Brunswick Area Indivisible Newsletter #35
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"We are a grassroots organization of concerned residents of Brunswick, Topsham and Harpswell” Newsletter for October 18, 2026 Brunswick Area Indivisible Action Calendar: BAI Book Group Discussion Wednesday, October 21st, 4 - 5:15pm. Topsham Public Library. ‘You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train' by Howard Zinn. Dress the Resistance, Fashion/Art Show; October 30th, 7-9pm, Brunswick United Methodist Church, 320 Church Rd, Brunswick. This will be a fun event where protesters can show off their cosplay protest costumes by walking as fashion models on the runway to music! The theme is “The Blue Wave”, and we’re encouraging everyone to vote in the midterm elections! Fashion models can dress in protest costumes, in blue-wave-inspired fashion, or show their pride or halloween spirit. Build the Blue Wave! Show me what democracy looks like! Trick or Treat! No Kings, Yas Queens! Details, signups and catwalk rehearsal information are on BAI's website www.brunswickareaindivisible.org. BAI Community Meeting, Wednesday, November 11 at 6:30pm, Brunswick United Methodist Church, 320 Church Rd., Brunswick. Details TBA. Recurring Events (Brunswick) Tuesdays, 5:30 pm Brunswick Maine Street Route 1 Overpass Rally - Bring your signs and flags. Wednesdays, 12:30 pm Brunswick Town Mall Cosplay protest. Meet at the Gazebo- costumes optional Saturdays, 11:00 am to 12:00 Brunswick, Maine St. on Rt 1 Overpass. Bring banners, signs. Mark your calendar (events sent to us by other groups): Concert to benefit The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) Saturday, October 24th, 7pm, Woodfords Congregational Church, 202 Woodfords St. Portland, ME. Sponsored by The Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick and Woodfords Congregational Church of Portland. Details below. We The People SING: All Voices Matter: A Pre-election Community Sing, Sunday, Nov. 1st, 3:30pm at the Brunswick Mall. Sponsored by the Brunswick Area Interfaith Council. This is meant to be nourishing, supportive and inspiring for folks who are committed to everyone participating and everyone being valued in our multi-faith democracy! All voices welcome! For More actions and events, visit Activate Maine and Mobilize Could you canvass, phone bank, or tech bank for a candidate on the Democratic ticket? The Maine Democrats' Coordinated Campaign is an easy way to get involved. You don't need to be a party member. Check out their events on Mobilize. Countdown to Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026
For other towns, check the Town Clerk/Registrar finder on the Secretary of State's website.
Down-ballot Voting is CrucialWhen discussing voting, don’t forget to encourage people to vote the whole ballot. Many issues that affect affordability and community are debated and decided at the county and municipal levels. Data Center regulation is an example. Everyday concerns like school budgets, housing density, services and assistance programs rely on citizens choosing dedicated local officials. It can be difficult to find information about the local candidates unless you attend town board meetings or go to a candidates’ forum. The Times Record has published articles on the local races in Brunswick and Freeport (gift articles). Topsham Select Board candidates have posted statements about themselves and why they are running for office. Topsham, Brunswick and Harpswell have also posted sample ballots on the town websites. The Press Herald has a free Voter Guide. It includes local races, though some municipal candidates and many of those running for school boards did not respond to the paper’s request for information. Brunswick Council candidates Navarro and Moulton are endorsed on a statewide 'Conservative and Common Sense Candidates' site. The site has no ownership statement or funding attribution, however, so its selection criteria are unknown. BAI Coordinating Council Throws Support to Some Local Candidates Brunswick resident members of the Coordinating Council wish to share this information with other Brunswick and Cumberland County residents. BRUNSWICK Nathaniel R. Shed There is a special election for a Brunswick Town Council 'At-Large' seat, to finish the remaining year of the term. A former District 6 Councilor, Nathaniel R. Shed, lists his priorities as affordable housing with balanced growth, downtown parking, environmental and climate action, and a vibrant downtown. Sarah Brayman The other 'At-Large' race in Brunswick is a three year term to replace Nathan MacDonald. Sarah Brayman, a former Brunswick Town Councilor will do an excellent job. She would like to sustain and build the well-being and resiliency of all members of our community. Continuation of good governance is a priority. Sarah aims to protect our biodiversity, natural resource-based industries, recreational opportunities and future generations. CUMBERLAND COUNTY Amy Leshure Cumberland County Commissioner, District 3 can be responsibly administered by Amy Leshure. She will oversee responsible budgeting and fiscal stability. She will focus on shared services between municipalities and the state, reducing duplication and securing sustainable funding. Her work will strengthen behavioral health, substance-use and public safety services. Jacqueline Sartoris The incumbent District Attorney for Cumberland County Jacqueline Sartoris, has served a term, also having served 4 terms as a Brunswick Town Councilor. Top concerns are public safety, prioritizing caseloads, and completing investigations and prosecutions of our county’s backlogged sex assault kits through a $2.5 million federal grant. ARE WE READY?With a potential blue wave on the horizon Trump is going to disrupt the midterm elections! We have all witnessed the lengths Trump and cronies will go to in order to pursue their fascist agenda. With the possibility of losing control of the Senate and the House on November 3rd, we should be prepared for depravity. There is no end to websites reporting concerns about this election. A succinct article which can be found online or Substack by Jonathan Capehart: 10 Ways Trump Could Wreck the Midterms. States Are Ready - Substack September 18, 2026 The top ten possible ways, according to Capehart, for Trump and his cohorts to disrupt the elections are as follows:
