L. Sandy Maisel is the Goldfarb Family Distinguished Professor of American Government, past chair of the Department of Government (for 20 years), and founding director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs at Colby College, where he has taught since 1971. He is the author or editor of more than twenty books (several in multiple editions), including most recently Trumping Ethical Norms: Teachers, Preachers, Pollsters and the Media Respond to Donald Trump and American Political Parties and Elections: A Very Short Introduction and Evaluating Campaign Quality: Can the Electoral Process Be Improved?
From Obscurity to Oblivion: Running in the Congressional Primary chronicled Maisel’s unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for Congress from Maine. His published articles have appeared in many political science journals and anthologies, including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and the Legislative Studies Quarterly.
Maisel has served as president of the New England Political Science Association, twice a member of the Council of the American Political Science Association, and chair of the APSA’s research sections that focus on Political Organizations and Parties and on Legislative Studies. He has twice been awarded Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer grants, has been a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington and at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and has served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Melbourne and Monash University in Australia, at Harvard University, and at Stanford University.
Maisel and his wife, Patrice Franko, who is the Grossman Professor of Economics, Professor of Global Studies and current director of the Goldfarb Center at Colby, live in Rome, ME.
Brit Vitalius, owner of Vitalius Real Estate Group and one of the state’s leading experts on the multi-family housing market, shared his observations and research on this real estate segment. He noted that housing challenges in Portland have brought out tensions in the community, particularly with those threatened by growth. Vitalius said that the combination of forces affecting real estate are challenging the region’s leadership to have a regional conversation about housing. According to Vitalius, these forces are the new tax code; interest rates, condo conversions, local regulations, affordable housing, and NIMBY opposition to development, particularly to proposed affordable housing units.
Using a presentation he recently made to the Maine Real Estate and Development Association (MEREDA), Vitalius detailed the rapid growth in the multi-family market, and observed that he believed that the market may be reaching the high point of the growth curve because he sees some cooling off of pricing. The bulk of the market is comprised of 2, 3, or 4-unit buildings. The median price for this market product in the East End (Munjoy Hill) is $650,000; in the West End, it’s $520,000. “Off the peninsula, it’s $395,000,” he said. Vitalius said that cap rates have remained steady as rents have increased. (The cap rate is a metric used in commercial real estate which reflects the ratio of net operating income to a property’s asset value—divide the operating income by the building’s sale price—and demonstrates the projected annual return on a real estate investment.)
Vitalius also said that the buyers of these properties tend to be varied, but the numbers of out-of-state buyers are less than is commonly thought. He said that the number of projected developments in Portland is much less than those planned outside of Portland. He said that investors outside of the city are much more patient. As the market levels off, he expects rents to remain close to what they are now, but still be affected by housing shortages. Current average rents in Portland apartments range from $900 per month for a studio space, to $1100 for a 1-bedroom, to $1,350 for a 2-bedroom, topped by 3-bedroom space at $1,500. As rents level off, Vitalius said that Section 8 subsidies have caught up with rent increases.
Vitalius said that critical keys to growth in the Portland area include a serious conversation about affordability, solutions to the region’s public transportation problems, and new approaches to the issue of housing density—and building height—in Portland.
President John Curran brought the meeting to order, welcoming 49 members, 2 visiting Rotarians and 1 guest. Gracie Johnston gave the invocation, and the Pledge of Allegiance and patriotic song were initiated by those present at President John’s request .
PP Dick Hall and 1st VP Amy Chipman were up at the podium to pick this year’s “Circles of Five” winners, and those selected will receive the Paul Harris Fellow during a future meeting. Of note, Amy was asked to pick a ticket for her “Circle of Five” and she declined to pick out of conflict of interest. It was fitting that Amy’s name was selected anyways.
Matt Wolcott introduced Mark Foster as the newest member to the Portland Rotary Club. Mark works for the People’s United Bank. He was asked by Matt to speak about his links to Rotary. After a brief introduction about himself, Mark said that he looks forward to working with the Club members on our various projects. Please introduce yourselves to Mark Foster in the coming months.
Charlie Frair discussed the need for volunteers for the upcoming Veterans’ luncheon where over 300 people are expected. Of note, the veterans that have signed up have expressed great interest in hearing the speakers. If you plan to volunteer and have not done so, please provide your name to Charlie Frair. He asks that volunteers arrive at 10 am before the lunch for training. Please check the Club’s website for more information.
PP Larry Gross ran the weekly raffle for a shot at over $1,000. With less than 13 cards remaining, Larry verified the Queen of Hearts was still in the deck. 3H’s ticket was drawn, however, the Queen of Hearts was elusive and she remains in the deck.
Mike Reed discussed the Club’s general fund shortfall, and described how a fundraiser to get more funds into the Club is needed. Mike and others believe that donations from other fundraising events previously earmarked for outside uses, should not be allocated to run the Club’s day-to-day expenses, and that the shortfall should appropriately be made up from the members. Please send Mike your thoughts for a fundraiser at: mreed0729@hotmail.com.
