This is a reprint of an op-ed I published for my campus newspaper, The Nor’Easter News on 11/9/2011. This fall, while a senior at the University of New England I ran for local political office. It was a tough race with eight candidates for 2 positions, however I ended up receiving 1024 votes for City Council At-Large. This piece is aimed at my peers to increase civic participation in our community.
During the campaign I spoke with hundreds of people and along with dozens of business owners and elected leaders. I am left with a valuable experience and a remarkable impression on the importance of local governance.
The Importance of Community
By: James McGowan
I’ve have been living in Biddeford for three years, including summer breaks. I have seen a community that relies on off season tourism and Main street businesses get hit with the global recession that began in 2008. In 2008, I was a first year Political Science student focused on learning politics from lectures and academic books. However, I soon came to the realization that there were far more engaging experiences offered in our own backyard. I began to look at what it means to be a citizen and a member of the communities that encompass UNE. For some of us, this might be Sokokis, East or West Hall, and for others you may live at Hills Beach, Biddeford Pool, Fortune Rocks, Downtown Biddeford, or in neighboring towns in Kennebunk, Scarborough, Saco, or Arundel. Regardless of where you live, it is important to realize your impact on the world around you. It is easy to understand how you affect others in a Residence Hall of 200 people, but it becomes much more difficult when you examine how we affect the greater community, such as Biddeford with over 24,000 residents.
My fascination with local politics in Biddeford began after noticing that despite the economic situation facing the State of Maine, Biddeford was still able to grow. In fact entire developments such as North Dam Mill continued to be built on schedule despite a nationwide credit squeeze. I’m not a business major, but I can tell you that those businesses can’t outpace demand. So last year I began to evaluate where this demand was coming from. I looked at North Dam Mill’s development page and saw UNE all over its Master Plan from a proposed Robotics Research facility to a possible art gallery it became clear that UNE became an anchor of support for North Dam Mill to attract some 70 other businesses and countless more residential tenants. I also looked at sectors of the economy that are affected by tourism, in particular local restaurants. To this area, I can comment personally on how UNE has injected money into the local economy. I was fortunate enough to work with the UNE Dining Services Committee during the creation of the Nor’easter Dollar program as USG Student Services Senator and later as Student Government President. This program has brought hundreds of thousands of dollars since its implementation in 2009. However, what is important is that this is miniscule to the millions of dollars that students, staff, faculty, and visiting parents bring each and every year to all sectors of the economy for Biddeford and surrounding areas. Feel free to mention the economic impact that businesses depend on from us the next time someone comments at a City Council meeting that UNE doesn’t pay taxes, which is also false; we pay a considerable PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes), so please stop burning so much popcorn for those weekly fire department visits.
This piece isn’t meant to boast ourselves as saviors of a city facing tough times, but rather to simply realize that despite efforts by the city to not identify itself as a college town, it is in fact becoming one, and we all play a role in that. In fact in just the 3 years I’ve been here, enrollment has increased by 20%. With a UNE Master Plan that includes a possible 3 more residence halls the number of Resident Students could increase to 2500. Each and every one of us in the UNE community contributes to the success and growth of Biddeford. We now represent the very culture that is bringing life back in the Downtown, like participation by the Office of Housing & ResEd in the non-profit Heart of Biddeford and La Kermesse festival. Our division of Student Affairs has continued to rely on the City Theater for new students and play performances. Just last week the Police and Fire Department continued the new tradition ofOksoberfest.
I am running for Biddeford City Council At-Large to represent not just Ward 1 (where UNE is located), but the entire City. UNE’s influence is not just limited to the confines of Hills Beach and Pool Rd. From the internships, Rotoract projects, and alumni, Biddeford is as much a part of UNE’s identity as UNE is the promise for Biddeford’s prosperity.
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James McGowan is a fourth year Political Science student living in Biddeford Pool and a former USG Student Body President and Resident Advisor. He can be reached for additional comment at james@jamesmcgowan.org or twitter.com/jamesmcgowan
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