This Week's Top Stories http://www.independentpub.com Wed 30 Sep 2009 5:08:18 PM Wed 30 Sep 2009 5:08:19 PM Several days after Town Council hopeful and local businessman Peter Busque put together a list of local businesses to endorse his candidacy, many of those same businesses or their corporate headquarters received calls from his opponent, current Windham Councilor Liz Wisecup, asking them if they thought endorsing his campaign was a good business decision. As a result, several of the businesses immediately pulled their endorsements of the candidate. According to state law, interfering in elections could be construed as fraud and the councilor may have also broken the Windham Council Code of Ethics if she were found guilty of using her official authority to influence the outcome of an election. Like many candidates in elections, Busque has approached local businesses to ask for their support. http://www.independentpub.com/story.asp?artId=1253828707 Fri 25 Sep 2009 18:9:20 On June 11, 2007, the Maine State Legislature passed its two-year budget, which included the reorganization laws that led to the Windham and Raymond school districts combining to create Regional School Unit RSU 14. In June of this year the voters passed the first RSU budget, and in September students entered their classrooms, thus beginning the first year under consolidation. While the technical aspects of the process may be complete, the true consolidation begins as the teachers and administrators begin to work together, and as the students and parents begin to see the results of two years of meetings, adjustments, votes and compromises. http://www.independentpub.com/story.asp?artId=1603324776 Fri 25 Sep 2009 18:9:20 After six years at its current location, the Maine Bean Bakehouse and Deli is looking to move. The large tri-level restaurant, currently located in the Shops at Sebago plaza on Route 302 in Windham, serves coffee, espresso, pastries, sandwiches, soups and salads, as well as beer and wine. ''Business is good, but the overhead there is just so high,'' said Bernard Sbardella, the manager of the Maine Bean. Sbardella said that the location, which is quite large and expensive to heat and maintain, is better suited for a restaurant that does more sit-down and bar business. While the Maine Bean does sell alcohol, the bulk of its revenue comes from the sale of coffee, sandwiches and salads. http://www.independentpub.com/story.asp?artId=-1254936247 Fri 25 Sep 2009 18:9:21 The Town of Gray has a new web site - sort of. The Community Economic Development Committee has been working with Virtual Town Hall, the company that created the template for the web site, since January of this year to redesign the web site. Right now the changes are mostly superficial, but Committee Chairman Jeanne Carpentier said this is only the beginning. ''We want to improve the marketing of the town through the web site,'' said Carpentier. She explained that the committee was concerned that the web site came across as boring and not appealing to people looking to travel or relocate to the area. http://www.independentpub.com/story.asp?artId=2106015702 Fri 25 Sep 2009 18:9:21 Former Board of Selectmen member Charles Leavitt and current planning board member Sam Gifford will both run for the one-year remainder of Selectman Mark Gendron's term on the Raymond Board of Selectmen this November. Both candidates submitted nomination paperwork to the town clerk before last week's deadline. Leavitt served for three years as a selectman before being unseated by Gendron in the race five years ago. ''Since this vacancy comes right at the beginning of the budget season, I can hit the ground running,'' said Leavitt. He added that as a former member of the budget committee as well as a former selectman, he is familiar with the budget process and would be comfortable fulfilling this role. http://www.independentpub.com/story.asp?artId=-610239329 Fri 25 Sep 2009 18:9:21 Liz Wisecup, you're a bully. You don't deserve the respect of your fellow citizens, much less their vote in November. Yeah, yeah, I know...you don't read the paper even though you have plenty of strong opinions about what's written in it. I'm sure somebody has been kind enough to put this in front of you. You bullied your way into my office my first couple of days on this job a few years back, you've tried to bully your opinions through the Windham Town Council with your see-through ''aww shucks, this may be a dumb question'' introduction to everything you say and now you have the audacity to intimidate business owners who have decided to publicly support another candidate. http://www.independentpub.com/story.asp?artId=-576258245 Fri 25 Sep 2009 18:9:21