Capehart interviews a variety of election officials across the country and here we will focus on his interview with Maine's own Shenna Bellows. Bellows stated “With the Trump Administration, fear is the point”. Her concern is scaring people away from registering to vote with the risk of being put on a federal data list and becoming a target of the Trump administration. Bellows is not concerned with ICE being at polling places as federal law is clear that is not allowed, however, she is concerned about impersonators who will take matters into their own hands. Another concern are fake 911 calls - better known as “ Swatting”. Swatting took place at six voting locations in Maine in 2024. In general Bellows thinks anything is possible, but believes Maine's electoral system is secure and will provide reliable results. Interviews with other states election officials around the country report a similar attitude that states are prepared for the election. While many states feel confident in their election processes, dealing with the congressional refusal to seat rightful winners, threats to decertification and a variety of issues as noted above are another matter. Not to mention the possibility of fabricated terrorist attacks on US soil, inventing issues that don’t exist and canceling the elections for no more reason than Trump meeting his narcissistic needs. We encourage you to read this article and others to prepare yourself for potential election sabotage on the federal level. It’s coming! Measuring the Power of One VoteWe were contacted by the local organizer of U26, an organization partnering with many well known voting rights organizations. Its focus: to educate young people who don’t vote in the midterms who believe their vote won't matter. We’ve developed an innovative way to engage those who live or attend college in districts where they have an outsized ability to swing key races. If you have a non-voter in your life, try sharing this site with them. October BAI Community Meeting ReportMore than 20 folks attended the final 4:30-6PM post-carding event prior to the meeting and completed over 200 postcards to targeted voters for Nov 3rd. Sixty one people attended the October monthly BAI meeting, from 6:30-8:00PM. Chrissy Hart, who became executive director of the League of Women Voters at the beginning of 2026, described the range of activities of the League related to the November election. Details for BAI members who want to help others vote are on the League's site. The printed Easy to Read Voter Guide is now available too. Copies can be found at public libraries, stores and even farm stands. BAI members learned about opportunities to specifically help LWVME, with the League's Election Observation Program which organizes volunteers to serve as nonpartisan election observers and fill a crucial role in keeping our elections well-run and trusted. We also heard from candidates for Brunswick's Town Council including Nathaniel Shed (Democrat), and Paul Whitcomb (Green Independent party) for an At-Large 1 year partial term, Sarah Brayman (Democrat), Town Council At Large (3 Year) and Steven Weems, (Nonpartisan) Town Council District 7. The education committee reminded folks about the upcoming calendar of events in addition to the regular weekly events. At the conclusion of the presentations we adjourned to the community room for conversation and refreshments. Should Janet Mills Endorse Troy Jackson?Some BAI members are asking Governor Janet Mills to endorse the Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson. Here are some talking points and contact information. If this is something you agree could help to sway voters and is important to you, add your letter or email to the growing number of calls for her endorsement. Some assert that Mills has a personal conflict with Jackson, pointing to her vetoes of several bills that Democrats supported. Most notable are the moratorium on data centers, tribal sovereignty and increasing the minimum wage for farm workers. Jackson was very vocal in criticizing these vetoes. Other members note that Senator King has not endorsed Jackson either. They say his status as a gutsy Independent would also give more leverage to Jackson from Independent/Unenrolled voters, and others who respect our Indy Senator. You could contact him too. Talking points for a letter or email to Governor Janet Mills Ask the Governor to endorse Jackson and do an ad for him
