Thank You

I would like to congratulate Rosemarie on her election win. She is a smart and savvy woman, and I am looking forward to working with her in the future. I would also like to give props to Gary as he continues to show his dedication to the community. We need more people to have the same level of devotion.

I am honored by the 3000+ who put their faith in me to be their representative, and thankful to those who actively supported me throughout these past few months. Know that this is only the beginning, and I will continue to do my best to make a positive difference in this community. Now, on to the next task!

Looking forward,

Chris Kessler

Questionnaire for The Current

Here is an early release of my responses to the questionnaire given by The Current.

AGE: 27

ADDRESS: 37 Cottage Road, Apt. A, South Portland

OCCUPATION: was Direct Care OQMHP at Spurwink Services until layoffs - now starting up eco-friendly home-cleaning service

EDUCATION: Music B.A. - State University of New York at Oswego

PERSONAL: I live with my loving wife (Jessie) and canine companion (Abby). We came here from Syracuse, NY looking to start a new life, and are thankful for where we ended up. Living here has allowed us to become happier and healthier beings.

POLITICAL AND CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Maine Chapter Leader for StudentLoanJustice.org (grassroots organization trying to restore standard consumer protections to student loans), member of SoPoDOG, the South Portland Land Trust, Hour Exchange Portland, Local Sprouts Community-Supported Kitchen

WHY ARE YOU RUNNING FOR OFFICE AND WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT AS A CANDIDATE?

I desire to be a voice for the people of South Portland, and take their views into consideration when making important decisions. I also want to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to the Council. I see my newness to the political scene as an advantage, as I have the ability to foster new positive relationships.

ON THE ISSUES:
The following are some questions on issues that are likely to come before the City Council in the next year or so. Please discuss your stand on these issues and why you take that stand. Please respond fully so that voters can understand your position.

1) In Nov. 2007, city voters by a wide margin rejected a plan to borrow $56 million to build a new city high school. Now the Secondary Schools Facilities Committee is working on a plan for a new high school that would cost less money. The committee is still working out costs, but this proposal could be in the $40 million to $49 million range. The committee wants the bond proposal to go to voters in June. What is your position on replacing South Portland High School?

It is important that our students have a safe and secure environment to learn and thrive in. Work needs to be done, and I am looking forward to seeing the ideas that the Board of Education is coming up with. In terms of financing the project, we should have transparency and public input in order to eliminate the fear of wasteful spending.

2) If the council decides to ask voters to approve borrowing money to build a new high school, should the council send that bond question to voters at a June election or at a general election in November, when more voters go to the polls?

It is the responsibility of the citizenry to be educated and engaged in the governmental process no matter what time of year it is. In times when nearly 1 out of 5 people are unemployed, it would be unfair to postpone progress on such an important project because of citizen apathy. It is important, though, to recognize that other issues can be better served if presented at general elections.

3) Budget: If TABOR II and another ballot measure reducing the motor vehicle excise tax pass at the polls in November, city officials say South Portland could see a drastic reduction in revenues, necessitating cuts in city services and tight future budgets. What are your ideas for coping with this potential lack of revenue and increasing expenses for fixed costs (such as energy) in the budget?

The City of South Portland should be making every effort to plan for this kind of future regardless of this November's election results. It should be looked at as emergency preparedness, as it is predicted that we are likely to see skyrocketing oil prices and continuing economic turmoil. This has to be approached from many angles, including decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels, stopping wasteful spending, increasing efficiency, encouraging sustainable development, and finding new and innovative ways of doing business.

4) The city is considering getting into the energy business by partnering with Fairchild Semiconductor and National Semiconductor to build a city-owned heating and cooling power plant next to those two companies. The companies, two of the largest employers in the city, would benefit from lower energy costs. The city would generate revenues by selling thermal energy from the plant, which would be powered by natural gas. City taxpayers would be asked to authorize a bond to pay for the plant’s construction if voters authorize bonding for it. The cost of the plant is not yet known but it could be around $50 million. Do you support this project? Why or why not?

I want to see National and Fairchild continue to operate in South Portland; however, in good conscience I would not be able to support the proposed combined cooling/heating power plant (CCHPP). Although natural gas is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels, its use still contributes to a net increase in CO2 emissions: this is contrary to South Portland's commitment to the US Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement. Also, the CCHPP's operation will be jeopardized by the depletion of natural gas supplies at some point in the future, as it is a finite resource. Whether it be 15 years or 50 years from now, we should be prepared by utilizing renewable energy to the greatest extent possible today. We would be providing a short-term solution at the expense of a sustainable future, with no real guarantee that jobs would be preserved.

5) What are your thoughts on maintaining the city’s park system? Much of the park infrastructure was built in the 1970s and 1980s and the city says it’s drastically in need of replacement.

Maintenance and improvement of our parks should have high priority. South Portland's park system is one of the most valuable resources we have as a city, as it contributes to the health and well-being of people from here and away. Certain areas definitely need replacement (ex. bridges in Hinckley and Mill Creek), but how much throughout the city is up to debate.

