Gov. Paul LePage returned to Bristol for a sold-out Lincoln Day dinner and fundraiser for the Lincoln County Republican Committee at the 1812 Farm March 3.
The event marked LePage’s first public appearance in Bristol as Governor – he was the frontrunner, but still just a hopeful when the local GOP hosted his last local visit in Sept. 2010.
LePage and his daughter, Lauren LePage, received a standing ovation upon their arrival.
LePage, in a speech after dinner, talked about his administration’s accomplishments and proposals in its first two months in office.
Back payments of $240 million to hospitals and other medical providers, settling debt dating to 2006, “ensured that 4000 medical providers will continue to operate around the state,” LePage said.
LePage, Maine’s first Republican Governor since 1995, didn’t shy away from his administration’s controversial proposals, including changes to environmental regulations currently under discussion in Augusta.
LePage said his administration was not changing any environmental laws but rather “trying to expedite” the permitting process to allow businesses to reach “the end game without running out of money.”
LePage acknowledged the unpopularity of some changes underway in state government, including proposed cuts in his biennial budget.
“You know you’re succeeding when every single constituent in the state is complaining,” LePage said. “Everyone in the state has to participate in the hurt and, unfortunately, it is a lot of hurt.”
LePage credited Commissioner of Economic and Community Development Phil Congdon, a Bristol resident, with saving 800 jobs in the six weeks since his confirmation. LePage called Congdon’s “ingenuity and innovative thinking” “enormously instrumental.”
LePage defended his proposed budget, which includes, he said, $203 million in tax cuts.
LePage said critics of the budget say the tax cuts will benefit the rich, while, in fact, the cuts do the opposite.
“We’re just saying you shouldn’t pay tax until you reach $30,000,” LePage said. Only residents who earn under $15,000 and already pay no tax and residents “making lots and lots of money” won’t save, he said.
LePage also talked about his recent visit to Washington, D.C. for the winter meeting of the National Governors Association, during which he and other Governors met with President Barack Obama and members of his cabinet.
LePage criticized Obama for what he described as the President’s steadfast refusal to permit “any new wells or drilling anywhere in the country” as oil prices rocket skyward.
LePage predicted gas prices would hit $4 per gallon by Memorial Day and $5 per gallon by Labor Day. The Obama administration is “unwilling to rethink our oil policy until it hits $5,” he said.
LePage also took issue with the administration’s unwillingness to “back away from the so-called Affordable Health Care,” referring to the Affordable Health Care for America Act.
“That will be a problem for Maine,” he said.
LePage told diners and supporters to expect “major, major reforms” in Maine’s education system, which, in the Governor’s words, “isn’t only antiquated, it’s broken.”
LePage briefly outlined a plan to compensate excellent teachers at a higher rate in exchange for the teachers’ agreement to teach larger classes.
“We’re going to identify the top 15 percent of teachers in the state,” LePage said. “For every student you want to take on, you get an extra $500.”
LePage defended proposed changes to state employees’ pension plans and retirements, including a two percent hike in employee contributions, a higher retirement age and reductions in cost-of-living increases for retirees.
“Most of us in the private sector work until at least 65,” LePage said. “If you have kids in college, like me, it’s 70.”
LePage lingered after his speech for a lengthy question and answer session. In response to a question about the state’s options to combat rising gas prices, he borrowed from Sarah Palin’s phrasebook, encouraging constituents to “contact the congressional delegation and urge them to drill, baby, drill.”
LePage also emphasized the importance of improving the state’s infrastructure for the distribution and sale of natural gas.
George Greene, of Wiscasset, followed with a comment. “I’d like to thank you for your action on Gateway 1,” he told LePage, sparking a loud, long ovation from the room.
LePage credited Commissioner of Transportation David Bernhardt with bringing the project to his attention and said Gateway 1 had been “becoming more of a land use policy than a transportation policy.”
In response to a question about how to reach LePage, the Governor encouraged those present to schedule an appointment, in person or via telephone, with him on a Saturday morning.
Jim Carlton, the Chairman of the Damariscotta and Lincoln County Republican committees, hailed the event as a successful start to the 2012 election cycle, during which the state party will attempt to maintain control of the legislature and “improve our position,” Carlton said.
Although the March 3 event sold out within a week of its announcement, supporters continued to inquire about tickets until the dinner, Carlton said. He estimated about a quarter of those in attendance were “new faces,” people who didn’t attend the September fundraiser.
Carlton and other regional GOP leaders will meet with Charlie Webster, the Chairman of the Maine Republican Party, March 24 “to discuss fundraising,” Carlton said, and the local party will host a chowder challenge in April.
“We’re in election mode right now,” Carlton said.
