BDN: Effort opposing consolidation moves forward
By Rich Hewitt
Wednesday, September 05, 2007 – Bangor Daily News
STONINGTON, Maine – With backing from 28 communities and more expected to join, a grass-roots effort to overturn the state’s school consolidation law will get under way this weekend.
Lawrence “Skip” Greenlaw Jr. of Stonington said he plans to hold an organizational meeting for those who have expressed an interest in working on a petition drive that would ask Maine legislators to repeal the law. That meeting is set for 9 a.m. Saturday at the Ramada Inn on Odlin Road in Bangor.
Greenlaw, a member of the Deer Isle-Stonington CSD school committee and a former state legislator, jump-started the repeal effort last month when he sent letters first to school committee chairs around the state, then to municipal officials, seeking their support and advice. The response was not overwhelming, Greenlaw said, but there was enough interest to move forward with the effort.
“As of Saturday, September 1, I have received communications from 36 individuals representing 28 Maine towns,” he said. “As the petition drive gets under way and attracts more public attention, I expect much more participation from a far wider area.”
Greenlaw said he has had indications that some school committee chairs were waiting for formal approval from their school committees before signaling willingness to support and participate in a repeal effort.
The letters of support have come from small and large communities in all areas of the state. Greenlaw said he expects support to grow rapidly as people become more aware of the issues.
Read the rest here. Go to the meeting on Saturday!!