on recent allegations of alleged illegality and secret meetings published by Cape Elizabeth School Board Chair and fellow candidate for town council Elizabeth Scifres. Plus, find out why it's deja vu all over again for the Cape Elizabeth's Town Center Zoning Ordinance.
Read More"Michael Friedland is a local legend. After being pushed around by bureaucrats for over a year he fought back, spoke up and gathered a large following of sympathetic citizens also fed up with power dynamics at the Cape Elizabeth Town Hall. The Planner, in particular, has amassed outsized power and wields it arbitrarily and sometimes capriciously, he said in a letter to the local paper. She should be fired, he wrote, and replaced with an economic and community development staffer to help local business instead of punish it. Next thing he knows, Friedland and his business were slapped with a lawsuit by the town for over $4M for quirky de minimis "site plan violations."
Retaliation? Friedland thinks so - and don't get him started about Jonathan Sahrbeck, Chair of the Planning Board and now candidate for town council. Sahrbeck put up roadblock after roadblock and abused the site plan process to extract unreasonable demands that cost thousands of dollars, Friedland says.
Hear the latest news and scuttlebutt about The Lumbery from the horse's mouth. A story about a small business in a small town that took on local Big Government and won. Sort of. Now Friedland wants out and selling the joint for a million bucks. Greener pastures are around the bend.
Read MoreAll politics is local and nothing is more local or political than the $94.7 M bond in beautiful Cape Elizabeth, Maine, where taxes are projected to increase more than 12.5% if it passes. Mary Ann Lynch joins the show as leader of the "No" campaign. Find out what's driving her.
Read MoreVoters in South Portland and Cape Elizabeth will elect a representative to the Board of Trustees for the Portland Water District by writing in their candidate of choice on the ballot. Christopher Scontras wants the job, has the time, and believes he brings what it takes to the table.
Read MoreJoin host Cynthia Dill and guests Tim Reiniger, David Andrews and David Hughes for a conversation about the race for Town Council in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, where a controversial $94.7M bond on the ballot, along with a national election that has the country on edge, is dividing the town. What will they do about it if elected? Why do they care? Why should you?
Join host Cynthia Dill and guests Tim Reiniger, David Andrews and David Hughes for a conversation about the race for Town Council in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, where a controversial $94.7M bond on the ballot, along with a national election that has the country on edge, is dividing the town. What will they do about it if elected? Why do they care? Why should you?
Listening Tip - skip ahead to minute 3-4 for all three guests. First few minutes have some technical snafus.
Read MoreWho won the debate? We did.
Read More"I live the Salt Life," she says, "and enjoy the buzz." And Smugsy is not just talking about her favorite number, 69. You can rise above the nonsense of the political season, too.
Read MoreThere's magic coming out of Chicago this week. People are happy! Joyful. Optimistic. The Democratic National Convention is bursting with hope. "It's medicine that works," Smugsy Says.
Read MoreKamala Harris picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate on the blue team for president and that's all good for Smugsy. At least for now. You don't like the 2024 presidential race? Wait a minute! A plot twist by Donald Trump appears in order or else this thing is pretty much wrapped up. What tricks do the red team have left to play?
Read MoreKirk Minihane hit the nail on the head describing the Foundation for Government Accountability as "asshole after asshole after asshole." So why did Steve Robinson want to work there? Is FGA is the cards for Coleman? It's a small world filled with enemies. Don't miss this week's show.
Read MoreDonald Trump's campaign staged what will certainly become instantly an iconic American photo. The shot across the bow that will win the election and become a brand went off today. Ivanka will crawl back on Daddy's lap. Jared is lurking behind the drapes. The other-brothers are mouth breathing and slithering around. An emergency Smugsy Show. The former future wannabe president has been shot! And it was so beautiful! Don't miss it.
Read MoreSmugsy finds common ground with Tucker Carlson in Middletown, Rhode Island, and in Maine, where life is the way it should be. Where they part ways? "It took a village to raise Tucker, and he deserves reparations," she says.
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