Postal Patron PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107 PAID Permit No. 62 Portland, ME The Cape Cour erECRWSS Volume 24 Number 5 An Independent Not-for-Profi t Newspaper May 4 - May 17, 2011 Serving Cape Elizabeth Since 1988 capecourier.com Cape voting May 10 for school budget, District 7 seat Dill, Maietta vie Council OKs budgets; Polls open: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for Bliss Senate seat voters weigh in next Tuesday, May 10 Cape Elizabeth High School By Patricia McCarthy By Patricia McCarthy gymnasium Rep. Cynthia Dill, D-Cape Elizabeth, and The Cape Elizabeth Town Council has Absentee ballots available Louis B. Maietta Jr. of South Portland are approved an $8.9 million municipal budget running for the state Senate seat that was oc- and a $21.1 million school budget, which at Town Hall cupied by Larry Bliss until he resigned last now goes to a referendum on May 10. through Monday, May 9 month to take a job in California. If voters approve the school budget, the A special election for the District 7 seat, town tax rate will increase by 2.4 percent, Rep.Cynthia A. Dill and Louis B. Maietta Jr. Neither budget contains major cuts or which covers South Portland, Cape Elizabeth although the exact rate will have to be deter- new initiatives. The town is eliminating a and the eastern part of Scarborough, is May 10. mined after the current property revaluation why Cape Elizabeth residents should vote half-time position in the tax offi ce, and the The Cape Courier asked the candidates to is completed. for them. school district will cut 1.5 teaching positions say (with a limit of 500 words apiece) what If the school budget is passed by voters, they plan to focus on if they are elected and —See DISTRICT 7, page 18 the combined budgets will total $31,393,109. See BUDGETS, page 18 Commissioned Airborne! Town to bear piece portrays cost of moving town luminaries cottontail rabbits By Wendy Keeler By Patricia McCarthy A sunrise view of Portland Head Light Inadvertently disturbing the habitat of didn’t inspire it. Nor did a glimpse of waves some rabbits that no one knew were living in crashing on the rocks at Two Lights, or the Fort Williams Park may end up costing Cape sun slipping down behind Spurwink Marsh. Elizabeth as much as $4,800. Inspiration for “Cape Elizabeth Sketches,” After volunteers cleared out brush and in- a piece commissioned for the Cape Eliza- vasive plant species at the park last year, of- beth High School wind symphony, which fi cials from the Maine Department of Inland will premiere at a 7:30 p.m. concert at Fisheries and Wildlife visited and saw drop- CEHS on Thursday, May 12, was born four pings that indicated New England cottontail years ago in a bookstore in Chicago. rabbits were in the area. Tests later con- While thumbing through a book about fi rmed the pellets were from New England fi lm director John Ford, CEHS Band Direc- cottontails, which are an endangered species tor Tom Lizotte spotted “Cape Elizabeth” in Maine and under consideration for desig- in the book’s index and fl ipped to the page, nation as endangered by federal authorities. where he read that the director had been Only about 300 of the rabbits live in Maine born in town. Lizotte had recently fi nished a during the winter, the MDIFW has said, and biography of fi lm star Bette Davis, who lived they prefer to live in dense, brush-covered ar- in Cape during the 1950s. Soon after Lizotte eas like the land that was cleared in the park. returned to Maine from Chicago, he read a State wildlife offi cials put a halt to the newspaper story about Joan Benoit Samuel- clearing and reached an agreement with the son, the Olympic gold medalist runner who town to hire a contractor to trap the rabbits grew up in Cape. and take them to either the Roger Williams “It all gelled together, and I thought, ‘Ah, Zoo in Rhode Island or Stage Island off Bid- this is a piece,’” Lizotte said. Then “fate in- deford. The town also will have to transport tervened once more. I read a story in a local any offspring from rabbits at the zoo back to newspaper about Annie Burke, who has been Maine and pay for equipment to monitor the working at the Shore Road post offi ce since Photo by Christopher Stockman animals on Stage Island. The MDIFW estimates the total cost of 1941, and I just thought, ‘We have to fi nd a Sophie Moore, a Cape Elizabeth High School freshman, works her magic on the uneven those measures to Cape Elizabeth at $3,400 parallel bars last month to win her fi fth Maine State Gymnastics Championships title. —See COMMISSION, page 4 To read more about award-winning