The Op-Ed Page today welcomes a new columnist, prepares for the return of another and says good-bye to an old friend. We hope the readers enjoy the changes.

Sean Faircloth, a former state representative and senator, makes his debut as a columnist on today’s page. He is currently director of special projects for Partnerships for Healthy Communities, although the opinions he expresses here are his own. Mr. Faircloth, whose commentary will appear Mondays, has been writing commentary since his undergraduate days at the University of Notre Dame, where he was an opinion-page columnist for the college paper, The Observer. Since coming to Maine a dozen years ago, he has been a prolific contributor to newspapers around the state, with his work appearing in the Portland Press Herald, Lewiston Sun Journal and Kennebec Journal. His most recent submissions to the BDN were on the subject of referendums.

Starting April 25, longtime columnist John Day, whose work currently appears on Page 2, will rejoin the Op-Ed Page. Based in Washington, Mr. Day focuses on the activities of Maine’s congressional delegation. He will continue that here, offering insight on the Washington scene and how Maine is affected by federal legislation. His column will run Wednesdays and Saturdays.

After 20 years of publication, Consumer Forum no longer will appear on the Op-Ed Page. It is not going far, however. It is merely moving to the Business Page, where each Monday it will continue to dispense useful advice about consumer issues, help with defective products and track down wayward reimbursement checks.

As always, contributions from readers are encouraged. Please send submissions to the address at the top of this page.