Penobscot Valley Chapter

Chapter Update

Through the work of both the Bangor chapter and our fall canvass, we were able to register over 1000 new voters in Bangor, Brewer, Hampden, Old Town, Veazie and Orono during the 2008 election. On the day of the vote and the weekend before, we reached out to these people through a city-wide door-to-door volunteer canvass and made sure everyone we talked to had a ride to the polls.

The chapter has recently had three in-district meetings with local officials. Hosted by active chapter members and attended by five to ten members each, every meeting was a success in terms of reaching out to senators and representatives from our area and opening a dialogue around our environmental issues, health care reform, immigration reform, and affordable housing. We plan to have at least one more before the year is through.

Another highlight of the year so far was MPA's annual Lobby Day in Augusta. Penobscot Valley members joined with the other chapters from around the state to pack the state house and lobby their legislators on a diverse set of issues including universal health care, equal marriage and racial profiling.

Our chapter again participated in the annual HOPE Festival put on by the Peace and Justice Center. With hard work from staff and volunteers, we were able to get 150 signatures in support of our HCAN campaign in one day! The event changed venues this year, moving to the new Recreation and Fitness Center at the University of Maine. Our table had information on all of our different campaigns as well as a fun quiz about different local issues.

One of the most exciting events so far was the Mayday! event which culminated in the arrival of a caravan in Bangor to deliver a message on health care to our two senators. A large crowd gathered at the Federal Building and then moved to Senator Snowe's office up the hill, sharing heart-wrenching stories and asking for real and lasting reform for our health care system. We will continue to let our local offices know that Mainers demand health care reform in the months to come.

Chapter meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month. Call Ryan at 990-0672 for details.

Maine People’s Alliance—Organizing for a Better Maine!

565 Congress St., Suite 200, Portland, Maine 04101; (207) 797-0967; mpa@mainepeoplesalliance.org
27 State Street, Suite 44, Bangor, Maine 04401; (207) 990-0672; jesse@mainepeoples alliance.org
145 Lisbon Street, Suite 200, Lewiston, Maine 04240; (207) 782-7876; kate@mainepeoplesalliance.org