Cape gymnasts, see page 17. —See RABBITS, page 18 Lee and Jane Taylor: Cape Elizabeth’s own ‘Mr. and Mrs. Plant’ Editor’s note: This is part of an ongo- ing retired, both Taylors are still well known ing series of profi les about Cape Elizabeth in horticultural circles. residents and their lives. Lee, 80, spent nearly three decades as a professor of horticulture at Michigan State By Wendy Keeler University. His how-to publications on rais- Cape residents Jane and Lee Taylor, who ing plants and vegetables are still circulated met in a taxonomy class, clearly belong to around the U.S. Jane, 75, who was also on the the same genus. Botany students at the Uni- MSU horticulture faculty, helped revolution- Jane and Lee Taylor versity of Illinois when they met in 1957, the ize the look, shape and scope of public chil- enjoy a bright two married a year later and went on to spend dren’s gardens. The American Horticultural moment during a more than four decades teaching, writing Society awards an annual honor in her name. Caribbean cruise in about, and consulting on horticulture. January. If nationally known South Portland ma- Jane Taylor rine educators Deb and Jeff Stone can call In 1987, Jane gained fi rst-hand knowledge ence. At the time, she was raising money for “Up until this time, children’s gardens had themselves “Mr. and Mrs. Fish,” then the about public children’s gardens – and how the Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden located signs saying, ‘Stay on the path’ and ‘Don’t Taylors are “Mr. and Mrs. Plant.” Despite be- ill-suited they were for their intended audi- on the Michigan State campus. —See TAYLORS, page 18 Page 2 • The Cape Courier LETTERS May 4 - May 17, 2011 Supporter: Dill devoted to education, environment The Cape Courier Leaders did well, P.O. Box 6242 and school budget I am writing to voice my support of Cyn- ronment, which is the cornerstone to Maine’s Cape Elizabeth Maine 04107 thia Dill for Maine State Senate. economically critical tourism industry, and to 207-767-5023 ‘worthy of our support’ As a former School Board member, I value the quality of life we all cherish. Recogniz- capecourier.com Cynthia’s deeply felt commitment to making ing that Maine needs to deepen and broaden This year’s school budget process has so sure all of our children benefi t from a strong ed- its economic base, Cynthia has led the effort far gone very well, thanks to the great col- OUR MISSION STATEMENT ucational foundation and then have the resourc- to bring broadband to underserved areas of our laboration of all parties, including teachers, The mission of The Cape Courier is to foster es and opportunities to pursue higher education, state. This will help modernize infrastructure administrators, the School Board and Town a sense of community by presenting news especially here in Maine. In addition, I am great- for these communities and facilitate business Council. specifi c and unique to Cape Elizabeth and its ly appreciative of her efforts as our state repre- creation, improve educational opportunities, residents, and, whenever possible, to promote We are being asked to vote on a budget that sentative to keep our school system independent and provide better healthcare delivery. volunteerism within our community. maintains the current level of services, and and free from consolidation, and thus able to Cynthia has worked tirelessly for us in Au- requires a modest 1.9 percent tax increase. BOARD OF DIRECTORS maintain its strong educational programs. gusta. Please join me in voting for Cynthia Dill This is in spite of continued reductions in Trish Brigham, Debbie Butterworth, In addition to her dedication to education, to be our next state senator for Cape Elizabeth. Bob Dodd, Sheila Mayberry, Gene Miliard, state and federal funding. This positive re- Cynthia is steadfast in protecting our envi- Rebecca Millett Bill Springer, Beth Webster sult stands in stark contrast to the situation in Publisher: Patricia McCarthy many surrounding towns where the choice is Dill impresses, delights South Portland voter [email protected] between major cuts in services or substan- tial tax increases. Will I vote for my old neighbor from South ley, her effusive blond lab next to her, Cynthia Editor: Patricia McCarthy Our relatively good result is thanks to the Portland? She now lives in Cape Elizabeth showed me the winning photo she entered in the (Letters, general news) [email protected] negotiation of a balanced new teacher con- and is running for the Senate seat covering House of Representatives contest which made tract, in which both sides were viewed by both communities.