Tuesday, September 23, is the first day when campaign signs ("Katherine Cassidy, Representative") can go up on public roads. Already many people are displaying my signs in their yards, on private property.
Now comes the harder part, of assembling the signs on wires and getting them around District 32. Fortunately, I chose a new kind of sign -- a plastic, polybag approach that easily goes over the wire stands -- that is different from the usual cardboard kind.
These polybag signs are also wearable. I cut head and arm holes in them for both the Eastport Fourth of July parade and the Machias Blueberry Festival. Was certainly a conversation-starter both times.
Showing posts with label Eastport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eastport. Show all posts
Sunday, September 21, 2008
My hospital op-ed is published -
The op-ed piece that I wrote in response to issues at Down East Community Hospital was published in the Bangor Daily News and the two local weekly papers this week (Sept 18 for the BDN). It's below:
-----
Proposing a meaningful response to hospital's woes
By Katherine Cassidy
In the 1981 movie "Absence of Malice" a frightened young woman whose
secret has been exposed by an aggressive reporter tiptoes up the
sidewalks of residential Miami in the early morning, gathering freshly
delivered newspapers from the doorsteps in a desperate effort to put
the stopper back in the bottle.
Eric Russell's Sept. 8 article on the Down East Community Hospital in
Machias reminded me of that scene.
DECH administrators are learning what other public figures already
know — once a pot is stirred, ignoring it will not stop the water from
boiling. A meaningful response is in order.
With about 250 employees and an $11 million annual payroll, DECH is
Washington County's largest employer. It is a "community" hospital and
its actions are in the spotlight. Now, we in the Sunrise County wait
for more sunlight to shine on this institution, sunlight that will
heal rather than scorch.
Regardless of why Reid Emery died in the snow last winter, regardless
of the reasons for the departure of several doctors and many staff,
the public desperately needs to regain confidence and trust in DECH as
a prominent health care facility.
Lacking public trust, the hospital will no longer attract quality
staff and medical professionals. The community will no longer be a
safe place to which retirees will relocate and where young families
will continue to reside.
I propose a new, collaborative approach to this problem. First,
hospital and community leaders should immediately form a hospital work
group of 12 people. Area town selectmen will choose seven volunteers.
The hospital board will designate five people. This group will convene
public meetings outside the hospital, accept public input and report
back to the DECH trustees with specific recommendations.
The work group would respect the privacy of individuals and the
confidentiality of employees' records and patient files protected
under state and federal law. The work group would look at policy and
public relations and not at pending lawsuits.
Second, form a permanent advisory group — other than the hospital's
incorporators that meet annually. Two other mainstays of Washington
County — the University of Maine at Machias and the Washington County
Sheriff's Department — both operate with advisory groups to keep them
connected with the communities they serve.
The university's Board of Visitors, which meets quarterly, has 18
members who bring different perspectives from their community roles.
They meet directly with the university president, review financial
figures and hear straight talk from her. All this takes a half-day,
four times a year. Of course, it's a surface overview of how things
are going, but it is a time for board members to ask questions. Does
the university president listen to suggestions and respond directly?
You bet she does.
Similarly, the Blue Ribbon Committee has been a mechanism for regular
public input to the sheriff's department since Donnie Smith took
office in January 2007. Working with a group of volunteer Washington
County residents has been a valuable change for the sheriff's office,
which had its own image and operational problems previously. The
public has been well-served by this advisory committee.
For DECH to take these actions would be a step in the right direction.
The public hue and cry will not go away by hospital administrators'
turning a blind eye to it. Bad publicity, once out, cannot simply be
lifted off the doorsteps and retracted into oblivion.
------------------------------
-----
Proposing a meaningful response to hospital's woes
By Katherine Cassidy
In the 1981 movie "Absence of Malice" a frightened young woman whose
secret has been exposed by an aggressive reporter tiptoes up the
sidewalks of residential Miami in the early morning, gathering freshly
delivered newspapers from the doorsteps in a desperate effort to put
the stopper back in the bottle.
