Winning team The Black Horse Tavern in Bridgton is recognized by fine dining trade magazine Page 1B
Tops in their fields
Inside News
Dan Macdonald is nominated as TIME’s Dealer of the Year; Tom Nolan honored as top instructor
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 4B
Page 2A
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 4D Country Living 2B-3B, 5B Directory . . . . . . . . . . 3D Obituaries . . . . . . 7D-8D Opinions . . . . . . . 1D-3D Police/Court . . . . . 4A-5A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 8C Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . . 3C Towns . . . . . . . . . . . . 6B Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 5D
www.bridgton.com Vol. 142, No. 46
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. 28 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
November 17, 2011
(USPS 065-020)
SIXTY CENTS
Longtime BN editor dies
Eula Shorey was the unflinching optimist, always looking to the future, but adamant at preserving the past. She was steadfast in her beliefs, and carried a true love for her town, her newspaper and her family. Mrs. Shorey, widow of Henry A. Shorey III and former managing editor of The Bridgton News, died Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011. She was 97. She had been a journalist for over 75 years. Born Sept. 10, 1914, she was the daughter of William and Louise Cooksey Enochs of Sullivan, Indiana. She moved to Bridgton in 1952 with her husband and children, Stephen and Mary Elizabeth. Her newspaper career started at Sullivan High School where she was editor of the school paper, The Purple and Gold, and ad editor of the yearbook. At Depauw University, she reported sorority and fraternity news for The DePauw newspaper. Her first journalism job was at the Sullivan Daily Times in her hometown. From Indiana, she went to Pulaski, Va. to work for the Southwest Times. She returned to Indiana and worked as advertising manager of American United Life Insurance Company and editor of the company’s publication, The Fielder. She worked in New York for the New York Daily News in advertising research before going to E.R. Squibb & Sons to work in the advertising department, and edit the Sales Bulletin which was distributed to Squibb’s 900
agents. She met Lieutenant Henry A. Shorey III in New York and they married May 5, 1945 after his return from the European Theatre of World War II. They spent a year in Pittsburgh, Pa. where Eula worked for the Pittsburgh Press and Henry did a year’s graduate work at Carnegie Tech School of Printing. They lived in Boston while Henry worked for Ginn & Co. textbook publishers before moving to Bridgton in 1952 after the death of Henry’s father, H. A. Shorey Jr. to take over The Bridgton News. While Henry served as Postmaster in Bridgton, Eula worked as managing editor of the paper for over 30 years. After she retired, she still contributed to the paper and served as vice president and secretary of the Bridgton News Corporation. She served as president of the Maine Press Association, 1964-65, was Maine Journalist of the Year in 1981, and with Henry was elected to the Maine Press Association Hall of Fame in 1999. She edited The Bridgton History, 1768-1968, which in 1968 was cited by the New England Association of State and Local History as the best history that year. She was a board member of the New England Press Association EULA SHOREY, Page 6D
Eula M. Shorey
Development Director resigns
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Bridgton’s Economic and Community Development Director Alan Manoian is resigning, effective Dec. 1, in order to help care for his ailing mother in his hometown of Lowell, Mass. Manoian submitted his resignation Tuesday to Town Manager Mitch Berkowitz, who said some of the many ongoing projects that Manoian had been spearheading may have to be put off for a bit as a result. Berkowitz, who described Manoian as a tireless professional and a “change agent” in the three years he’s been in Bridgton, will make a formal recommendation to the Board of Selectmen next Tuesday, Nov. 22, on project priorities and what role Manoian’s successor should have. “Absolutely, it’s going to be
hard to fill his shoes — he was involved with a lot of ongoing efforts,” Berkowitz said. But he added that he admires Manoian for making the decision to put his family before his career. “It takes a special person to do that, and I think he is that special person,” the town manager said. While Berkowitz said it was too soon to talk about job descriptions, he was clear that Bridgton needs an economic and community development director. “We are dynamically involved in looking at form based codes,” as a result of Manoian’s expertise in that area, said Berkowitz, and “to stop that initiative is not serving our community well.” Difficult decision Manoian said his decision was a difficult one, considering that a few months ago he’d
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer HARRISON — Robert Mailman just couldn’t bring himself to retire, not just yet. “If I had been out of it longer, it might have made a difference,” said Mailman, sitting in his cruiser parked at the Harrison boat launch on Route 117. But when he began his deputy training this past July at the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department, only four or five months had passed since he retired from the Gorham Police Department, after 29 and a half years of service. At the end, he’d been the department’s
senior sergeant, on a 22-member force with five sergeants, in a busy suburban town of over 16,000 people. Now he’s patrolling the rural roads of Harrison, with a population more in line with Gorham’s when he first became a policeman in June of 1981. At this point in his life, the slower pace is just fine with him. His cruiser doubles as his office and is equipped with everything he needs — computer, scanner, radio, radar. If he needs to, he can use the Sheriff’s Department’s Naples substation to do reports, or meet with other deputies within his same district. “I like it. It’s always interesting, and the people here are great,” Deputy Mailman said. “It’s a neat town, not as bustling as Gorham.” Mailman started working over the Labor Day weekend as Harrison’s full-time contract deputy, after the town’s previous police officer, Derik Brill, became the contract deputy for the Town of Standish. Mailman’s first assignment for the Sheriff’s Department was patrolling Chebeague Island over the summer. He admits he’s still getting to know his way around Harrison’s roads. “I have to rely on my GPS a lot,” he said. From day one, he has made a point of maintaining a visible presence on the main highways running through town, especially Route 117, where speeding has been a longstanding issue of concern for residents.
