Gov. LePage’s town hall in Damariscotta on April 27 afforded a good opportunity to hear his views on Maine’s challenges. But even more intriguing were the “production values” of the event. There were at least four police officers in bulletproof vests present, along with a number of other plainclothes security officials.

We were asked to write our questions for the governor on a sheet of paper, one that demanded our names and emails. The sheets were collected by his press secretary and, from these, she chose who would have an opportunity to ask a question. Two citizens who had not passed in questions spoke anyway. One man stood to say he admired the governor’s policies. He was allowed to finish.

Another questioned not only the policies but also the restricted format of the questioning. The police physically removed him from the hall. An elderly woman with an anti-LePage poster was prohibited from entering the venue at all.

During the program, another woman silently held up a sheet of paper that read “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – hardly an uncivil sentiment, given that it states a principle that underpins all civility. Two policemen immediately approached her and escorted her out of the meeting.

Decorum was maintained, but at the cost of a chill on free speech that the governor’s edgy geniality failed to dispel.

Winslow Myers

Bristol

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