6) The Maine Renewable Energy Consortium, a group of private investors, wants to build a 20,000-square-foot co-generation power plant fueled by wood chips to sell power to nearby businesses and back to the power grid. The consortium also wants to construct a 40,000-square foot fermentation bioreactor that would burn organic material. Vapors and off-gasses from the biomass plant would be burned in the cogeneration plant. The two facilities would be located near the Rigby Yard railroad junction. What is your opinion of this proposal?

This is the kind of project that has the potential of creating jobs, utilizing a local renewable resource, and giving businesses a competitive edge in the marketplace. Rigby Yard could also benefit from the rejuvenation. Focus should also be given to the kinds of businesses that would operate in the "Bio-Energy Eco-Park" aspect of the project, and how they will contribute positively to the community.

7) Please discuss any other issues that would be important to you as a city councilor.

I want to help see South Portland move in the direction of ecological and economic sustainability. Relief for seniors and other people with low fixed-incomes has also been a reoccuring concern on my visits with people in the community.

New Perspective - Open Source

As the availability of monetary resources becomes a pressing issue for South Portland, it is important to begin looking at alternative ways of doing business. We have the ability to maintain a high quality of productivity while cutting costs. One example of a new alternative is open source software.

Open source software is defined thoroughly by the Open Source Initiative; visit the link to find out more. To summarize, one of the main benefits of open source software is its cost: free. According to the IT Department, South Portland spends nearly $80,000 on licensing software from Microsoft to use Windows and the Microsoft Office suite. This is a periodic cost, as the software and operating systems are planned on being used for up to 10 years. The 10-year figure is a stretch, as Microsoft regularly makes its software outdated every 3-5 years. The use of Open Office (open source version of Microsoft Office) has been contemplated by the city years ago, but was not chosen due to compatibility issues. Since then, many strides have been made to make Open Office a viable alternative, and one that should not be considered lightly.

This is an example of how we can save money, as well as create jobs ($80,000 = 3-4 entry-level salaries) and foster independence from the private sector. I want to bring this kind of perspective to the City Council.


Further Reading:

Benefits of Using Open Source Software
Study Shows Open-Source Code Quality Improving
Open Source Appeal: It Comes Down to Costs
Open Source Alternatives - Find alternatives to commercial software

My Platform - Sustainability and Resilience

Our economy has been founded upon the past 150 years of industrialization and globalization, in which we have shaped the growth of our communities according to the trends of profit. This is evident in towns across the United States; in Maine, we have seen our towns and cities built around mills and shipyards meeting the demands of the day. As global economics incentivized companies to leave for cheaper labor and tax breaks, or as demand for a product ceased, our towns felt the effect of their absence. South Portland is no stranger to this, as it has seen many of these industries come and go. As a result of the global economic current, the backbone of South Portland's workforce is now in retail, insurance, and semiconductors.

Today, we find ourselves at a pivotal point in history. As evidenced by the unemployment rate (9.7% for people claiming benefits, 16.8% unofficially), we can no longer place our security in the hands of those who seek to maximize profit rather than caring for the communities that work for them. These industries will come and go, but the people of South Portland will remain. This begs the question, "What do we do?" My answer is: invest in ourselves.

We must be proactive in taking care of the basic necessities for our survival (food, clothing, shelter, and community) through the localiziation of these things. In doing this, we have to take into account the effect our development (residential, commercial, and industrial) will have on the environment, and strive to make as little of an impact as possible. We must look at our dependencies on fossil fuels and corrupted economic systems and strive to find alternatives. We must put the well-being of people, now and for future generations, before profit.

South Portland has many hardworking, intelligent, and innovative people living in this community, as well as the resources to accomplish the task. We can be the change we want to see in the world. All we have to do is try.

*Illustration taken from The Transition Handbook: from oil dependency to local resilience by Rob Hopkins, edited by Chris Kessler

My Platform - Responsiveness

While I have been out visiting with community members, a major sentiment I hear is that people feel the City Council is not listening to their concerns, or at times totally disregarding their voice. Combined with the same experience on the state and federal levels, many people have given up hope and stopped trying to communicate with their elected officials. I can relate to this, as I have had similar experiences.

This is one of the main reasons I have decided to run for South Portland City Council. Communication is one of the key elements in a representative democracy, and I vow to keep and maintain an open line of communication with the citizens of South Portland. This entails not only listening, but giving a genuine response. A City Councilor must engage their constituents in order to encourage and foster civic participation.

I am making myself available to contact in a variety of ways to make sure I can hear from everyone. Feel free to call or write (mail, e-mail, Facebook, or comment on this blog). I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Student Loan Burden

As college degrees are becoming more of a necessity in our workforce, many people are taking out loans to pay for their education. For a bachelors degree, the average Maine student graduates with an average of $23,000 of debt. Parents want what is best for their children, so taking out or cosigning a student loan takes little thought as they sign virtually any paper placed in front of them.

