~ News ~ Bill to Help Asylum Seekers Obtain Jobs More Quickly

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In an effort to allow asylum seekers to find employment more quickly and become self-sufficient, Maine legislators introduced the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act of 2023. The legislation would shorten the waiting period before asylum seekers are allowed to receive work authorizations. The bill was co-presented by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and supported by Senator Angus King (I-ME).

“Over the span of the last two years, an historic number of asylum seekers have arrived in Portland and other communities after crossing our southern border. These asylum seekers could give a much-needed boost to Maine businesses that are facing labor shortages, but the lengthy work authorization process prevents them from getting jobs,” said Senator Collins. “Our commonsense legislation would lessen the burden on the budgets of communities hosting asylum seekers, while allowing these individuals and their families to support themselves as they want to do, bringing needed skills to the cities and towns in which they settle.”

“Asylum seekers have long made Maine communities stronger – but current federal law prevents these people from pursuing a job to support their families and contribute to the local economy by imposing a long wait period for work permits,” said

Senator King. “This extended waiting period is holding back Maine’s full economic potential. It prevents asylum seekers from earning a paycheck, pointlessly shrinks the worker pool for businesses in need of employees, and increases the financial burden on local governments. Across the state, I keep seeing ‘Now Hiring’ signs on windows. With Maine facing serious workforce challenges, now is the time to shorten the waiting period for asylum seekers who just want to contribute, work hard, and put food on their table.”

Since asylum seekers cannot currently work to provide for themselves or their families for extended periods of time under existing law, cities and towns where asylum seekers live are under pressure to support them by using taxpayer funds and volunteer contributions.

The Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act of 2023 would allow individuals seeking asylum at ports of entry to be eligible for work authorizations starting 30 days after they apply for asylum, provided their applications are not frivolous; they are not detained; and their identities have been verified, with their names run through the federal government’s terrorist watch lists. By encouraging asylum seekers to enter the country through official ports of entry, this legislation would help create a more orderly asylum application process.

For more information, visit www.collins.senate.gov.

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The Marginal Way Preservation Fund seeks Part-time Associate Director

The Town of Ogunquit Select Board has authorized the Town Manager to work with the MWPF to develop a plan to maximize the use of benches in the Ogunquit community. The Marginal Way Preservation Fund 501(c) (3) non-profit organization is looking to hire a part-time Associate Director who would be responsible for developing the bench program with the Town. This hire would also conduct research, develop reports, and collaborate with key stakeholders to outline the program and develop relationships with interested donor prospects. Please email info@marginalwayfund.org for more information.

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The Marginal Way Preservation Fund seeks Part-time Business Development Director

The Town of Ogunquit Select Board has authorized the use of the front face of the current plaque granite pillars to sell additional plaques spaces. The Marginal Way Preservation Fund 501(c)(3) non-profit organization is seeking to hire a part-time Business Development Director who would be responsible for developing and executing a formal outbound program to share the exciting news with the Marginal Way community of these additional available spaces and to promote the plaque memorial program along the beloved coastal path. The hired BD Director will be responsible for building relationships with donors and oversight of the plaque program. The role will involve donor development, reporting and collaboration with key program stakeholders. Please email info@marginalwayfund.org for more information.

. . . HISTORY from page 2 like many childhood dreams, this one would fade. Then Bryce discovered that as an architect, he could bring his dual loves of art and building together, and so, his vocation was decided.

Halfway through architecture school at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a fateful trip to Washington D.C. with his father would prove to be a catalyst in his career. While touring historical sites in the area, the young Bryce found himself entranced with the old architecture, and his innate love of old things revealed itself. He realized that preservation architecture was his true calling.

While Waldrop views architecture as our “built environment,” he has a deep appreciation for the natural landscape as well. “I love nature,” he says, “I love the outdoors. Hiking in the mountains is my favorite outlet.” Comparing the built environment with the natural one, he concludes, “I think

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(207) 233-5814 • ME & NH there are a lot of similarities. You are brought into a place where there is a lot of power and fragility at the same time. Whether you are looking at trees, birds, mountains, or buildings, both natural and human impact can alter these things drastically in a short period of time.”

The effects of climate change on both types of landscape deeply distress him. “Climate change,” he says, “affects not just nature, but buildings, communities and neighborhoods.” He is most concerned with our most vulnerable coastal areas, particularly on the East Coast, where our earliest architecture is found. “We are having stronger storms, more extreme weather conditions and sea level rise,” he says. “Our cities must keep studying this issue, and find solutions that will protect these precious buildings going into the future.”

Bryce may not have all the answers to these difficult problems, but he is no stranger to tough challenges. As an Engineer Officer of the U.S. Army Reserve, he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, something he describes as “my toughest and most rewarding experience prior to raising my children.” He says, “My time in Iraq brought me face to face with difficult situations. It was very eye-opening.”

About Iraq itself, he says thoughtfully, “We have a lot of preconceived perceptions about countries like Iraq.” He says that while they don’t have the resources of wealthier countries like the United States, they are in many ways similar to us. “They have communities just like ours,” he says, “They have town government, city planners, architects, downtown development plans.”

He adds simply, “They are trying to live a good life.”

Safely at home in York, living his own good life with his wife and 17-year-old twin daughters, Bryce is ever comforted by the presence of the past. “In an old house,” he says, I feel the continuity, the connection to the past and to previous generations.” He goes on to say, “I feel as if we are only temporary stewards of this home. It will be someone else’s home in the future.”

As for his legacy, he reflects for a moment and says, “I hope history will remember me as a husband, a good father, and as having helped people discover history in their own back yard.”

In the meantime, there are a multitude of old houses out there, waiting eagerly to whisper their secrets into the welcoming ear of Bryce Waldrop.

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