Dear Editor:

Maine is a Home Rule state but it feels like our town leaders are in private negotiations with the state and excluding the community from the conversation.

The school charter is replaced with “align with state law” but no one will discuss what is in state law pursuant to education.

The Boothbay Selectboard will not allow the town manager to interact in his official capacity with a private citizen’s group exploring a regional school solution.

A town select person conducts a Facebook group to discuss local concerns and decides who is allowed to post or comment or not.

A Home Rule municipality is governed by the inhabitants, not by the state and its wealth redistribution tools of influence.

The Maine Constitution says "that no donation, grant or endowment shall at any time be made by the Legislature to any literary institution, unless, at the time of making such endowment, the Legislature of the State shall have the right to grant any further powers to alter, limit or restrain any of the powers vested in any such literary institution.”

State subsidization of our schools is an opening for the state to operate industrial job training in our public school system. That’s an industrial purpose.

Home Rule says that industrial buildings can be constructed by the town to be rented or sold to a “responsible corporation” - Not that the municipality will act as the responsible corporation.

Title 30-A, §5654: Conditional gifts allows our town to be bought.

HP 1489 transferred authority over housing density and community character from Home Rule to the state, enacted as an emergency. The Maine Constitution states that An emergency bill shall not include an infringement of the right of home rule.

It’s up to the people if Home Rule will persevere. Will it?

Susan Mackenzie Andersen

Boothbay