I know firsthand how it feels when the very systems meant to protect us instead trap us. Years ago, I was buried in red tape trying to secure housing. Now, taxpayers across Rockland — and throughout Maine — are facing the same pattern of institutional neglect.
Rockland went nearly 20 years without a full property revaluation, even though state law requires one every 10 years. The result? Property assessments suddenly jumped — residential values up 82%, apartments up 95% — while residents were told to take comfort in a “lower” mil rate. This isn’t leadership. It’s dysfunction without accountability, and it lands hardest on ordinary people.
This isn’t isolated. Maine received an “F” in the State Integrity Investigation, and in 2023, our own Supreme Judicial Court found a public agency guilty of FOAA bad faith, calling its actions “deceptive and abusive.” That’s not hearsay — it’s legal precedent. When transparency laws are ignored, everyone pays the price.
Meanwhile, Maine admits it needs 84,000 new homes by 2030 just to stabilize its workforce. In a tourism-driven economy, this shortfall is catastrophic. Locals can’t afford to live near the jobs that serve visitors, infrastructure lags and young families leave because the math simply doesn’t work.
If I’m wrong, Maine’s leaders have been dangerously shortsighted. If I’m right, they saw this coming and did nothing. Either way, Mainers are being sacrificed to a system that protects itself.
Until Maine enforces its laws, builds housing and demands transparency, the feared exodus won’t be a threat — it will be a certainty.
Courtney Cole
Rockland
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