TO LEAVE DEC. 1 — Bridgton’s Economic and Community Development Director Alan Manoian (above) has submitted his resignation, effective Dec. 1.
passed up a lucrative job offer in Nashua, N.H. because of his desire to complete work on what he called “rebuilding the structural foundations
of Bridgton.” But his mother’s deteriorating health has been weighing heavily on his mind for some time now. RESIGNS, Page A
Veteran cop takes charge in Harrison
TIME TO HONOR, TIME TO REFLECT — Robert Boggs salutes during the playing of Taps during last Friday’s Veterans Day service in Bridgton. Mr. Boggs served with General George S. Patton Jr.’s Third Army during WWII. He was injured during the Battle of the Bulge, and was hospitalized for nine months. Mr. Boggs attended the Bridgton service at Veterans Park in Post Office Square (next to the Magic Lantern) with his son, Robert Jr., a local resident. More photos from Veterans Day appear on Page 1C.
Town braces for sharp heating assistance increase
By Lisa Williams Ackley Staff Writer The Town of Bridgton could see its requests for fuel assistance “likely quadruple to as much as $25,000,” due to cuts in federal funds provided by the State of Maine, Town Manager Mitch Berkowitz told selectmen here last week. Berkowitz pointed out that it was announced earlier this month that the Federal Fuel Assistance provided by the state “would likely be cut by as much as 50%.” “If this occurs, there are several possible consequences that we expect,” Berkowitz said in his report to selectmen Nov. 8.
“Fewer people will actually be served, exposing them to a greater General Assistance (GA) need,” stated Berkowitz. “That falls back on the taxpayers.” “We expect a greater number of people will still need fuel assistance, due to unemployment in this area,” Berkowitz said. “The current budget under GA for fuel assistance, $6,700, is likely to quadruple to as much as $25,000, if there is not congressional intervention. We expect a similar impact to our GA utility line item which currently is $2,100.” Even more serious than that, Berkowitz said, “Some people
will go without, exposing them to severe winter conditions that may also impact their health and wellbeing — that’s our biggest fear. And we’re not the only state in the Northeast facing that — we’ve got some serious problems.” The town manager went on to say that he “expects that Congress hasn’t heard the last” of the New England Congressional delegation, in its efforts to have the reduced fuel assistance funds restored. “So, we have a problem in Bridgton that is only going to get worse, unless we continue to have good weather for a long while,” said Berkowitz.
A VISIBLE PRESENCE — Deputy Robert Mailman of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department has earned the respect of Harrison residents for keeping a visible police presence in town since taking over as the town’s full-time contract deputy this fall. And Harrison residents have noticed, slowing down on their approach into Harrison Village. Town Manager George “Bud” Finch said he has heard many favorable comments about increased police presence since Mailman took over.
“He seems to be really interested” in Harrison and in doing a good job here, Finch said. “I think it’s going to be really good.” Neither Mailman nor Finch would comment on what days, MAILMAN, Page A
The Bridgton News Established 1870
P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. Bridgton, ME 04009 207-647-2851 Fax: 207-647-5001 bnews@roadrunner.com