My wife, Laurel Pinales, a doctor of veterinary medicine, and I relocated to Houlton fthan 30 years working at professional assignments. My career includes finance and purchasing, mergers and acquisitions and company restructuring assignments in more than 15 countries.

This move was intended to help my aging parents and to give me an opportunity to use my skills and energy to better the community that supported my development into adulthood. I expected that the relocation to Houlton would succeed because of the encouragement I had received from Houlton business owners, town officials and my 1962 high school classmates.

My parents continue to live in their own home and enjoy the benefits, thanks to the outstanding support provided by regional health services. The town council has rejected my services on several tasks that relate to improving the business development process. The most recent refusal was a consulting opportunity to perform a management study. I proposed just such a study to the town in March 1998. They expressed concern that my 30 years absence prevented me from appreciating the town needs. Today I understand the needs better but now the council wants the review performed by an outsider. A consulting firm, located outside Maine, secured this contract.

Houlton will continue to limit it’s growth potential until local decision-makers support persons who seek to grow the economic pie and appreciate that relocated persons bring with them unique experience and skills that benefit the region. Given my inability to secure opportunities and support from the Houlton decision-makes, we now must review the option of leaving Houlton. Sylvio I. Raymond Houlton