I would suggest Maine employers looking for seasonal help might try a bit closer to home. One in two African American men in the city of New York is unemployed, and unemployment is higher than the national average for all city residents.

Surely some unemployed New Yorkers would be willing to spend a summer in Maine in return for ready cash, an updated job on their resumes and the potential of a positive recommendation in the fall. I think you’d get excellent, polite and capable employees eager to do their best.

You might even find some New Yorkers willing to relocate their families and become permanent employees in a state with equally good schools and reasonable housing options.

There are two other advantages for Mainers. You’d be providing a unique post-Sept. 11 service to the city, which is still recovering. And, you’d be repaying an old debt. For many years, wealthy New Yorkers, particularly on Mount Desert Island, have provided employment and more for Mainers. It would be nice to return the favor. It would be a win-win situation for the city and for Maine.

Marcella Spruce

Brooklyn, N.Y.