My College Story

From my own personal experience, I felt I had to go to college even if I didn't know what I wanted to do at the time. Many students go about attending school this way, hoping they find some inspiration at some point along the way. I admittedly made some mistakes in college - not thinking enough about my financial future was one of the biggest. I ended up coming out of college with just over $40,000 in debt, and the only jobs available were for minimum wage.

As I must take responsibility for my actions, I believe that too little was done on the part of the university I attended and the student loan companies I borrowed from. I believe that all students in their junior and senior years should receive financial literacy training, and much more guidance needs to be given to these young people before they potentially sign their financial lives away. The need for this is the greatest right now, as our economy is much worse off than it was in 2005. Millions of graduates young and old are struggling to get by because of their student loan debt.


Student Loan Justice

My experiences with higher education and the student loan industry lead me to start investigating more into the subject, and what I found was very concerning. I read stories about predatory lending, Sallie Mae giving bribes to financial aid offices to sell their loans, and many stories of people being crushed by their debt. I ended up finding a group called Student Loan Justice, which is a grassroots organization devoted to restoring standard consumer protections to student loans. The founder, Alan Collinge, lays out a clear and compelling argument for reform while providing evidence of corruption and scandal by the student loan industry. This argument is supported by the thousands of stories of hardship that have been submitted to the site.

I decided to take the lead here in Maine and represent these people, as there was no existing voice for them. It gave me experience in grassroots organizing, information gathering, and public relations. The biggest fruit from the venture came back in March of this year, when I appeared on Maine Watch with Jennifer Rooks armed with the stories of local people struggling to get by because of their student loans. I appeared alongside Elizabeth Bordowitz, CEO of the Financial Authority of Maine (FAME).

Please be an informed citizen and research the topic. You can also visit StudentLoanJustice.org, and view the show that aired on March 27, 2009 on MPBN.net.

Who is Chris Kessler?

In order to best communicate with the community, I created this blog to inform people about who I am, my views, and my intentions. This blog will also contain information about how you can get involved.

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A Little About Me

I am originally from the Syracuse, NY area (raised in the small town of Canastota, home of the Boxing Hall of Fame and onion farming). I graduated from Canasota High School in 2000, and went on to attend college at the State University of New York (SUNY) Oswego. Being advised to follow my passions, I studied music and focused on vocal performance (although I spent more time studying music theory, history, studio engineering, and guitar). I also had the privilege to study at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, QLD, Australia. I earned a Music BA with a 3.01 GPA in May 2005, and then began life in the "real" world.

Taking time off after graduation required me to get full-time employment unrelated to my studies. I ended up getting into the field of social services as a childcare worker for Elmcrest Children's Center in Syracuse working with at-risk youth. My experiences there taught me how to work with my colleagues constructively in times of stress and crisis, as well as how to manage children's behavior. For personal reasons, I did not return to get my Masters degree in Music Education, and continued to work with kids.

I met a wonderful woman (Jessie) in college that I married in 2007, and on our honeymoon we came to Portland. We visited a college friend, and on our visit she brought us to her workplace (Scratch Bakery) to get a coffee. As we strolled along Willard Beach, we were taken aback by the beauty this place holds. The culture of the Portland area was lively and inspiring. When we returned to Syracuse, we decided that we wanted to move someplace that fit us better. We ended up moving to South Portland in March 2008.

Since then, Jessie and I became a respite care couple with Spurwink Services. This enabled me to experience first hand the struggles that many families face when raising children with special needs. Due to state budget cuts to social services, our jobs were terminated at the end of June. I am taking this unfortunate turn of events as an opportunity to explore other areas, and am currently trying to get training in the renewable energy and energy conservation fields through the federal Workforce Investment Act.

Getting Involved

Over the past several years, I began to realize that the only way to make a difference in this life is to be an active participant in it. My experiences in Australia led me to get involved in social justice issues when returning to the States. After college graduation I became a member of the Syracuse Peace Council (peacecouncil.net), learning and helping disseminate information about social justice issues happening in Syracuse, our nation, and the world. After moving to Maine, I began to get involved with student loan reform. I joined a grassroots organization called Student Loan Justice (studentloanjustice.org), and quickly became the chapter leader for the state of Maine. This past spring, I appeared on Maine Watch with Jennifer Rooks to discuss the lack of standard consumer protections for student loans, and the hardship that millions of Americans are experiencing just because of it. Of course, I couldn't have done it without the support of the other members, as they shared their stories with Jennifer to help illustrate the problem.

At the same time, I had become more involved in my community. I have been involved with (in varying degrees) SoPoDOG, the South Portland Land Trust, Hour Exchange Portland, Local Sprouts Community-Supported Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity, and the Exploratory Committee on Volunteerism for South Portland.

This is only a brief introduction to who I am, but as time goes on you will get to know me much more. Stay tuned.