Governor outlines economic strategy
CAPITOL FOR A MORNING — Maine’s governor, Paul LePage, was in Presque Isle last week to address a breakfast meeting at Northern Maine Community College, sponsored by Leaders Encouraging Aroostook Development and the college.
PRESQUE ISLE — Economic and workforce development for northernmost Maine were at forefront of a breakfast event attended by Gov. Paul LePage and Aroostook County community, education and business leaders Friday at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle.
LePage, who was the featured speaker at the event co-hosted by Leaders Encouraging Aroostook Development and NMCC in honor of the organizations’ 25th and 50th anniversaries respectively, shared his priorities for the state with the 100 in attendance, telling them that the key areas of his administration’s focus will be energy, education and the economy.
“Energy is a major obstacle that hinders our economy. We’ll be working on trying to get natural gas to as many parts of the state as possible. In Maine, we are 42 percent above the national average for energy, and that’s even higher here in Aroostook County, so we simply have to address it,” said the former Marden’s general manager from Waterville.
LePage referred to Maine’s education system as broken. “We’re still number one at the secondary level, but we’re 22nd in the world at K-12,” he said. “We will be addressing choice [such as charter schools] and major changes in how we educate.”
To determine those changes, the governor said his cabinet looked this summer at the 10 top countries in the world to see what they are doing, particularly Canada—which is ranked fourth. LePage, who has degrees from Husson and UMO, wants to see more professional development for teachers, as well as more challenging curriculum and more vocational training opportunities for students.
“We need to challenge our kids to excell,” he said.
In addition to making changes in education and energy with hopes of improving the economy, LePage plans to work with a zero based budget. LePage’s office is currently evaluating all state programs, and will be eliminating those “with no benefit to society,” consolidating where it is appropriate, and allowing for growth where needed.
The governor then opened the session for comments/questions. Doug Morrell, a business owner and member of Caribou-based Citizens for Responsible City Management, suggested the state hold back incentives from communities or school districts that did not hold down unnecessary spending and, ultimately, property taxes.
LePage delivered his remarks in the residential construction lab at NMCC. The location was selected by college and LEAD officials to underscore the regional collaboration between higher education and industry to prepare a well-trained workforce for the 21st century job market.
“Inside this space and across this campus we are preparing the future workforce that will propel our state forward. Whether that is through the training of men and women to lead the way in creating more energy efficient structures and in gaining expertise in new energy solutions or to fill highly technical positions in growing industries in Maine, such as metal manufacturing and healthcare, that innovation is happening right here,” said NMCC President Timothy Crowley in his welcoming remarks.
Crowley’s comments were echoed by LEAD President Jon McLaughlin of Houlton, who both reflected on a quarter century of accomplishments by the non-profit organization and looked ahead to the next 25 years.
“LEAD has always been in the forefront advocating on issues that are of concern for the entire Aroostook County region. The educational services they provide are necessary to keep our County moving forward,” said McLaughlin.
