County commissioners set convention agenda in Caribou

CARIBOU — The Maine County Commissioners Association will hold its annual state convention Friday through Sunday, Sept. 7-9, at the Caribou Motor Inn.

Guest speakers at the event will be U.S. Rep. Joseph E. Brennan, Democratic candidate for governor, along with commissioners and municipal officials representing areas in Maine from Fort Kent to Kittery.

Registration will take place from 1 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7. An insurance meeting will be open to all county representatives from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

A welcome address will be presented Friday by Piscataquis Commissioner Joseph L.A. Morin, the MCCA’s president, and Aroostook Commissioner Norman L. Fournier, convention chairman. An MCCA business meeting will be held from 3:45 to 5:30 p.m. Included in the meeting will be a presentation on a juvenile jail diversion program by Kay Carter and Julie Dufour. Cumberland Commissioner Richard D. Hewes will discuss the Maine Tort Claim Act, followed by speaker Thomas Monaghan.

Activities will continue with a reception from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by Brennan’s speech from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. From 7:30 to 9 p.m., a buffet will be served with retirement awards to be presented.

On Saturday, Sept. 8, a breakfast buffet will be held from 7 to 9 a.m., with registration from 8 a.m. to noon.

A panel discussion on county budget autonomy with moderator Paul J. Adams will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. A second panel discussion on “Do We Need a County Sales Tax?” will be moderated by Commissioner John D. McElwee of Caribou from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

The speaker at a 12:15 p.m. luncheon will be state Sen. Donald Collins of Caribou. Following the event will be a third panel discussion on the topic “Should the State of Maine Take Over the County Jails?” moderated by Fournier. A banquet will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

The convention will close Sunday, Sept. 9, with a breakfast buffet to be held from 7 to 10 a.m.