Where to contact The Honorable Governor Janet Mills 1 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333 Email: Go to: https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/contact Click on: “Share your opinion” The Honorable Senator Angus King 40 Western Ave E.S. Muskie Federal Building, Room 412 Augusta, Maine 04330 Email: Go to: https://www.king.senate.gov/contact Complete the form. Working Group News - MembershipThe Membership team has been busy tabling on Fridays at the Farmers' Market from 8:30 to 12:30. We are having interesting conversations and focusing on early voting. People love the buttons and are making donations. Thanks Action team! Ann Rea and myself had the pleasure of being invited to meet with the Bowdoin Dems on campus last Monday night as part of our outreach efforts. We met with twelve students who are all voting early in Maine! We shared information about BAI and signed them up to receive our newsletter. They have also been invited to participate in our events; they all received a calendar listing our upcoming activities, and were offered transportation to the church. It was exciting to see them participating and making posters for No Kings 4. They plan to attend the event at the mall. Ann handed out materials from the League of Women Voters about voting rights and processes. One student is interested in staying connected with us as she organizes students to be more active. It was a wonderful meeting and exchange of ideas. Onward together. Wendy Flaschner - Chair of Membership Committee. Want to join Membership? email membership.bai.me@gmail.com Civics 101 Part 3As with all recipes, the contents of Article 1 of the US Constitution deals with the contents, quantities, and purpose of the legislative branch, the Congress and the Senate. Section 1: “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives”. Section 2 deals with the House, which is made up of people elected from every state having been a citizen for at least 7 years, over 25 years old, resident of the elected state, to serve a two year term. The number of Representatives is based on a ten year census of the total population adjusted for Indians and Slaves (later changed). The Constitution allowed one representative for every 30,000 people and stipulated originally how many states and plantations representatives were allotted. There were 65 original Representatives for the 13 colonies. Congress is responsible for choosing their own Speaker and other officers. It has the power to impeach, authorize bills to raise and distribute revenues (power of the purse), raise taxes, duties, pay debts, provide for defense and general welfare of the nation, regulate commerce between states and countries, establish rules for citizenship, establish the Postal Service, and act as legislature for the District of Columbia. Section 3 deals with the Senate having 2 members per state with each member having a 6 year term. The original cast of Senators was divided up with a third being re-elected on year 2, another third on year 4, and the final third on year 6. The elected Senator shall be a citizen for 6 or more years, at least 31 years old, and a resident of the state. The Vice-President will be the head of the Senate and can cast a vote only to break a tie. The Senate has the power to try impeachments, ratify bills, and amend bills. The next installment will complete THE RECIPE FOR THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH. Research Summary: Stopping FascismLucas Bean is a social audio and podcast host as well as a thought leader in human psychology and community building. He has a series on YouTube "How to Defeat Fascism; Daily Tactics to Win.” He emphasizes that fascism thrives not because of strength but due to inaction from bystanders. This clip is informative and insightful. If you cannot use the embedded link, copy and paste the URL: Concert in Aid of Immigrant Legal Fund October 24The Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick and Woodfords Congregational Church of Portland are proud to announce a concert to benefit 'The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project '(ILAP) at 7 pm on Saturday, October 24th at the Woodfords Church. This eclectic and exciting concert will feature a wide variety of music, poetry, and dance presented by Maine artists from a diversity of cultural backgrounds and life experiences. Musical artists include Madeleine Hanna and the 4-person Jawahir Arabic Music Ensemble performing song and dance primarily from Lebanon; The Pihcintu Multinational Girl’s Choir along with the band Akiwacu, featuring the voices of children from 16 different countries impacted by war, famine, and turmoil, and Hadithi Abdulle, oud player and singer from Somalia, presenting music on the theme of resiliency and personal testimony. Poetry will be shared by Jeri Thériault, a Franco-American poet from Maine, and Richard Blanco (via video)—selected by President Obama as the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history. Signed copies of his poetry suitable for framing will be available by donation. The evening will be topped off by the 'Singing Resistance' chapters of both Portland and Brunswick-Topsham who will lead songs developed in 2026 as resistance cries in the face of the Minneapolis ICE occupation. Pulling this all together will be our amazing emcee: Brunswick comedian, Mohamed Awale. Donations will be accepted at the door and go directly to ILAP as well as to presenting artists who have been impacted by recent immigration activity. ILAP is Maine's only statewide provider of free immigration legal services. ILAP advances justice for Maine's immigrants through free immigration legal services, community outreach, and advocacy. As always, if you have an upcoming action, article, legislative issue or story that you want to go out on the Brunswick Area Indivisible email list, send it to communications.bai.me@gmail.com Have you missed a newsletter, want to look back, or want to share a past issue? The most recent 6+ newsletters can be found on the BAI Posts page. Want to support BAI? We welcome your time and talents. Contact communications.bai.me@gmail.com for volunteer opportunities. Donations are welcome at our meetings and online through ACT BLUE.
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