We regret to report the loss of another of our local columns.
You can read Edgecomb columnist Jo Cameron’s final column on page 2B.
Mrs. Cameron, who is giving up the column for personal reasons, has always approached her column with a sense of dedication to her readers.
She scoured this paper and well beyond for every piece of Edgecomb news out there and compiled it all into easily digestible updates for her readers. If an Edgecomb resident earned a promotion, made the honor roll, won an award, or was born, engaged, married, or died, you could count on reading about it in Jo’s column.
Jo religiously and repeatedly reminded her readers of their civic duties. She explained the nomination process for residents to run for local office, prodded readers to attend important meetings, and reminded them to vote.
While we know Jo is politically active and could have filled her column with her own take on the issues, she largely kept her opinions to herself and focused instead on encouraging everyone to participate in local government.
Like all our columnists, Jo did all this as a volunteer.
We appreciate Jo’s commitment and service to our readers and to the residents of Edgecomb during her time as author of the Edgecomb column.
In her last column, Jo expresses disappointment that she was not able to find someone to take over the column.
Edgecomb is not alone in this sense.
Twenty-five years ago this week, we had 18 local columns – Bunker Hill, Chamberlain, Monhegan, Muscongus, and Winslow’s Mills among them.
We have just five of those columns now, although we have added a couple we did not have then, and there are other hopeful signs.
Just this year, we added Mary Throckmorton as our Somerville columnist, welcomed back Alna columnist Judy Greenleaf, and saw the Westport Island column transition from Mary Ellen Barnes to Pat Smith. Another new column this year, the Nobleboro-Jefferson Transfer Station’s “Waste Watch,” is also a local column of sorts.
We think these columns help foster a sense of community in the many little villages across Lincoln County, and we will continue to publish local columns as long as there are people willing to write them.
If you would like to write a column about goings-on in your town, village, neighborhood, or wide place in the road, email the editor at joliver@lcnme.com.
