The major political parties’ conventions are over. Hoopla notwithstanding, 80 percent of Americans still believe our nation is on the wrong track; and for good reason – people are hurting.

The experts tell us that the nation’s decline is inevitable. I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to resign myself to such a destiny. Just because our leaders haven’t had the foresight and courage to act wisely doesn’t mean we should be doomed to decline. But if we are to turn things around, it means that we no longer can tolerate business as usual.

What does it take to turn a nation or state around? It takes knowledge of one’s community. It takes unbiased analysis. It takes courageous intervention. And it takes innovative deeds.

Can a candidate develop these traits and these experiences overnight? I don’t think so. I think if someone demonstrates little experience in a community, complete allegiance to the power brokers of one political party, and no track record of challenging governmental authority on behalf of the people, then there’s little chance this same person is going to do anything different once elected.

And yet, once again in 2008, Maine’s ballot is full of such candidates – candidates like the Democrat for House District 18, James Martin, who will receive enormous advantage, by virtue of special interest subsidized support.

I was once a Democratic candidate for the Maine legislature. I didn’t toe the party line, however, and as a result, didn’t receive such support. That has made me who I am today – a candidate who owes no favors, and no allegiance to anybody except the residents I seek to represent on Bangor’s east side, in Veazie, and in Orono.

As our founding fathers and mothers demonstrated, some things are worth declaring independence from. Political gridlock, of which now even the party establishment leaders acknowledge being a part, is definitely something from which we all need to be liberated. This is done by voting for the candidate – Democrat, Republican, or independent – who best exemplifies the spirit and practice of caring, and innovation.

In District 18, it is clear who that candidate is. It is the candidate you’ve seen take on unaccountability at Bangor City Hall and in the school department. It’s the candidate who was not content to accept, as others had for decades, the soiling of our environment and of our children’s bodies from the pet waste that littered our city parks and common areas. It’s the candidate who circulated petitions and carried a picket sign (even while being harassed by law enforcement and snubbed by public officials) in the defense of public safety, and in the safeguarding of public funds and public opinion.

It’s the candidate who actually has worked in our schools and senior housing facilities, our justice system, and local businesses. It’s the candidate you’ve seen his whole life volunteering for charity, for the disabled, at church, and in homes for the aged. It’s the candidate you’ve seen at tournament time, as a player, and booster; and at local cultural events and civic forums. It’s the one who stood up to the governor at a school consolidation forum, challenging his practice of index card-style dialogue, and exposing this and other initiatives for what they are – exercises in unilateral ramrodding. It’s the one you’ve seen participating in walks for the heart fund, the Komen Race for the Cure, Eastern Maine AIDS Network and the homeless; the one who stands up for life, and anti-discrimination, and against government waste and incompetence.

I’ve worked in business, and with and for government, with nonprofits, and the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Labor, for conservation, and to help create and retain housing and jobs for Maine residents. Because of this experience, I’ve received a wide range of political endorsements, which can be viewed on my Web site. But it’s the endorsements via the ballot box I most cherish – 8,000 since 2002.

The bottom line in 2008 is this: If you want to contribute to a continuation of stagnation in Augusta, vote for one of the special interest-subsidized candidates. If you want to contribute to a nonpartisan, innovative re-ordering of politics as usual, vote for the independent candidate with a lifetime worth of experience, actually living and working in Bangor, Veazie and Orono. Vote for leadership that cares, and integrity that yields progress. Vote for the one who will champion that which matters most to you. Vote for the one who will serve the people, not the party. On Nov. 4, vote for one of your own. Vote Tom Mooney for House District 18.

Tom Mooney of Bangor is an independent candidate for House District 18. For more details go to www.thomasmooney.net.