PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — In the first of what may be many meetings on the local level Republican Congressman Bruce Poliquin sat down with Aroostook County municipal leaders Thursday to listen to his constituents’ needs and concerns.
At Northern Maine Community College Aug.6 Poliquin sat front and center with a small crowd of local government officials from around the region and covered a range of topics from job growth in Aroostook County, making sure the state government will support their needs and how to deal with the lack of cell phone and Internet connectivity in The County.
“How do we make sure that the federal government is doing everything they can to promote a business climate so jobs will be created and our young kids can stay here,” Poliquin asked in an interview after the meeting.
The freshman Representative kept a legal pad close by filled with similar notes and questions, which he and his staff planned on tackling when they arrive back in Washington, D.C.
A number of issues discussed at the meeting concerned state government and Poliquin had to remind folks he’s here to serve the people of Maine on the federal level.
Throughout his early morning conversation Poliquin repeated “I hear you” and that he’s “all about fixing problems.”
“I have found that the squeaky wheel gets the oil in Washington,” he said. “I can be very squeaky. I’m not someone who hides behind the sofa. I found that these congressional seats — these seats in the House of Representatives where I sit and represent The County — you can either sit back and not be very involved or you can be extremely involved and it doesn’t matter if you’re from Maine or you’re from Michigan or from Texas it’s what you do with that office and we’re doing a lot with this office.”
One listener at Thursday’s meeting was New Sweden town selectman Stephen Boody. “It’s good that [Poliquin] wants to reach out to local governments and to hear our problems, but we’re talking about surface stuff. The main things aren’t going to get changed here and I don’t think they’re going to get changed by a Republican,” he said.
Poliquin represents 650,000 Maine residents in the Second District and says he’s “honored and proud to do it.”
“These volunteer elected officials represent members of their community at the local level, we’ve got to work together. I want to know from them what the issues are that are important to the people in their communities and if there’s a way I can help them help their constituents at the federal level I will do it,” he said.
