Munjoy Hill
O
Non Profit Org
BSERVER
US Postage
Munjoy Hill
MHNO, 92 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
PAID
Portland, ME
Change Service Requested
Permit No. 824
OBSERVER
FREE Published by the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization Vol. 30, No. 1 • February 2010
nullnullnullnull CHarter reforM nullHifted
baLaNCe of nullonuller iN nullortLaNd
by nullanulle nullcnullally
Cars Versus Catholics
By now you hanulle read that it was insula. nullach ward elected
thannulls to a new city charter in three nullouncillors and an
A Power struggle thAt chAnged the PortlAnd lAndscAPe
1null2nullthat nullortland stonullnulled elect null nullldernullan. nullat nulleant
ing its nullayor by direct nullonullular nulleninsula nulloters nullicnulled
nullote. What has receinulled less atnull 20 of the nullnullrenullresenta null
tention is that the changes nullade tinulles to city gonullernnullent.
to city gonullernnullent in 1null2nullended
nulle new charter abolnull
the nullortland nulleninsulanulls donullinull
ished this renullresentation
nance of city nullolitics and shifted
by ward in fanullor of electnull
nullower to the enullnullanding onullnullnullennull
ing the finulle city councilnull
insula neighborhoods.
lors atnulllarge. nulle result
nulle city charter that nullortland was that the nulleninsula
nulloters chose in 1null2null sinullnulllified nulloters lost their 2nullnullad null
city gonullernnullent. nulley streanullnull nullantage in renullresentation
lined the bicanulleral systenullfronull at city hall.
a 27nullnullenuller Board of nullouncil null
nulle story of the 1null2nullnull ote
lors and ninenullnullenuller Board of
on charter reforrnull enulleals
nullldernullan nulllus an elected nullayor
that nulleninsula nulloters did
into one, finullenullnullenuller nullity nulloun null
not relinnulluish their grinull
cil with a councilnullchosen nullity
on city gonullernnullent withnull
nullanager. nulln the nullrocess they
out a fight.
Congress Street, Portland, Maine, ca.1930. Photograph from a cracked-glass negative, looking along Congress Street toward Monument Square.
handed onuller nullost of the nullower to
Collections of Maine Historical Society #7871, www.MaineMemory.net. Image retouched by the Munjoy Hill Observer.
the newly annenulled, autonullobilenull
nulle first round was a
oriented, sections of the city.
failed attenullnullt at charter refornullin 1null21.
MnullNnullonull HiLL nulloMaN CeLebratenull nullnullnull
tH
birtHdanull
nulle nullantra of refornullsunullnullorters was that
nullrior to charter refornull, finulle of the
a streanulllined city gonullernnullent would
By Cliff Gallant
nine wards in the citynulls schenulle of
nullnullanulle the conduct of nullunicinullal anullairs had lost four sons in the warnull good. nulleorge owned his own
renullresentation were on the nullennull
See page 7, CHarter reforM
Willianull, rnull nullan, and the business, null nullil nullnulluinullnullent
twins, nulllifton and Leon. null nullonullnullany, which was located
Portland embraces relief efforts For haiti
bright national snullotlight was on nullunullberland nullnullenue, at
shown on the Watson fanullily the site of what is now nullenullnull
null nullanuary 22nd headline in the Portland Press Herald said that locallynullbased and the town of Friendshinull, nullernullint nullarnull. nullaughter nulllennull
nonnullnullrofit nullonbit Sante raised onuller null1null1,000 in earthnulluanulle resnullonse aid. null nullaine, when the Watsons da was hanullnully and healthy, the
nulluicnullly organinulled telethon at nullity nullall netted nullnullnull,000 in one day. See nullage wrote to nullresident nulloosenullelt young counullle owned a nice
null for nullore ways to helnull. thannulling hinull for hanulling renull little house on nullunnulloy nullill,
turned another son, nullornullan, and the future loonulled bright.
fronull the nullacific earlier, and nulln enulleryth ing changed.
Long-time Munjoy Hill
asnulling hinull to return a sinullth nulleorge got sicnull and nullassed
resident,
son, nulloland, to this country
Verna Littlefield See page 9, Good NeiGHbor
fronull the nulluronullean connullict.
will be celebrating her
With nulleonullle fronull all across
100
th
Birthday on Sunday,
nullnullerica grienulling with the
February 7, 2010.
Watsonnulls, nullresident nulloosenullelt
When Verna Littlefield was
did as their nullother and father
born, there were nullore horses
asnulled and returned their son
than cars on the streets, and
nulloland to thenull.
wonullen werennullt allowed to
nulls is often the way in fanullinull
nullote. null weenullnulls wages was less
lies, one fanullily nullenullber has
than the nullininullunull hourly
to stenull unull and be strong for
wage is now, and nullen wore
the others in dinullcult tinulles,
necnullties at baseball ganulles.
and in the Watson fanullily,
null lot has changed onuller the
that sonulleone was always Vernull
course of her lifetinulle, but
na. nullnullen when she was linulling
what hasnnullt changed is the
way down in nullortland in later
strength of character that
years, the others continued
was shanulled in Verna by cirnull
to loonull to her for strength
cunullstances that can only be
and guidance. nullt turned out,
inullagined by those who nullnow
though, that Verna would
her today.
need all of the strength she
Verna was born the daughter
was nullnown for to deal with
of a Friendshinull, nullaine, lobnull
yet another tragedy that was
sternullan on February 7, 1null10,
to occur in her own life.
the fifth of the fourteen chilnull
She nullarried nulleorge Littlenull
dren, eight girls and sinull boys,
field in 1nullnullnull, nullust after the
born to nullr. and nullrs. Willianull
war, nullonulled to nullortland with
null. Watson.null Watson fanull null
hinull, and their only child,
ily achienulled a high degree of
BabynullBoonuller daughter nulllennull
wellnulldesernulled fanulle during
da, arrinulled shortly thereafnull
World War nullwo when it benull
ter. Life was loonulling nullretty
canulle nullnown that the fanullily
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