As the Second Regular Session of the 127th Maine Legislature gets underway, I am reminded of what a tremendous honor it is for me to serve the people of Caribou in the Maine House of Representatives.
I have always tried to stay out of the political entanglements that seem to capture the headlines and focus 100 percent of my attention on helping the people of Caribou who have entrusted me to represent them in Augusta.
That’s what public service is all about after all; helping to make people’s lives better. Whether it’s lowering your taxes, helping to create jobs or making sure state government is running efficiently, I truly do what I do for all of you.
During the last session, I was proud to sponsor a bill that I fully believe will help to attract and retain jobs in Aroostook and Washington Counties, LD 767 “An Act To Create Jobs in Aroostook and Washington Counties.” This bill provides an exception to the Pine Tree Development Zone program employee income requirements for call centers located in Aroostook and Washington counties.
For those of you who are not familiar, the Pine Tree Development Zone program offers eligible businesses the chance to greatly reduce or virtually eliminate state taxes for up to 10 years when they create new, quality jobs in certain business sectors or move existing jobs in those sectors to Maine. This is a great opportunity to bring much needed, good paying jobs to Caribou and all across Aroostook and Washington counties.
We have a variety of challenges facing us as we embark on this Legislative session. But I know that as long as I keep my focus on helping the people of Caribou, I can come home knowing I did the work that my constituents sent me to Augusta to do.
If you have any questions, comments, concerns or I can be of assistance to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to call my office at 287-1440 or email me at Carol.McElwee@legislature.maine.gov.
Rep. Carol McElwee represents District 149: Caribou, New Sweden and Westmanland.
