It comes as a surprise that, in a time of such political upheaval and economic turmoil in Maine, a governor whose short tenure has proved so divisive would be welcomed with such goodwill and warmth by a bipartisan public.
But that is exactly what happened last Friday, when Gov. Paul LePage held a town hall-style meeting at Westbrook’s Performing Arts Center, playing host to more than 100 residents from Cumberland County and beyond. It was the first in what LePage said would be a series of “Capitol for a Day” meetings that will bring him to each of Maine’s 16 counties, reviving a practice started by former Gov. John McKernan.
A closer look, however, lessens the shock at the crowd’s demeanor. Audience members were asked to submit questions in advance, and then were called to the microphone by the governor’s staff. Adrienne Bennett, LePage’s press secretary, said the format was intended to ensure as many questions were answered as possible, but it robbed the event of any spontaneity and certainly made one wonder which questions were left unasked.
The event was also hastily put together, with the official announcement coming from the governor’s office late Wednesday afternoon. It is perhaps a testament to LePage’s drawing power that he could get a crowd so quickly. But the center was well short of capacity and a few more days’ notice could have given more people an opportunity to see their governor in person.
That said, it is laudable for LePage to seek out his constituents and meet them face to face in a town hall-style setting. The governor was direct when speaking about how all Mainers would have to “feel the pinch” of the new budget, and on his plan to increase emphasis on technical and vocational education. He was clear that the budget is a work in progress, and that he was aware of the problems that would be faced by municipalities due to cuts in revenue sharing.
However, LePage used the event to once again march out his tired tropes of welfare abuse and regulatory reform. The issues are similar in that it is easy to rile the audience by raising the specter of rampant welfare abuse or overbearing regulations. Likewise, it is easy to follow LePage’s lead and, using a talk-radio talking point, blame Maine’s economic problems on “the people way, way over on the left,” rather than issues such as demographics and geography that don’t make for simple sound bites.
So while many questions were answered on Friday, many more remain to be addressed in depth by the governor. Let’s hope that happens as he continues to travel the state.
Ben Bragdon is the managing editor of Current Publishing. he can be reached at bbragdon@keepmecurrent.com or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/benbragdon.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
