The Republicans are a majority party in Maine. We have a new governor that has been in office for a few months, and so the win is secure.
If the race is over, why the “party” rhetoric? Party rhetoric from both sides of the aisle, that is. It is apparent almost weekly in the pages of LCN.
We posed that question recently to Lincoln County legislators and though “off the record,” the answer was actually quite sad.
Our elected officials in Augusta want to do the state’s work. They lament the days not too long ago when they could meet their friends for a cup of coffee.
They might disagree on the floor of the legislature in doing the best they can for the people of Maine, but they were always neighbors and friends getting together over a cup of coffee. They are Mainers, just like us, who value courteous debate.
Now, some barely speak to each other. Longtime friends and neighbors barely speak.
They lament the lack of bipartisan politics in Augusta – it’s getting in the way of some solid work to turn our state around, particularly fiscally.
Sure, voters always want their elected officials to deliver on their promises PDQ, but let’s be honest, we’ve all taken a job that was far more complicated than on first blush. It’s not easy getting up to speed.
Query: how does it serve the people of Maine to exert such pressure when the result might be a loss of valuable, talented people to serve Maine in the next election cycle?
That’s what we’re hearing.
The state parties – Republicans, Democrats, Greens, Independents – back off, take a breath, let your elected officials work.
Tone down the rhetoric.
