By Tim Badgley and Charlotte Boynton
Maine gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler, far right, meets with (from left) fisherman Tim Alley of Walpole, Bremen Selectman Wendy Pieh, Co-op Manager Brenda Bartlett and Cozy Harbor of Maine Category Manager-Shrimp Spencer Fuller at the South Bristol Fisherman’s Co-op July 31. (Tim Badgley photo) |
Independent candidate for governor Eliot Cutler listened to fishermen in South Bristol and talked economic policy in Wiscasset during campaign stops on July 31.
Cutler first stopped at the South Bristol Fisherman’s Co-op for an hour-long meeting.
Spencer Fuller, a manager with seafood processor Cozy Harbor of Maine, kicked off the meeting with a speech about the shrimp fishery in Maine, the inequity between draggers and trappers, and the balance of power between Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
According to Fuller, there are 150 draggers and 57 trappers in Maine waters compared to seven or eight draggers each in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, yet each state has one vote in the decision-making process that establishes shrimp catch limits.
Fuller said the governor of Maine should be able to negotiate with the governors of the other two states.
“This is a $30 million to $40 million industry in the winter time when nothing else is going here,” Fuller said. “This is our fishery. We should get it back.”
Regulators canceled the shrimp fishery in 2014 as a result of what fishery scientists called the collapse of the shrimp population.
Fisherman and shrimp trapper Tim Alley, of Walpole, said, “Shrimp trapping is more sustainable than shrimp dragging. Why isn’t the Department of Fisheries promoting it?”
Cutler asked Alley if he would reduce dragging if it did not adversely affect anyone. Alley said he would.
“It’s a very indiscriminate way to harvest any kind of species,” Alley said. “Both methods can co-exist, though.”
Alley went on to say that the shrimp catch season should be moved one month later. Instead of December or January it should be January or February, Alley said.
By that time, the shrimp have spawned and draggers would avoid catching females who had not yet laid their eggs. The increase in spawning would ensure the future of the fishery, Alley said.
Cutler turned the conversation from the shrimp fishery to one of branding not only Maine seafood but Maine-made products, tourism, hunting and fishing.
“It’s about quality, integrity, and who we are in Maine,” Cutler said. “We haven’t done the foundational work of that marketing.”
Cutler said that instead of marketing Maine to the U.S. market solely, state marketing should be done on a global level.
“We have this huge asset that is just sitting there undeveloped,” Cutler said.
Co-op manager Brenda Bartlett said Cutler was very knowledgeable about Maine fisheries and she was glad that he was the first of the three gubernatorial candidates to stop at the co-op this election cycle.
“Maybe he’ll set the tone about the issues facing Maine fisheries,” Bartlett said. “It’s very important to us and to the entire state.”
Fisherman and shrimp trapper Arnie Gamage arrived about halfway through Cutler’s visit and said he’d met Cutler several times before. As for who he will vote for, Gamage is undecided.
“I’m probably leaning toward Eliot Cutler,” Gamage said. “I do think Eliot understands the fishing industry.”
Gamage said he liked a lot of the things that Gov. Paul LePage is trying to do. “But he’s not getting those things done,” Gamage said. “I think he could have got a lot more done by putting a little bit of sugar on the spoon instead of the approach that he takes.”
Gamage said he would have liked to see LePage engage in more give and take and thinks Cutler “would be much better at that.”
Also undecided but leaning toward Cutler was fellow fisherman Alley.
“Cutler didn’t seem like he came here to push his agenda,” Alley said. “He seemed to be generally engaged and listened and understood where we were coming from, which I liked.”
At the end of the hour, Cutler was headed to his next campaign event, a fundraiser at the Marston House, an antique shop, architect’s office, and bed-and-breakfast on Main Street in Wiscasset.
Marston House owners Paul and Sharon Mrozinski hosted the fundraiser.
Cutler told a group of supporters that, when he hears people call him a spoiler, he says, “Give me a break. I am not a spoiler, I am a choice.”
He advocated for more debates, a point of contention between Cutler and his opponents, Republican Gov. Paul LePage and Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud.
Cutler said many people will vote early before hearing the debates, and in his opinion, some would vote differently if they waited to hear the candidates debate.
“I accept every invitation to debate,” Cutler said. “I believe it is an insult to Maine voters not to give them an opportunity of hearing how the candidates stand on issues that affect them.”
“Usually by this time in a gubernatorial election there have been several debates,” Cutler said. He suggested his supporters write letters to the editor and letters to the candidates to ask for more debates.
Cutler also talked about Maine’s economy.
“My wife asked me, ‘Why are you doing this again?’ It is because I love the state of Maine. We are falling behind every day, and something has to be done,” Cutler said. “We need to take off the red and blue shirts. This is not a Republican problem or a Democratic problem. This problem affects every person in Maine.”
“We have the resources and assets to turn this around,” Cutler said. “We need a plan. We need to do the right thing. I am the only candidate that has a property tax relief plan.”
“Maine people suffer because the tax system we have is neither smart or fair,” he said.
Cutler proposes to increase and stabilize funding for education and for municipalities in order to provide property tax relief as part of his plan.
He offers two options to pay for the plan, which would cost about $180 million to implement.
The first option would increase the sales tax to 7 percent from May 1 to Oct. 30, excluding auto sales and building materials. The sales tax would be 5 percent during the off-season. It would make permanent the temporary 8 percent sales tax on meals and lodging, extend the sales tax base to include “amusement and recreation,” collect sales tax for online purchases, and increase the real estate transfer tax from 0.44 to 1 percent.
A second option would be a straightforward 1 percent increase in the sales tax.
Cutler told his supporters there has never been a time when the state needed an independent governor more than it needs one now. Cutler, who has spent heavily on his own campaign, matched every dollar donated at the fundraiser.