"Oh, Brother Stan, Where Art Thou?"

Someone cue the banjo music; it's just the right background for gandy-dancers and others "workin' on the railroad."  But something about the scene doesn't look quite right.

There's much whoopin' and hollerin' in Brunswick the last few days over the announcement that $35 million in taxpayer money will be spent to recondition the rail lines from Portland up to Brunswick and perhaps beyond.  That's around $200 per foot; such a deal!

Just yesterday, I read two lengthy articles on the announcement in the local media outlets, and fully expected Senator Stan (Our Man) Gerzofsky would be prominent in each, and featured in photo coverage of the other dignitaries.  A report on Wednesday said that he would "have his ear to the tracks during President Barack Obama's State of the Union address" in anticipation of just such good news on the subject.

But nowhere is Senator Stan mentioned in these reports.  I just did a search of the media to confirm this.  How could this be, after his prominent role and related coverage on the rail issue in recent months?  This should have been his chance to dance the happy dance in public.

Not much gets by Other Side, but this one finds us stumped.  Stan...would you ask your people to get in touch with our people and let us know what's going on?  I hope you're OK.

Thanks, buddy.

+++++++++++Other Side News Alert+++++++++++++++++

Oops!  You’ll have to give old Poppy a mulligan; I wasn’t even halfway through my first Coffee Royale when I first sent this post to the printing room.  A bit more “due diligence” turned up this photo in yesterday’s paper from further south.  In it, we see our friend two paces to the rear and one to the left of Congresswoman Pingree, dutifully adhering to the protocols of rank.  We can also see why he might not have been quoted in any of the articles.

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