I tend to stay out of public frays and to keep my opinion to myself. I have, however, practiced as a criminal defense attorney in Damariscotta and Newcastle for nearly 17 years, which sometimes gives me a perspective shared by few others.

My wife and I came home Monday from a visit with our kids to discover that someone had come into our home and stole around $1200 from us. It was more than just money. My wife nearly died in a motorcycle accident (which I witnessed) two years ago.

Ever had a really bad day? Ever fire off an email in anger, slam a desk drawer, snarl a response to a perfectly legitimate question or just out and out unload on the some poor innocent who crosses your path, simply because the person responsible for your ire is unavailable for the purpose?

We’re just a bunch of guys and gals that drop everything when paged and respond to provide professional emergency services to the town of Newcastle and surrounding towns. We’re 25 members strong with a handful of us that have been members for 30, 40, and 50 years.

I am a lifelong harness racing fan and my business sponsors races in Maine and New York. Hollywood slots has helped invigorate Maine harness racing, an industry that puts millions of dollars in to the economy through services such as feed, training, veterinary and of course gambling revenue. Right here, in Waldoboro, Harold Ralph and family are legendary names in Maine harness racing. This is an industry worth saving.

The late Robert J. “Bobby” Fossett was the chairman of the Bristol Board of Selectmen when I started with The Lincoln County News in 1999. At that time the board was made up of Fossett, Dwayne Boynton and Craig Elliott.

From my earliest experiences in socialization, I remember one of the basic tenets was “praise in public, criticize in private.” This rule avoids the confrontations, the embarrassment and the desire to retaliate caused by the “in your face” nature of “going public.”

Good news! The Damariscotta Police Department recovered my property, which was stolen from my vehicle during this past run of burglaries from vehicles. I debated whether to report it, as so often it is a futile attempt to get stolen property back.

We have been, and still are, taking a wait and see attitude with our new governor. As we do every time we have a new chief executive, we hold out hope they will succeed beyond anyone’s wildest imagination.

Of all the possible outcomes we thought about as this Gateway 1 project ground along, we never thought our new Governor would give his blessing to the DOT kicking it to the curb March 1.

Wow.

Why are we making such an ado about a work of art? It seems to me that, for the duration, the proper place for Judy Taylor’s mural about Maine’s labor history is the Frances Perkins Center in Newcastle. In a kindlier time, it could be returned to the Dept. of Labor.

Now that gas is approaching $3.50 a gallon, maybe high prices might end a practice that is all too common leaving the engine running while shopping or getting the mail.

I want to thank District 51 Rep. Jon McKane (R-Newcastle) for standing up for businesses in Maine. Jon is co-chair of the Joint Select Committee on Regulatory Fairness and Reform. He understands real jobs are created in the private sector, not by government. Local businesses are the heart of our state economy providing much needed jobs for citizens.

The Frances Perkins Center deplores the secret removal of the Maine Department of Labor’s mural depicting Maine workers through the centuries and asks that it be safely returned.