Eric Russell's Sept. 8 article on the Down East Community Hospital in
Machias reminded me of that scene.
DECH administrators are learning what other public figures already
know — once a pot is stirred, ignoring it will not stop the water from
boiling. A meaningful response is in order.
With about 250 employees and an $11 million annual payroll, DECH is
Washington County's largest employer. It is a "community" hospital and
its actions are in the spotlight. Now, we in the Sunrise County wait
for more sunlight to shine on this institution, sunlight that will
heal rather than scorch.
Regardless of why Reid Emery died in the snow last winter, regardless
of the reasons for the departure of several doctors and many staff,
the public desperately needs to regain confidence and trust in DECH as
a prominent health care facility.
Lacking public trust, the hospital will no longer attract quality
staff and medical professionals. The community will no longer be a
safe place to which retirees will relocate and where young families
will continue to reside.
I propose a new, collaborative approach to this problem. First,
hospital and community leaders should immediately form a hospital work
group of 12 people. Area town selectmen will choose seven volunteers.
The hospital board will designate five people. This group will convene
public meetings outside the hospital, accept public input and report
back to the DECH trustees with specific recommendations.
The work group would respect the privacy of individuals and the
confidentiality of employees' records and patient files protected
under state and federal law. The work group would look at policy and
public relations and not at pending lawsuits.
Second, form a permanent advisory group — other than the hospital's
incorporators that meet annually. Two other mainstays of Washington
County — the University of Maine at Machias and the Washington County
Sheriff's Department — both operate with advisory groups to keep them
connected with the communities they serve.
The university's Board of Visitors, which meets quarterly, has 18
members who bring different perspectives from their community roles.
They meet directly with the university president, review financial
figures and hear straight talk from her. All this takes a half-day,
four times a year. Of course, it's a surface overview of how things
are going, but it is a time for board members to ask questions. Does
the university president listen to suggestions and respond directly?
You bet she does.
Similarly, the Blue Ribbon Committee has been a mechanism for regular
public input to the sheriff's department since Donnie Smith took
office in January 2007. Working with a group of volunteer Washington
County residents has been a valuable change for the sheriff's office,
which had its own image and operational problems previously. The
public has been well-served by this advisory committee.
For DECH to take these actions would be a step in the right direction.
The public hue and cry will not go away by hospital administrators'
turning a blind eye to it. Bad publicity, once out, cannot simply be
lifted off the doorsteps and retracted into oblivion.
------------------------------
Katherine Cassidy of Machias is a candidate for the Maine House in
District 32, representing Cutler, Eastport, Lubec, Machias,
Machiasport, Roque Bluffs and Whiting.
District 32, representing Cutler, Eastport, Lubec, Machias,
Machiasport, Roque Bluffs and Whiting.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Salmon Fest sadness on Sunday -
The Eastport Salmon Festival has been called off for today, because of the overwhelming, overnight rain on Saturday.
Darn. The Salmon Festival is one of Eastport's finest moments. The University of Maine at Machias Ukulele Club was scheduled to play today, and I was heading up there to hang out under the big tent with them. Sounds like all the rain put an end to the tent and everything else.
Darn. The Salmon Festival is one of Eastport's finest moments. The University of Maine at Machias Ukulele Club was scheduled to play today, and I was heading up there to hang out under the big tent with them. Sounds like all the rain put an end to the tent and everything else.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Katherine Cassidy for House Of Representatives
When I first met Katherine Cassidy, she was wearing her yard sign.
I had come to visit Eastport with my four year old son, driving for four hours because I had heard so much about this amazing candidate for our State Legislature.
She did not disappoint.
Katherine’s energy is contagious. During the parade, it seemed she knew everyone — and those she did not already know, she went out of her way to meet.
Talking to Katherine and getting to know her since then, I have realized that as a Representative to the State Legislature, Katherine is going to be a tremendously effective voice for District 32 — a district that includes all the towns linked on this website’s Blogroll, as well as Trescott Township — a district whose distance from Augusta makes this sort of Representative all the more necessary.
Seth Berry
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