Wednesday, September 23, 2009

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 The 10-year figure is a stretch, as Microsoft regularly makes its software outdated every 3-5 years.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

Saturday, September 12, 2009

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

Thursday, September 3, 2009

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!