Democratic leaders in the Maine House and Senate are sharing their vision for what they’re calling “A Better State of Maine.” Some of the ideas are a stark contrast to what Mainers have heard from Gov. Paul LePage at similar gatherings.
At a forum in Topsham Tuesday night, Democrats unveiled a general platform that calls for modernizing and repairing roads, bridges, ports and rail, expanded access to broadband, clean energy and investment in early childhood and K-12 education.
Sen. Dawn Hill says the goals may not be new, but they reflect what their constituents say they want and what some members of the GOP have also embraced in the past.
“These are Democratic ideas and some of them are Republican ideas. They’ve been tossed about. But I think it’s the first time they’ve been pulled together comprehensively and presented and indicated that we want to do it in a collaborative way,” she says.
Hill says the plan represents just a first step. Funding for the initiatives will have to be worked out in the next legislative session.
The forum struck a different tone from Gov. LePage’s regular town hall meetings, where the governor has attacked Democrats, clean energy and increased funding for education and where his comments about drug dealers and immigrants have made national headlines.
Senate Minority Leader Justin Alfond says Democrats want to strike a more welcoming and inclusive tone about Maine.
“We’re doing it because Maine people want to hear something of substance. We just have had probably the worst month of our state’s history and I think people want to get back to the issues. They want to hear how young people are going to stay here. They want to hear how businesses are going to grow here and I think that’s what our plan is all about,” he says.
LePage has not held a town hall meeting since late August, when his comments about the racial makeup of drug dealers sparked protest. Days later there were calls for the governor’s resignation after he left an obscene phone message for a Democratic lawmaker who he thought had called him a racist.
About 70 people attended the forum, where Democrats also emphasized that immigrants and refugees will need to be a part of Maine’s future economy. The Democrats also took reporters’ questions, something LePage says he will no longer do.
