The most important vote   By Citizen Editorial Board

BELFAST (Nov 10): Personal attacks, distortions and outright lies remain the exception, rather than the rule, in Maine politics. For that, we’re thankful. Maine people should not tolerate the kind of disgraceful tactics that are becoming all too common in other parts of the country.

But the tone of many campaigns was sharper this year, and as we come to the end of a long and often contentious election season, many voters say they’re tired of the whole process. That’s understandable. As an antidote, we offer the following reminders that no matter who is elected tonight, the individual contributions of our neighbors and friends will continue to be the prime force for creativity, insight, steadfastness and accomplishment in Midcoast Maine.

Here’s just a sample, taken from the pages of this week’s VillageSoup:

The Belfast Area High School girls hockey team won its third-straight state championship with a 1-0 victory over York High School on Saturday, Nov. 4. The team has won 54 games in a row, 10 shy of the national record, and the game with York was coach Allen Holmes' 370th victory in his 34-year career.

The far-sighted members of the historic First Church, completed in 1818, are now sharing their venerable belfry with a cellular telephone tower. You can’t see it, but the installation should improve reception for local cell-phone users. Along with generating a $14,400 annual lease payment, a generator needed for the cell tower will allow the church to serve as an emergency shelter during storms or other disasters.

Spc. John Pooler, a 2001 graduate of Belfast Area High School, recently returned from a year with the U.S. Army in Baghdad. No matter what you think of the war, the sacrifices of people, including Pooler, and their families, are undeniable.

The voters of Unity have signaled their approval of an offer by the Clifford Family Foundation to give the Unity Centre for the Performing Arts and the Field of Dreams to Unity College. The college pledged that local residents will continue to have open access to the facilities, and hinted at ongoing improvements that will make the properties even more important cultural and recreational resources.

Caitlin Anderson of the co-ed Islesboro Central School Eagles soccer team has been selected to play in the Class D boys East-West Senior All-Star game. She is the first girl to play in the senior all-star contest. Pete Anderson, Caitlin’s father and the Eagles’ coach, said his daughter was offered the chance to play in the girls all-star game, but declined.

We commend them, and all of our neighbors and friends who vote daily with their hands, their hearts, their minds and their wallets.