Long-time Damariscotta residents frequently pine for the days when their police force was primarily composed of one man, the late, legendary George Hutchings.
Hutchings, who served the town for more than 35 years before his forced retirement in 1998, was a virtual one-man gang of law enforcement.
For much of his career he responded to calls in his personal vehicle and worked out of his home, day and night.
Usually at a town meeting or during a discussion about taxes, a Damariscotta resident will opine something like ‘George Hutchings never needed overtime.’ ‘George Hutchings didn’t need a detective.’ ‘George Hutchings didn’t need this or that, the budget was so much smaller then and we did just fine.’
There is some truth in those statements, but it also true that times have changed.
These days, we rather doubt the town’s insurance company would approve of a police officer doing business out of his personal vehicle as a regular course of action, but Hutchings, who passed away in 2003, came up in an era when that was the common practice.
Through his dedication to his job and his devotion to his town, Hutchings’ legacy cast a long shadow over all the officers who follow him. He was a singularly unique public servant.
On one occasion, when the town’s crosswalks needed re-striping, Hutchings, famously, got down on his hands and knees and personally repainted them. He probably didn’t think much of it. It was something that had to be done.
We think of George Hutchings as we read of the budget struggles in Jefferson, Waldoboro, and Wiscasset this week.
What we are coming down to is the point where the rubber is meeting the road.
Local taxpayers, long the pockets of last resort, are reaching their limit. We are seeing the result of a desire to enforce immediate relief in the short term, regardless of whether or not it is in the town’s best long-term interest.
The fact is, the full impact of school budget decisions made today in Jefferson and Wiscasset won’t truly be known for years to come.
Likewise, the decision to focus budget cuts on the Waldoboro Police Department because of what the police budget looked like years ago may feel good in the short term, but another word for reducing services is a loss of services, and we urge Waldoboro residents to make that decision fully aware of the consequences.
In his day George Hutchings was famous for occasionally dispensing justice with the toe of his boot, but times have changed.
