In last week’s column, I gave five things to keep an eye on instead of my regular one-topic column. Initially that column was dedicated to be 10 items, but I ran out of time. Thus this week I would like to finish up what I started with part two of my May musings, and then go back to a regular column next week.

Again, if you have questions on any of these pieces feel free to contact the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber office.

• Chamber After Hours and the Event Calendar: I do a disservice if I don’t quickly mention again the two items rolling out within the next week. First is the Chamber After Hours, which is at The Highlands in Topsham from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24. It cannot be stated enough that the monthly After Hours events are for all businesses whether you are a chamber member or not. If you’re a business person who wants to meet 50-60 other business leaders, then come out and mingle at this open house-style event.

Secondly, we have a regional event calendar we are putting together that is combining the event lists of about two dozen local organizations. From what has already come in, this will be even more robust than I thought. We will have them next week so be on the lookout at your information centers and on the SMMC website.

• Maine Forest Yurts & Midcoast Edge: Last Saturday, our regional young professionals group held a Survival Challenge event for other young professional groups and regional military members at Maine Forest Yurts on 105 acres in Durham. The contestants were broken into co-ed teams and competed in eight team-building challenges ranging from trivia and building a fire to obstacle courses and puzzle challenges.

The event went so well that several of the local Navy attendees are looking to use the space for team-building challenges in the future.

If you are a business owner looking for team-building exercises for your group, Maine Forest Yurts is a great location for it. Also, if that challenge sounded fun, then don’t miss your chance to see their master challenge on June 23-25. Maine Forest Yurts is owned by the Crowley family, and Bob was the winner of “Survivor: Gabon” in 2008. Since winning, Bob and some colleagues began the Durham Warriors Project which is a nonprofit group that raises funds that support disabled veterans and their families, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Center for Grieving Children, Teens to Trails, Special Olympics and many more.

To raise funds they are doing the Durham Warriors Survival Challenge where contestants from around the country will compete for three days in various outdoor challenges, hold tribal councils, and ultimately vote for a winner. All proceeds from the event go to the Durham Warriors Project. If you would like to be a spectator with your family, check out the details at www.durhamwarriorschallenge.com.

• An Epiphany in Harpswell: As I was driving out to a meeting of the Harpswell Business Association last week, I was overcome with how beautiful our region is. As I arrived to meet with local business owners, I said during introductions, “somewhere, someone is in a meeting in a city, and the air conditioner is broken.” We get spoiled by the postcard views sometimes, and every once in a while it’s nice to be reminded how lucky we are to live and work in a region as picturesque as this is.

• Schooner Race in June?: At the Harpswell Business Association meeting there was a discussion of a schooner race that looks like it will be happening from Portland to Harpswell to Boothbay in late June. More details to come as more gets solidified, but know that we are looking at a possibility of getting photographers and videographers to take some shots for us, up and down the coast, for future marketing materials.

• The Importance of Respectful Dialogue: A couple weeks back, several of our local legislators came to Brunswick to discuss the Democrats’ Opportunity Agenda, which is the platform that many of the Democrats in the State House are using in budget negotiations with their Republican counterparts (and actually much of that negotiating is happening this week, by the way).

First off, I am unenrolled, meaning I do not identify with either party and I have, in fact, voted for candidates from both major parties over the last two decades for both federal, statewide and local seats. I attended because any time you can connect with your legislators and share your opinions, it’s essential that you do so. I commend our delegation for having this event.

The attendees were pro-liberal, as to be expected, and many of the comments and questions were focused on rallying support for the initiatives outlined. However, there were a few who challenged pieces of the Opportunity Agenda and I was one of those.

As the chamber took a stand against the 3 percent education tax on incomes more than $200,000 last fall, I asked a couple of questions about that. I’m divided on the issue, as are many others, because I want to fund education of course, but I want to be sure that it doesn’t drive doctors, lawyers and other high-income professionals that we need to relocate elsewhere. I worry that it will burden small business owners with more taxes, and that the funding model needs to be equitable for all schools and not just the big schools.

The legislators responded to my questions, and afterward a local school board member stayed with me and a few others to discuss the issues for about 20 minutes. We both presented our thoughts and listened to each other, and by the end of it, though we may not have changed each other’s minds completely, we had a much better understanding of where the other side was coming from. I believe if we were tasked with it, we could have come to a middle ground on the issue.

How did we do that? Because we listened to each other, and didn’t label each other. We relied on proven facts, and I even admitted where some of my facts were wrong when the proper information changed what I’d thought. That’s the point.

In our current political climate, we must be willing to discuss with respect and without labels. We must be willing to listen. We must be able to admit when we are wrong. And most importantly, we must negotiate with the intent to compromise rather than expecting the other side to see things 100 percent our way.

There is very little black and white in this world — we live in the gray. To compromise is not weakness, it is strength to say I will give you some of what you want so I can have some of what I want and both of us can have a level of satisfaction.

I urge you to consider that for your personal, professional and political relationships.

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.