After years of waiting for approved investments to be spent, Maine voters are expected to have a say on several bond packages this November that the governor has indicated he will actually issue.
Last March, Gov. Paul LePage admitted that he was holding hostage $104 million in voter-authorized bonds for transportation infrastructure improvements. That money has sat unspent since then, a tactic LePage employed to force payback of the state’s hospital debt. Now that the debt is paid and the construction industry has suffered nearly a full season without investment, the governor is ready to move forward.
It’s about time.
In discussions earlier this month, the Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature were finally able to come to an agreement on a bond package for voters in November, and the Appropriations Committee gave it the stamp of approval this past Thursday.
The $150 million bond package would come before voters in five questions, with the $35.5 million in education bonds broken down:
Ӣ $100 million for transportation
Ӣ $14 million for maintenance and repair of armories
Ӣ $15.5 million for the University of Maine system
Ӣ $15.5 million for the community college system
Ӣ $4.5 million for the Maine Maritime Academy
The state’s Democratic leaders told the Journal Tribune they have a “handshake” agreement with the governor that he will sign this bond package and are confident it will make its way to the voters. The pressure from the construction industry, which has lost a significant number of jobs this year, is strong, as the field is suffering from a 20 percent unemployment rate. Others with vested interests in transportation infrastructure have also built up the pressure to the point where approval of this bond package will affect Gov. LePage’s 2014 re-election chances, so implementation of the bond package, if passed by voters, is likely this time.
Economists have also been urging the state to invest, saying this is a prime time to do so. Charles Colgan, state economist in the ’80s and now a professor at the University of Southern Maine, told the Legislature earlier this month that interest rates are extremely low and the state has the capacity to purchase bonds. Colgan noted that Maine’s economy continues to lag behind the rest of the country in its recovery from the recession, with only about 25 to 30 percent of jobs recovered compared to nearly 60 percent nationwide, according to an Associated Press report.
That’s simply not acceptable, and it’s clear we need to invest.
Democrats had originally talked about putting off a bond vote to allow more time to discuss it, but we’re glad the governor convinced them to move now so construction projects will have a chance for the 2014 spring season.
It’s heartening to see our legislators and governor finally come to an agreement about investing in the state, after much political wrangling and idea-sharing. The proposal is a real compromise, taking LePage’s proposed $100 million infrastructure bond that incorporated ideas from several legislators and working in other priorities while staying under $150 million as the governor requested.
Some of these bonds come with federal matches, with contributions as high as 80/20 for some transportation upgrades, and all are important to the economic health of the state, particularly in providing jobs. The college systems span the entire state, as do the transportation projects and armories, so the investment will not be targeted at only one region.
It’ll be up to voters to weigh the merits of each of these bonds, and the lobbying for them will undoubtedly be significant as the vote nears, coming from National Guardsmen who use the state armories, colleges that want to invest in new technologies to give their students an edge, and construction workers who are desperately in need of jobs, among others.
More bonds are being proposed to come before voters in 2014, with research and development at the top of the pack and proposals for land conservation, water and sewer improvements, and redevelopment money for the defunct Loring and Brunswick military bases.
We agree with Speaker of the House Mark Eves, who said Tuesday in an editorial board meeting with the Journal Tribune, “It’s a good day for the state when we can sit at the table and come to an agreement we can all be happy with. We can all feel proud about this, putting people back to work.”
If these bonds are ultimately issued and do, indeed, lead to jobs and important investment in our state, it’ll certainly be something to be proud of, finally.
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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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