BANGOR — Twenty men and women are expected to join the field to replace Gov. LePage in next year’s race for chief executive of Maine. Here are some questions that candidates should consider:
• Who among you understands that when the current governor leaves office at noon on Jan. 2, 2019, that that will be the end of his administration? Your administration starts, and you will be held accountable for everything that you do and say, after 12:01 p.m. that day.
• Who among you understands that as governor, your leadership sets the tone, or the course, for all Mainers over the next four years? Your words and actions will have influence among your constituents, repercussions among legislators and weight among Maine businesses, especially tourism.
• Who among you understands that as governor, your word is your bond? Changing your mind, moving the goalposts or ignoring the will of the people are not leadership traits of an individual who values either personal integrity, public service or both. Not only does it reflect your character flaws, it also shows you cannot be trusted. In other words, don’t make promises you can’t keep or have no intention of keeping.
• Who among you understands that as governor your duty is to serve all of the citizens of Maine? Not just members of your party (if you have one), business interests, political action committees or the people who contributed to your campaign. No one has priority; everyone is treated equally.
• Who among you understands that as governor, you are not the headmaster, den mother or pack leader of the Legislature?
Your job is to enroll legislators into your detailed vision of Maine’s future with specific, incremental objectives. This vision came into focus from your many hours of listening to voters during the campaign. Collaborate and compromise with the Legislature, then go from there.
Without a detailed vision, the Legislature will choose its own path for you, and your administration will be blamed by your political opponents for the lack of leadership. Thus the agreed-upon version of your vision for Maine is the foundation of your administration. Not only is it the result of your leadership skills, it also should sell itself, and you should stick with it.
• Who among you understands that as governor, finding a favorable audience with certain media outlets reflects on your inability to lead? Favoring one audience over another just to shore up your political base, get your personal (or party) agenda passed and whine about your administration’s critics and political opponents is not leadership.
It shows that your administration is not willing to do the work to find bipartisan solutions to solve Maine’s problems. If anything, the action itself sows the seeds of political strife – especially in the halls of the state Capitol.
• Who among you understands that you chose to run? You did so because you love Maine and you have an indomitable passion to make the state a better place, and its people better off – not because of the person you’re replacing, or because your ego needs stroking, or because you think you can fix the Legislature or help your party. You are Maine’s public champion; its life coach, salesperson and protector.
• If you were talked into running, then do Maine a favor and drop out now. If you’re elected, any service you offer is inauthentic and lacks the will necessary to hold the office. In the back of your mind, there will always be that excuse.
For example, if you’re having a bad day at the Capitol, you can always go to that lingering thought in the back of your mind: “Why did I get myself talked into this?” or “I didn’t want this job in the first place.”
• Finally, who among you understands that if elected, you will not get rich?
If you are making more than $70,000 a year and can’t afford the pay cut, stay where you’re at.
For all its trials and tribulations – dealing with legislators, facing scrutiny in the press and withstanding trolling on social media – if you succeed in your vision of making Maine a better place, and, after your first term, a majority of Mainers are better off than they were four years earlier, then personal satisfaction will be your greatest reward.
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