The re-election campaign of Maine Gov. Paul LePage was in the pits today - but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In this case, the setting was a gravel pit filled with supportive construction workers, as LePage accepted the endorsement of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Maine. The Republican governor used the event to promise to help Maine workers get the skills they need to earn a livable wage. But the governor's critics point to LePage's veto of a bill to raise the state minimum wage, as proof that he's not serious about improving Mainers incomes.
Most governors want to leave some kind of a legacy. For Gov. Angus King, it was laptops in the schools. And for Gov. John Baldacci, it was the hope that the Dirigo Health program would inspire the nation. Gov. Paul LePage assured a crowd of construction workers at a gravel pit in Gray that he too has a legacy in mind.
"I want mine to be a partnership between the government and the private sector," LePage said. "I want the private sector to excel and I want the government to sit back and get out of the way."
The members of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Maine applauded in support, as they endorsed his bid for reelection.
"I took office, unemployment was over 8 percent," LePage said. "We worked very hard and today it's 5.7 percent. My predecessor over an eight-year period lost 13,000 jobs. In three-and-a-half years, we've created 15,000 jobs."
James McBrady, of McBrady Steel in Scarborough, who serves as chairman of the board for the Associated Builders and Contractors of Maine, says LePage shares their values and believes in free enterprise.
"As many of you recall, back in 2010, the state was struggling, the economy was kind of down in the dumps," McBrady said. "Two-thousand-ten, the state elected Paul LePage as governor and things turned around."
And McBrady says LePage wants to make Maine more competitive and improve the state's economy - and the governor says he has a plan for that.
"You do that by good-paying jobs," LePage said. "And these construction companies, one of the big issues that they're having is a shortage of people. So what we need to do is we need to develop the skills so the people in Maine - the able-bodied people in Maine - have the skills to do the work that is necessary to move the state forward. I get criticized because they say I ignore the minimum wage. Let me tell you something: It's not the minimum wage I want - it's a living wage."
"We're glad to see Gov. LePage now supports a living wage; unfortunately actions speak louder than words," says Lizzy Reinholt, speaking on behalf of LePage's Democratic opponent, Mike Michaud.
Reinholt says the governor could have taken action to improve the wage standards for Mainers at any time over the last three years. Reinholt says homelessness in Maine has increased since 2010 and even more children are living in poverty - and with the power of his veto pen, Reinholt says LePage is singularly responsible.
"He's continually undercut workers and jobs in Maine since taking office," Reinholt says. "He's vetoed a bill to increase Maine's minimum wage, and because of his failed policies, Maine is lagging behind the country in job growth."
Eliot Cutler, an independent who is also opposing LePage on the ballot in November, says the governor's statements about a living wage don't square with reality.
"A living wage is much higher than the minimum wage that he doesn't support," Cutler says. "So he's either speaking out of two sides of his mouth, or he doesn't understand the difference between a living wage and a minimum wage."
And Cutler says if LePage really wanted to help those in the construction industry, he wouldn't have refused to release the voter-approved state transportation bonds three years ago that would have provided a shot in the arm for construction workers at a time when they desperately needed it.