This November, we face an important choice about who will lead our state as governor. In the five years since the end of the recession, Maine has recovered only 58 percent of jobs lost, while the nation has recovered 108 percent and New England has recovered 128 percent. Jobs and the economy are a clear priority.
Which candidate brings a vision, a plan to move us forward? We hear remarkably little from Rep. Mike Michaud and Gov. Paul LePage. But Eliot Cutler has a comprehensive plan, released earlier this month. It brings Maine’s jobs and economy into the 21st century through:
Ӣ Investing in infrastructure: such as roads and bridges, creating 2,780 jobs in the construction sector; rails and ports for import-export opportunities; communications networks and infrastructure to lift Maine from 50th place to do business and 49th in broadband speed.
”¢ Education: providing post high school training and college affordability programs that will enable men and women entering or re-entering the workforce at any age to have the skills to be employed in Maine’s highest paying industries; tax credits for repaying student loans; STEM education as a pathway for job training.
Ӣ Branding and promoting Maine: bringing more people to the state, to increase revenue and create more jobs in tourism; helping distressed communities with innovative economic development strategies; growing farms and fisheries as businesses; making it easier to do business in Maine by modifying regulations that deter investment; providing low-cost capital for 21st-century energy products.
This is a plan that considers the issues. We need a governor with the vision and leadership to bring them about. That’s why I’m supporting Eliot Cutler. Let’s bring on the solutions.
Holly Korda, Old Orchard Beach
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