In his first public comments on the recently shelved Wiscasset bypass, Gov. Paul LePage said he “absolutely” supports removing an eagle’s nest that derailed the N8c route for the project. The sharply worded response came during a May 20 town hall style meeting with Lincoln County residents as part of the LePage administrations “Capitol For A Day” initiative.
“I believe the federal government should put people ahead of eagles,” said LePage to the roughly 225 people who attended the event held in the Lincoln Academy gymnasium.
LePage added that society had reached a point where humans “don’t count” and noted he was a big believer in the fact “people pay taxes and eagles don’t.” His comments came after a question from Edgecomb resident Joanna Cameron who prefaced her query by saying the issue was somewhat light hearted but important for Lincoln County.
“This has economic implications for the lower peninsula,” said Cameron. “We would appreciate a strategy for gently but firmly moving the eagles nest.”
LePage’s response brought applause from the audience, a mix of critics and supporters of the governor, who turned out to weigh in on issues ranging from the economy to the state budget. A panel of Lepage’s cabinet members accompanied the Governor including Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen, Transportation Commissioner Dave Bernhardt, Marine Resources Commissioner Norm Olson and Lincoln County native Patty Aho, deputy commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection.
LePage responded to criticism of his plan to cut $200 million taxes while cutting Medicaid by saying the tax cuts will be spread “over 439,000” taxpayers.
“There are 635,000 taxpayers in the state of Maine,” said Lepage. “Anyone making below $30,000 as a family will no longer have to pay taxes. They are already on welfare.”
Before the meeting, a small contingent of protestors gathered in the parking lot of the school objecting to Lepage’s various policies including his plan to cut all state funding from the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. A representative from the grass roots group Maine Majority sat in the bleachers wearing a Big Bird costume in honor of the iconic puppet from public televisions Sesame Street.
The man, who was unable to speak coherently through his beak, said the costume was meant to show the Governor the importance of public television for children.
“You can’t ask a governor to cut welfare on individuals and then keep corporate welfare on the books,” said LePage of the issue.
Wiscasset Selectman Ed Polewarczyk asked LePage about mitigating regulations from the DEP that decrease the tax base for municipalities. Polewarczyk used the Montsweag Brook Dam, which straddles both Wiscasset and Woolwich, as an example. Central Maine Power, owner of the 22-acre property, is currently seeking a non-profit steward, said Polewarczyk, which will effectively take the land off the tax rolls.
The land donation is a part of a requirement through the Maine Power Reliability Program, a $1.4 billion that aims to keep a reliable grid of bulk power in the state, according to the company.
“Over the past 30 years, the DEP has been one sided,” said LePage. “I will assure you the facts are that I listen.”
Natasha Mayers from Whitefield questioned LePage on his connection to a conservative think tank in Portland and how that may be informing policy decisions.
“Given that you’ve essentially replaced the state planning office with the Maine Heritage Policy Center, why shouldn’t the Maine Heritage Policy Center have to divulge its secret sources for funding so Maine citizens will know who is dictating public policy in Maine?” said Mayers. “These people are out to rollback environmental laws and relax labor laws.”
In response, LePage said “whether people believed it or not, the buck stops at my desk” and he is ultimately responsible for any decision made by his administration. The answer brought a round of applause from the audience, one of many throughout the hour and a half meeting.
The town hall meeting concluded a busy day for LePage who toured The Center for Teaching and Learning, a k-8 independent school founded in Edgecomb in 1990, and visited Boothbay-based commercial vessel manufacturer Washburn & Doughty. In addition, the Governor toured the Maine State Aquarium in Boothbay.
According to the Governors’ office, Capitol for a Day is designed to enable business leaders and community members to engage with the Governor and discuss issues that are important to them. Each month one of Maine’s sixteen counties will host a Capitol for a day with events having already been held in Cumberland, York, and Sagadahoc counties.
