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Brady Grotton, of Jefferson, served as youth governor for the YMCA’s Maine Youth In Government program from November 2013 to November 2014. (Photo courtesy Dawna Cyr, Bonny Eagle High School) |
By Dominik Lobkowicz
An Erskine Academy senior from Jefferson got an opportunity to wield executive power in November while he served as youth governor as part of the YMCA’s Maine Youth In
Government program.
After running on a whim during his first year with the program, Brady Grotton was elected as youth governor at the Youth In Government conference in November 2013.
Though each youth governor’s term lasts a year, their primary experience as the chief executive of state government is at the program’s annual conference.
“What I found cool was we have a free pass to the entire State House,” Grotton said of the 2014 conference weekend. The program makes use of the actual House and
Senate chambers during the session.
“I didn’t get to use Gov. LePage’s office, but I was in the office just above his,” Grotton said.
The weekend began for Grotton and other senior leadership delegates – such as the senate president and speaker of the house – on a Thursday. The early arrival
provided him an opportunity to meet with his cabinet members to discuss his legislative goals for the weekend; goals he had laid out a year in advance during his campaign.
“Then I had to make that a reality in the weekend that we all came together,” he said.
When the rest of the delegates arrived Friday, Grotton spent that night testifying at public hearings and sharing his concerns about proposed legislation, which was
the best opportunity for legislators to add amendments and fix any issues, he said.
Once the bills hit the House and Senate, however, Grotton was not allowed on the floor without an invitation, and he kicked his strategic plan into action.
“I don’t really get a say with what gets done with the bills until they come to my desk,” Grotton said, so he used his cabinet members to pass notes to legislators
or invite them for a meeting.
Once the legislators starting passing bills, however, Grotton had his chance for direct input.
“Of the roughly 30 that came to my desk, I signed all but two of them into law,” and both of Grotton’s vetoes “stood their ground” when the Legislature failed to
overturn them, he said.
Both of Grotton’s vetoes were against school-related bills: one to start the school day earlier, and another to provide tax incentives for schools to hire
experienced professionals.
With the tax incentives, Grotton was concerned about new teachers freshly out of college finding work. He said the measure could create a gap.
“How are these teachers supposed to get any experience if nobody would hire them?” he said.
Regarding the school day, Grotton said psychologists are contending students need to sleep at least 10 hours a night and sleep later into the day, so he didn’t
believe in approving something that would “weaken education.”
Improving education was one of the planks in Grotton’s platform as youth governor, including revising the budget to include more funding for public schools.
“Our public school system should be just as good as some place like Kents Hill [School] or Thornton Academy, which is coming from somebody who goes to Erskine,”
Grotton said.
Grotton, who also ran on promoting renewable energy and improving economic growth, said he was able to achieve some parts of all of his goals during the session.
“I didn’t get to all the points I wanted to, but I did take steps in the right direction on some of the issues,” he said.
Grotton described his role as facilitating others’ goals while advancing his own.
“I was able to do both, I think,” he said.
Through his experience as youth governor, Grotton said he learned too much to list, but pointed specifically to standing up for what one believes in, public speaking
and persuasion, and the “nitty gritty” of the lawmaking process.
Maine Youth In Government Program Director Lonnie Steeves said Grotton did an “outstanding job” as youth governor, including lobbying for and against bills and
working with people of differing viewpoints.
As part of serving as youth governor, Grotton worked as an advocate when the Y was asking for sponsorships for the Youth In Government program.
“Whenever the Y needed press about Youth In Government, I was the person that was interviewed, or I was the person who went and spoke about the program,” Grotton
said.
“[Grotton] did a great job representing himself and our program and his school throughout the weekend,” Steeves said.
Grotton also started a food drive as part of Youth In Government. The drive brought in over 150 pounds of food which was distributed by the United Way around the
Augusta area.
“We have the opportunity to sit in the State House every year,” Grotton said. “It’s basically a huge learning opportunity, so we should be returning the favor.”
Coming up in 2015, Grotton will lead Maine’s full 25-member delegation at the YMCA Youth Conference on National Affairs, a national version of Youth In Government.
“The level of debate at these things is intense, but I love it,” he said.
Grotton, who has recently applied to several colleges, both in-state and up to the Ivy League, has his eyes on attending medical school and possibly getting into
politics after setting up his own practice.
“I don’t want to leave politics behind and do nothing with it, but I don’t want to be a career politician,” he said.
