To the editor:
I agree with Chris Cash [WWF August 05]. In Washington County, as I recall in a Bangor Daily News article, the average wage is in the low $20,000 range and I suspect many households must have multiple sources of income to achieve even the average. I am not clear as to the purpose of the paper, Working Waterfront, but the title and the content seem to indicate that it is sympathetic to and seeks to support people who live and work in Maine’s traditional communities and work Maine’s traditional jobs. If this is your purpose then your million dollar real estate advertisements are a disservice to coastal Maine people and communities by facilitating the rising cost of property and transfer of property to the people who are driving working Maine people out of their waterfront communities.
If your purpose is to transform the entire coast of Maine to Bar Harbor-like communities (a summer facade full of tourists and low wage service jobs), then keep up the good work. Your real estate ads serve your purpose well.
Bob Willson
Eastport
We are aware of this controversy, and have run letters and heard from others on both sides of the question. Real estate advertising now accounts for a substantial part of Working Waterfront’s revenue, and eliminating it would leave a gap in our budget. Nonetheless, we understand the concern and plan to re-visit our policy. We encourage readers to let us know what they think about real estate advertising in the paper.
— ed.