Governor Paul LePage made a guest appearance at the Lincoln County Republican Committee’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Feb. 4.
In a brief address to a crowd of Republican faithful, LePage laid out his vision for the upcoming year while attacking Democratic members of the Legislature for “sitting on their hands.”
Held at the 1812 Farm in Bristol, the Lincoln Day Dinner is the Lincoln County Republican Committee’s annual fundraiser. Seats to the event are $50 apiece.
LePage told his fellow Republicans to expect “to hear a lot about energy and education” in the next couple months.
LePage reiterated his support for a natural gas pipeline in Maine, and said he would revisit the long dormant East-West Highway proposal.
“It’s time we bring it to the table,” he said.
Welcoming Maine Citizens for Clean Energy’s failed attempt at getting a state minimum for renewable energy put on a November referendum question, LePage attacked green energy advocates as hypocrites, citing their opposition to lifting the 100 megawatt cap on hydropower projects.
According to LePage, green energy advocates have considered hydropower under 100 megawatts green, but not over.
“Only in Maine,” LePage said.
Shifting to education, LePage said technical and vocation education would have a greater role in Maine schools.
“Tech [sic] and vocational education is coming back to the mainstream of our schools,” LePage said.
LePage also advocated changing the state’s teacher certification process, making it so that teachers can only teach in subjects in which they have a college degree. According to LePage, his Finance and Accounting degree would allow him to teach a course at a Maine university, but not a basic bookkeeping class at a high school.
LePage has previously criticized the state’s teacher certification standards, claiming they put too much emphasis on taking education courses rather than specific subject.
Tying energy and education to Maine’s fiscal situation, LePage said that Maine could not prosper if it didn’t pay its bills. Calling the $220 million shortfall in the biennial Medicaid budget “a real crisis”, LePage challenged Democrats to make needed cuts.
“If the Democrats don’t get off their hands by April, it will be catastrophic,” LePage said, adding that he would be unable to fund hospitals and nursing homes.
“If you don’t like what I propose, give me a plan,” LePage said.
Ending on an issue raised in his State of the State Address, LePage reiterated his support for tough domestic violence legislation. The Governor said he would work with Maine’s Supreme Court and Attorney General to put new, tough laws on the books to punish domestic violence offenders.
Calling it mainly a male issue, LePage challenged men everywhere “to stand up, speak up, man up and make this behavior unacceptable.”
While he has done a question and answer session at past Lincoln Day Dinners, LePage left shortly after giving his address without taking questions.
Lincoln County Republican Committee Chairman Jim Carlton thanked LePage for attending.
“Only in Maine can we get that close to the Governor,” he said.