The Rotary Club of Portland, along with Greater Portland Health, is hosting a Second 4-week session Recovery Coach Academy class.
Sessions started October 27 and are held at USM. We are hoping to get a few Rotarians to do this training and become recovery coaches.
This training is free and open to anyone who wants to participate and help those dealing with substance use disorder. We encourage Rotarians to please share this opportunity with others you know who might be good candidates.
Invitation from District Governor John LoBosco to join a Special District Assembly to discuss Foundation, Membership, and International Service Opportunities and Strategies!
WHO: All Rotarians are welcome! We are hoping, in particular, for a good turnout from Club Foundation, Membership, and International Service chairs.
WHEN: Saturday morning, November 3, 2018 from 8 a.m. until 12 noon.
WHERE: Husson University, 340 County Road, Westbrook, Maine.
COST: FREE
REGISTRATION: We need you to register so we know how many to expect. The venue can seat up to 135 people, so we will have a waiting list after we reach that number. Please register ASAP by either going to the District 7780 home page (under Events and Registration) or by going directing to https://rotary7780.org/event/joint-foundation---membership-seminar.
SPECIAL GUESTS: Julia Phelps, former Rotary International Director and current Foundation Trustee will share insights into current happenings in Evanston regarding the Foundation. Assistant Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator, Greg Roche, also will join us to connect with you and explain how he can be a valuable resource for us.
AGENDA: 8:00 - 8:30 Social (coffee and muffins) 8:30 - 9:00 Julia Phelps, "A Week in the Life of a Foundation Trustee" 9:00 - 10:30 Joint Session 10:30 - 10:45 Break 10:45 - 12:00 Breakouts
The first half of the morning will be a joint session with presentations on the Foundation and Membership. After a break, we will have three concurrent breakouts: Foundation, Membership, and International Service. The International Service breakout will focus on opportunities for Rotarians to travel abroad to engage in hands-on service. On the Foundation side, we will be talking about District Grants, Global Grants, Polio Plus, the Peace Scholars Program, the Annual Fund, and Major Gifts. As for Membership, we’ll be discussing strategies to achieve our Governor’s challenge to increase membership throughout the district by at least 5% this year. We will have plenty of time for questions and dialogue among the participants.
This is a great opportunity to roll-up your sleeves and connect with your colleagues from around our district to learn and share. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information, contact the event chair, Lawrence Furbish at 207-490-6840, lkfurbish@mac.com.
Member Birthdays 5th - Ben Lowry 7th - Jim Willey 11th - Janelle LoSciuto 19th - Peggy Westcott 23rd - Earle Leavitt 27th - Linda Varrell
Date-Joined-Rotary Anniversaries 38 years - Bob Traill (PP) 36 years - Don Lowry (PP) 31 years - Judy Cavalero 30 years - Meredith Small 28 years - Dave Putnam 28 years - Philip Rhinelander 26 years - Russ Burleigh (PP) 15 years - Scott Blakeslee 15 years - Cyrus Hagge (PP) 5 years - Rusty Atwood 5 years - Don Zillman (PP) 2 years - Stephanie Joyce
If you would like to mark your calendars, we are scheduled at the following locations through the end of 2018:
2018 Nov 02 - Clarion Hotel Nov 09 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay - Vets' lunch Nov 16 - Clarion Hotel Nov 23 - NO MEETING Happy Thanksgiving! Nov 30 - Clarion Hotel
Dec 07 - Clarion Hotel Dec 14 - Clarion Hotel Dec 21 - Clarion Hotel Dec 28 - NO MEETING Happy New Year!
Blue BOLDdates are scheduled Board meeting days.
Any questions, please contact Loretta at: lrowe@maine.rr.com
The following items are needed on an on-going basis. Please feel free to bring them to a meeting where we will collect and distribute them to the appropriate projects.
Crutches4Africa - Crutches, canes, folding walkers and wheelchairs to be shipped to Africa. Contact: Roger Fagan, drrogerfagan@gmail.com
Toiletries for the Shelters - Collect those tiny bottles of toiletries you are paying for during your next hotel visit and bring them home for members of our society who find themselves staying at a shelter and in need of personal hygiene products.
ROTARY DOUBLES TENNIS LEAGUE Fall/Winter Session 2018 As of Oct. 22nd, the current tennis scores show a rapidly increasing gulf between Team 1 and the rest of us. They don't have a lock on the season yet....it's not too late to stop them.
L. Sandy Maisel is the Goldfarb Family Distinguished Professor of American Government, past .jpg)
PP Dick Hall and 1st VP Amy Chipman were up at the podium to pick this year’s “Circles of Five” winners, and those selected will receive the Paul Harris Fellow during a future meeting. Of note, Amy was asked to pick a ticket for her “Circle of Five” and she declined to pick out of conflict of interest. It was fitting that Amy’s name was selected anyways. 