This post's read time: 4 minutes
Dear Friend,
What madness would drive me to co-sign an Op Ed in the BDN, five days into my term as a selectperson, when I know this will create division within my community, at a time we most need to be united?
The basic answer is: when people are using their privileges and power for wrongful purposes, I feel a duty to act as an opposing force.
Maybe opposing force isn’t the right term – I’d argue that my co-authors and I are trying our best to be a voice of reason during trying times.
I know that such stridence is patently uncool in a place like Prospect. We generally like to stay quiet, keep to our own devices, and take care of our own. “Mind your business.” I hear my neighbors saying. I get it.
I know little of tribal issues, and only threw my hat into the ring because 1) I deeply respect my co-authors and 2) I am a strong believer in self-determination and smaller government as much as practicable.
“I strongly believe that we can continue to work with the Tribes and the Legislature to make progress on health, education, economic development and jurisdictional issues through deliberate and considerate work that is grounded in respectful, mutual dialogue.” -Governor Janet Mills
What are being framed as tribal issues really need to be reframed as issues which occur any time large groups of people come together to try to direct their efforts toward a common purpose.
The great State Of Maine, which I love, and defend, has a long record of failures and mistakes. For one thing, our beautiful forests, ostensibly a community resource, are almost entirely privately owned. For another, our dairy farms and organic farms are being devastated by forever chemicals as a result of actions taken by, or encouraged by, the State. This is part of why Home Rule matters: let us decide our own fates in our communities.
There are different perspectives to be had. In this case, the root as I understand it is based in fear:
The tribes fear a lack of change, and that their communities will continue to suffer.
The towns fear loss of power, a patchwork of infrastructure, angry citizens.
The State fears endless litigation, everyone angry (including big business entities), and the possible collapse of vital public services which would then become State responsibilities.
I strive, as a person and as an elected officer, to consider as many sides of a problem as possible, and to give as much voice as possible to those who have less power and privilege.
The State tends toward legislation, policy-making, and enforcement of laws. Legal and legislative work gives us boundaries, when what we really need is change. The governor might find that acting as a mediator and advocate for best practices within and between local governments and tribal ones is a better role to play.
For my community, I am crying out for resources. We have a dearth of knowledge and skill and must learn through bitter experience how to govern our community so that things are as close as possible to the vision willed by the people of Prospect. The mess of laws we must follow are torturous at best, and the manual I was given with which to navigate them is seven years out of date.
I’ll note that for many years the State has been striving to end homelessness, to support our schools, to build enough housing at rates people can afford, to improve justice and to protect our water. These are the issues I know most intimately and they affect everyone, whether Wabanaki, Mainer, or from away.
Knowledge and community-building must come first before we look for rule-making and means of funding. We must define our problems and discuss them, and feel kinship around our common challenges.
Maine has been stricken with poverty for a long time. My own county of Waldo was the poorest in all of New England only 20 years ago. Now normal houses in Belfast sell for millions. The pace of change is astounding and we must shift from a mindset of scarcity to one of growth.
The Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act is over 40 years old. As I understand it, the tribes received a nice chunk of capital from that, and yet still struggle to varying degrees. I believe there are fewer than 10,000 indigenous/native people living in Maine. They are faring worse than tribes elsewhere in the nation.
In simple terms, the struggle of the tribes finding their footing is a culture clash. This is a seemingly small problem which has proven pernicious.
As a supporter of restorative practices and deep ecology, I believe we have much to learn from different ways of living and unfamiliar systems of thought. It is worth giving a few people much of our attention, as they might teach us about community, about dealing with harm, and about preserving our cherished ways of life for future generations.
Prospect is having these discussions now as we consider a Comprehensive Plan. We are talking about land use, entitlement, recreation, history and natural preservation and Home Rule as it applies to our 700-some-odd residents.
The tribes are more than towns, and certainly deserve greater powers.
Given American civilization’s own track record of economic boom and bust, of environmental degradation and climate change, it seems worth giving the Wabanaki more autonomy than a municipality has, to try their own ways of doing things.
Perhaps, if we are lucky, we can learn from one another and everyone might benefit as a result.
I have decided to take some of my energy and lend it to this purpose. I am afraid my own townspeople, who elected me with a bigger margin than any other currently elected town official, won’t understand, and will reject me.
I am putting my ass on the line here. I believe we can all do better and that I might serve the process in my own small way.
Let’s continue the conversation. I approach this with the deepest respect for all of the people and institutions involved. I yearn to learn more, to understand more deeply. I am not blind to how vital the issues are, nor to how much these conversations might pull us away from other urgent demands. I urge us all to do our best – it is the only thing any of us knows how to do.
Warmly,
Brad