Mitchell hopes to get Maine ‘back on its feet’
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Elizabeth “Libby” Mitchell hopes to be the first woman to occupy the Blaine House.
A resident of Vassalboro, Mitchell, 70, said she has the skill set needed to get Maine “back on its feet.”
“I was not termed out as a senator. I had the opportunity to run again for the State Senate, and the opportunity to run again for Senate President, which is a job that I really valued and enjoyed, and was honored to have,” said Mitchell, “but at the same time, the challenges facing our state as we’re getting back on our feet after a terrible recession were so great that I thought that my leadership skills … my ability to bring people together to get the job done … would be important skills to have in the next governor.
“I’m passionate about the state of Maine. My four adult children grew up here and left, but they’ve all come back to raise their families and educate their kids,” she said. “I really want to make a difference and make sure that the kinds of changes that people want us to make to get on our feet after this recession are the right kinds of changes.”
Mitchell said the “overarching theme” of her campaign is jobs.
“It’s important that we get people back to work in good, quality jobs,” she said. “For Maine people, they’ve lost their sense of economic security. If they have jobs, they’re worried about keeping them, or the jobs aren’t adequate to pay the bills.
“Under that overarching theme, there is a necessity to invest in education. We have 4,000 people who are qualified for community colleges right now, but we don’t have enough capacity,” said Mitchell. “We have to make sure we’re offering the kinds of skills and training that people need to get the jobs. Education is a key component of improving the economy.”
The second key, she said, is to decrease the cost of health care.
“It’s just unaffordable for most Maine people,” said Mitchell. “Small businesses, which is certainly the bulk of our businesses here in Maine, simply can’t afford any at all, or they have such high deductibles they don’t give the kind of care that they need. We have to get the cost of health care down and make sure that we change the focus from one of treating sickness to treating wellness and we do that by changing how we pay people for their services.”
The final element of her campaign strategy, which would also help create jobs, is investing in new, clean energy opportunities.
“From tidal power to wind, to hydro to natural gas … all of the opportunities that we have to produce more and more of our own energy using LNG as an interim,” said Mitchell, “then we can be not only self-sufficient but we can sell this and use the proceeds to invest back into Maine. They all go together – creating jobs – and you do that with education, lowering the health care costs and lowering the energy costs.”
Mitchell said people should vote for her because she has both a plan and a vision to “take Maine forward.”
“I want to move us in the next transformation of jobs,” she said. “I have proven my ability to work across party lines and to get results. I think I have a track record of not only getting the job done, but I also have some really good ideas that Maine people will want to embrace as we go forward.
“The real question is, ‘Where do you want to be in four years, and who’s the best person to get you there?’” said Mitchell.
The only woman in the country whose been elected by her peers to be both Speaker of the House and Senate President, Mitchell is mindful of the fact that she may, in fact, become the first female governor of the state.
“People will not vote for me just because I’m a woman,” she said, “but it is exciting to think about the possibility of being the first woman to govern the state. It’s exciting for a lot of women – both young and old, but it’s not just women that would celebrate that. When I became the first woman Speaker of the House, I was amazed at how many young dads brought their daughters because they wanted their daughters to see that they could do anything.
“It’s an exciting prospect, but you have to be prepared for the job and I think I am,” said Mitchell.
LePage challenges status-quo
By Bill Pearson
Staff Writer
Paul LePage has a simple message for the electorate this fall: “If you like the way things are then I’m not your candidate.” The Republican gubernatorial candidate used this message to easily capture his party’s nomination in June and become the early front-runner to become the state’s 74th governor.
LePage blames the state’s high unemployment rate and budget problems on the one-party rule which has dominated the state capital for nearly four decades. He believes the Democratic dominance has resulted in the state developing an adversarial relationship toward the business community. The results of the one-party rule, according to LePage, has led to Maine becoming a high-taxed state, a bureaucracy filled with too many burdensome regulations and a population dependent on social services.
LePage believes his background in leading both a private and public sector organization successfully through difficult economic times makes him the best choice of the five candidates seeking the governorship. LePage has over 40 years’ experience as a business leader in Maine. He has been the general manager of Marden’s Discount Surplus since 1996. During his tenure, Marden’s has expanded to 14 stores statewide — including three in Aroostook County, Madawaska, Presque Isle and Houlton.
He has also succeeded in the public sector having served as Waterville mayor since 2004. Under his administration, he has lowered taxes 13 percent in six years, increased the rainy day fund from $1 million to $10 million, and improved the city’s credit rating.
The Conservative Republican has been able to achieve these accomplishments working with the seven city councilors who are all Democrats. The mayor earned his nickname of “Front page, LePage” because each time the council wanted to raise taxes, he would tip off the local paper about those proposals which would immediately create a public outcry against it.
LePage says he would take a similar approach as governor to implement his agenda. He believes a pro-growth of agenda reducing state spending and taxes is required for creating a robust Maine economy.
“We need to get back to basic common sense by getting the silly laws off the books which hurt Maine businesses,” LePage said. “We can get the job done by sending the right people to Augusta. We can fix this state with common sense, good science and technology, and leaving all the bologna outside the capital.”
He has experience, as mayor, dealing with the state Department of Environmental Protection Agency which recently ruled Waterville needs an $8 million enhancement to its sanitary sewer district. The DEP ruled the effluence generated by the city’s sewer plant met safe drinking water standards, but it didn’t meet the purity levels set by state regulations. LePage characterized this as an example of how the state is out of touch with common sense which causes problems for Maine communities and businesses.
People traveling to Waterville have seen the results of LePage’s vision of the city during the past seven years. Central Maine Women’s Club President Leilani Stites of Dover-Foxcroft has seen the city’s transformation as she frequently travels to Waterville for a monthly meeting of the Daughter’s of the American Revolution.
“The people in the DAR just thinks he’s wonderful. He has cut the budget and created a good business climate,” Stites said. “Even if my friends didn’t tell me what a good job he’s done, you can see it by driving in downtown Waterville. You don’t see any empty store fronts. You can see it’s a very successful city.”
LePage believes Maine has other priorities besides the economy and state budget that need reforming. LePage has a goal of overhauling the welfare and educational programs. He believes both programs need major changes to make them work better for both the recipients and state. LePage characterizes the state welfare program as failing to provide a path out of poverty and past attempts at reforming education were focused on the concerns of the union leaders and state bureaucrats, not on student needs.
LePage would change the eligibility standards to require a residency requirement for recipients, create a five-year cap on benefits and develop a system which provides a pathway from poverty to prosperity.
His educational platform includes continuing with more school consolidation to achieve savings in administrative costs. creating charter schools, tying teacher pay to performance and giving school boards more authority.
