To the editor:
As an island resident grappling with the lack of affordable housing I was struck by the placement of the article “Island groups meet to discuss affordable housing” in the July edition of The Working Waterfront. To the left of the article ran a real estate advertisement featuring island houses on the market for in excess of $400,000. Further, a giant advertisement for Sturdivant’s wharf in the middle of Portland’s working waterfront is next to the end of the article on the opposing page. If that were not enough, on page 27 is a long article by Philip Conkling asking for readers’ support on the working waterfront-working farm bond issue. I doubt this irony, high priced island housing and a working waterfront wharf for sale in The Working Waterfront, was lost on many, especially island and midcoast residents who similarly struggle to buy homes in the current real estate climate.
As a former Island Institute staff member I was disappointed at the organization’s decision to start running real estate advertisements following a long term policy not to run such ads. I still feel now, as I did then, that it is contrary to the mission of The Working Waterfront and the Island Institute to run real estate advertisements. Island housing is challenging enough without additional marketing through a paper with a coastal and national circulation. Moreover, it is hard to believe in The Working Waterfront and Island Institute’s commitment to these issues while they run ads that directly exacerbate the problems facing affordable housing initiatives and preservation of traditional working waterfronts.
Chris Cash
Monhegan Island