OPINION | Why I’m proud to be part of the Biddeford Gazette

Former Biddeford Mayor Bonnie Pothier discusses the importance of community, staying connected to one another in the digital age and the growth of a Biddeford-based media organization

By BONITA POTHIER | Member, Gazette Advisory Council

The recent passing of Catherine ‘Kitty’ Goudreau reminded me once again about the importance of living in a community — a place where you share common purpose and aspirations with your neighbors, friends and family members.

The reaction to Kitty’s passing was incredibly heartwarming. So many people – from all walks of life – shared their memories and connections to one of Biddeford’s most beloved teachers who was also one of our city’s strongest leaders, and a former colleague, mentor, inspiration and lifelong friend of mine.

From my perspective, a community is only as strong as its interpersonal connections – and Biddeford is quite fortunate to have such a diverse collection of residents who share connections that are tied to our community’s history, a variety of cultural backgrounds and a common love for this city’s natural resources and its enduring spirit of hard work and pride.

**FORMER BIDDEFORD MAYOR** Bonita Pothier says community can only happen when information can be shared responsibly and widely.

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But how do we maintain those connections? How do we – as a community – stay connected and share our common purpose, our hopes and stories?

How do we learn about our community’s challenges? Where do we find the information about the things that impact all of us on a daily basis? How do we stay abreast of what is happening to our neighbors, co-workers and friends?

The answer may seem simple and quite obvious, but I think Biddeford should begin a deeper conversation about the role and importance of our local media resources. I firmly believe that one of the reasons we have become so polarized in this country is that we have no shared, common unbiased news.

Like so many of my neighbors, friends and colleagues, I was quite troubled when the Journal Tribune ceased printing its daily, local newspaper nearly seven years ago. I had been a subscriber all of my adult life and read the paper every day to be knowledgeable about local happenings, to be aware when members of the community passed away, as wells as to keep tabs on the activities and successes of our youth.

How do we – as a community –
stay connected and share
our common purpose, our hopes
and stories?

For more than 130 years, the Journal and its dedicated and hardworking staff helped keep all of us connected and informed about what was happening in our community.

Industry analysts may say that the Journal Tribune’s closing was inevitable because of the many challenges facing today’s smaller, community newspapers. But I wonder if maybe we all share some blame about the Journal’s demise.

Perhaps, we took the Journal for granted. It was just always there – every afternoon — giving us valuable, award-winning news and information for just pennies a day.

Maybe we didn’t return the favor. Maybe we each have some small measure of responsibility when it comes to ensuring that our community has a reliable, trusted and professional source of news and information.

And then it happened again.

A little more than a year ago, the weekly Biddeford-Saco Courier also ceased publishing its version of community news and information. Again, I remember meeting David Flood when he first came to town and spoke of his intent to develop this paper. I read it faithfully from the get-go.

The Courier – once locally owned and operated by two of our community’s most respected and hard-working business people – David and Carolyn Flood – was consumed by Maine’s own media conglomerate and is now just another electronic newsletter.

Although the city of Biddeford is sometimes covered by Portland-based media outlets, our city was suddenly left in something awfully close to a news vacuum. I know because I continue to subscribe to and read the PPH on a daily basis. I have watched as the “local news” morphed into more about the Greater Portland area. Now that I no longer live in Biddeford, it has become increasingly frustrating to be unable to follow developments there….despite my interest in maintaining that connection.

Biddeford’s current media landscape

Although there are a growing number of digital media resources working to fill the gaps left behind by the Tribune and Courier, there is only one news organization completely focused on the city of Biddeford.

Shortly after the Courier closed, Randy Seaver reached out and asked me to consider joining his publication’s community advisory council.

I didn’t hesitate with my response. I have known Randy for many, many years. Although we may sometimes disagree on local public policy issues, there is no question that he is absolutely committed to serving his hometown by publishing the Biddeford Gazette. Again, although I no longer live in Biddeford, I was very interested in seeing Randy’s vision come to life….

Like me, Randy is a Biddeford native and someone who is passionate and bullish about this city and its people.

My service on the Biddeford Gazette’s advisory council has been such a rewarding experience, and I want to share some recent news about our growth and our goals.

Although the Gazette began as an extension of Randy’s personal blog, this new community media outlet has since undergone an amazing transformation over just the last 18 months.

Today, the Gazette is leading the way in providing in-depth and balanced local news reporting while also providing resource for sharing community news that is submitted to us by a growing number of our friends and neighbors.

From local high-school sports coverage to providing a collection of each week’s obituaries, the Gazette strives daily to be a trusted and valuable community resource.

That is the goal shared by each of my fellow advisory council members. We’re a pretty diverse group with different opinions and perspectives, but we all share a love and connection for the city of Biddeford.

We each strongly believe that Biddeford – York County’s largest community – deserves its own dedicated and professional news source.

**THE BIDDEFORD GAZETTE** is leading the way in keeping our community connected. | *Photo by Barbara Pelletier*

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Yes, just like many other people of my generation, I miss being able to hold the newspaper in my hands and turn the pages one by one. But if we’re going to succeed and stay connected to one another in the digital age, we need a reliable and trusted platform for sharing that important news and information.

Recognition for our work

In closing, I am quite proud to share that we learned this week that the Biddeford Gazette earned the respect and affiliation of the Maine Independent News Collaborative (MINC), an organization dedicated to supporting community news reporting in Maine.

From the organization’s website:

“The United States is losing two newspapers a week. At the turn of the century, Maine newsrooms employed over 300 daily journalists. Today, that number is around 90. When newspapers shrink or close, communities suffer: fewer people volunteer or vote, taxes increase and corruption flourishes.

“Maine deserves better. Despite a strong history of local newspaper ownership, Maine needs a new approach to sustaining its local journalism ecosystem.”

I look forward to continuing our work to make the Biddeford Gazette the best possible news source for Biddeford, but I’m also hoping that everyone reading these words will consider this: How can you personally demonstrate your appreciation for our ongoing work and mission?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR | Bonnie Pothier is a member of the Biddeford Gazette’s Community Advisory Council. A former teacher, she also served as Biddeford’s mayor and as president of the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce when she owned a downtown business.

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