While everyone knows a strong Maine economy is our first priority, the
state is divided over how to achieve this. Some say our economy is near ruin,
and prescribe radical measures. Others say things have never been better, noting
that Mainers’ personal incomes are at an all-time high as compared to the national median.
I would suggest that effective prosperity planning begins neither in nightmares nor in pipe dreams, but rather in
informed hope and due diligence.
To compete in the 21st century economy, Maine must understand what we are best at, what resources we can count on, and what defines success. An excellent foundation for this vision is the Brookings Institution’s new report,
Charting Maine’s Future. The report’s
prescription is to build our economy around our unique assets: our landscape,
our small-town character, and our independent, hardworking people.
Today, businesses in Bowdoinham, Bowdoin and Richmond are paving the way for
the new economy. Fast-growing firms such as Micro Technologies in Richmond, FHC
in Bowdoin, Naturally ME in Richmond, and Hilltop Log Homes in Bowdoinham, to name a few, point to our strong set of human
and natural resources, which offers fertile ground for additional new jobs.
Maine’s unique strengths should not be discounted, but recognized and built
on. To this end, we must also:
Ø Reform our tax system to be fairer and less complex.
Ø Ensure a fair and level playing field for business, as well as reasonable protections
for workers and consumers.
Ø Give our kids more and earlier career awareness experience to make their learning real
and relevant, and to build stronger bridges between schools and employers.
Ø Plan our towns carefully -- not leaving it to chance and costly sprawl.
Ø Support traditional land uses: agriculture, hunting, fishing, & forestry.
Ø Make health care preventive, affordable, and eventually universal.
Ø Invest in infractructure, particularly renewable energy and conservation.
Ø Develop new research and higher-education opportunities.
Ø Build regional, public wireless access networks (WANs) to create universal access and
permit telecommuting from any town in Maine.
Bowdoin, Bowdoinham and Richmond have great reserves of human and natural potential.
Creative, constructive thinking – including yours-- is needed to lead us forward
to greater prosperity. This is why I have now visited over 3,600 homes, and why
I plan to be a forceful, informed voice in Augusta on your behalf.
Yours for a better tomorrow,
Seth
