For most of the day on Nov. 1, an Asplundh truck sat in the parking lot of the store near my home with two workers inside. I asked them if they’d been busy clearing downed trees, as I’m sure they had been, and if they were from around here. They reported that they were from out of state, in fact, and had been contracted by Central Maine Power to help with the cleanup effort following the storm. What they said next shocked me — they had not actually been so busy.

I write today troubled by this aspect of CMP’s response to the devastating late October storm.

The workers were staying in a hotel in Lewiston, and had been directed to park where they were until they received further instructions. They had even been told not to remove downed trees that they had passed between Lewiston and Brunswick, and were frustrated by how little they had been tasked with. They sat in their truck until around 6 p.m. They had spent a full day sitting in their truck.

It’s frustrating to think that my CMP bill pays for this kind of wasteful practice. More importantly, it’s unnerving to know that my neighbors in Brunswick, Harpswell, Bowdoinham and beyond — places littered with downed trees — did not receive the speediest recovery possible, something they were promised. I feel lucky; my electricity was restored in less than 36 hours. But I know many of my neighbors were not so lucky.

I understand that ensuring a swift recovery to a storm that large is challenging and nuanced. But to me, it seems that many hours of wasted potential work is a demonstration of sub-par leadership and coordination. How will CMP and the Maine PUC ensure that this level of waste does not occur in the future?

Chris Hoffman

Brunswick