BIDDEFORD, Maine - Gov. Paul LePage kicked off a new series of so-called town hall meetings last night in Biddeford to pitch his two-year budget.
LePage said he wants to reign in energy costs, reduce taxes, and establish a statewide teacher's contract,"so everybody's on the same playing field. So people living in poor, rural areas get paid the same amount of money as rich towns like Cape Elizabeth, and Gorham and some of those towns willing to pay a lot more for their teachers."
LePage said that Maine has enough money to fund education, but the state isn't putting it where it belongs.
LePage also said his plans to change a voter-approved ballot question that raises the minimum wage is part of his goal to "do no harm." But he had to defend that stance when it drew angry outbursts from some audience members.
"The minimum wage, sir, the nine dollars, is hurting us, not helping us," LePage responded. "There's 358,000 people on fixed income who don't benefit."
LePage also wants to offset the voter-approved ballot question that enacts a 3 percent tax surcharge on high income earners to help fund education.
He told the audience that he wants to "fix" that voter-approved referendum measure, and the minimum wage one.
"The problem is not that we don't have enough money. The problem is that we're not putting it where it belongs: in the classroom," he said.
