Another blow was dealt to job creation last week in Augusta ”“ and to good jobs at that ”“ when legislators upheld Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a $20 million bond for research and development initiatives.
But it seems even if the proposal were sent to and approved by voters, the governor was not going to spend the money anyway. According to a statement from his office prior to the Legislature’s vote, LePage said he was letting four of five bond proposals ”“ the fifth being R&D ”“ go to voters without his signature and without his support. He said, “While these bond proposals were authorized by legislators, it does not mean that we need to spend the money. I cannot personally support any of these bonds and will not vote for them at the polls in November. Even with the voters’ authorization to borrow this money, my Administration will not spend it until we’ve lowered our debt significantly. That could be several years.”
LePage’s press secretary, Adrienne Bennett, said the Governor has to look out for all of Maine’s residents and what’s best for the state, and that the Governor would simply not sign the orders for bonds, or the bonds themselves, if the bond proposals were supported by voters in November.
She added that the bond funds are not “approved” by voters, but are, rather, “authorized” by voters at the polls.
We’ll go out on a limb here and say that the majority of voters believe that when they check the “yes” box on the ballot, they are approving whatever measure or funds for which they just voted. It’s also safe to say that voters don’t need the Governor looking out for them when they’ve taken the time to drive to their election location, read their ballot and cast their votes.
To say that the Governor has the right to withhold his signature for voter-authorized funds may technically be legal, but it’s not right.
Aside from this issue, the real tragedy is the loss of opportunities for Maine’s future industries and entrepreneurs.
While there is no unequivocal evidence that R&D funds directly create long-term jobs, they certainly point us in the right direction.
It seems every other day we hear about the shortage of skilled laborers and the need to train a new generation for manufacturing and other similar jobs, but if you asked the many mill workers who are now retired, you’ll likely hear they worked as hard as they did to make a better life for their children. They worked long days on their feet, with their hands, so that their children could go to college and get a well-paying job with benefits and a retirement plan that would not take such a heavy toll on their body.
R&D is where those jobs are.
And in addition to jobs, there is a return on investment in R&D because the private sector partners with the universities and nonprofits that often do the research.
The Maine Technology Institute oversees the distribution of R&D grant funds, through its Maine Technology Asset Fund. The fund has given companies seed grants that they must match and then pay back over time, and, according to MTI, for every $1 of state funding, $12 of private funding is invested in this work.
Right here in Sanford, Maine Manufacturing, which produces plastic products for the biotech industry, has benefited from such grants to explore bioplastics, which could be created from potato or wood waste.
About a year after Maine Manufacturing opened in 2007, GE Healthcare announced it would close its 90,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Sanford, according to the company’s website. But Maine Manufacturing approached GE with an offer to keep parts of the business scheduled to be relocated here in Maine, and the company entered into an agreement with GE in 2010 to use GE’s facility and increase its manufacturing. According to the site, the deal led to significant growth, and leaders said they have built “a strong and robust sustainable business.”
These are the kinds of success stories that our state so desperately needs, and funding for R&D allows these businesses to get off the ground and to grow. The future of this state and of this country will be innovation and technology, and Maine needs to get on board.
Now that legislators have killed this bill, we can only hope that they will come to their senses over the summer and get another proposal approved in the next session ”“ one that the Governor should support.
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Today’s editorial was written by City Editor Robyn Burnham, representing the majority opinion of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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