Author
Maine Laptop Program Shows Strong Results
Just over three years ago, when Maine’s then-Gov. Angus S. King, Jr., proposed an unprecedented program to provide laptop computers to every seventh and eighth grade student in the state’s public schools, supporters and critics wasted no time debating whether the plan would work, and whether the tens of millions of dollars it would cost […]
Maine’s King Makes Independence Work
For Maine Gov Angus King, competing as a political independent in a partisan arena is like being a long distance runner: It can become very lonely during the race. “I have neither allies nor enemies. What I have are 180 skeptics,” he says, referring to the Legislature. “I try to work with both sides… It’s […]
Small Town Legislative Race Attracts Opposites
Terry Kirk does not own a suit or a sport jacket. He doesn’t even own a necktie. But if Kirk is elected in November to represent his town of Durham and parts of surrounding Brunswick and Lisbon in the Maine Legislature, he’ll have to upgrade his wardrobe. “They told me you can’t get into the […]
Budget Squeeze Threatens Maine Laptop Plan
There’s nothing like a severe economic slowdown to change state lawmakers from patrons to pikers. When the Legislature set aside $30 million last June to begin funding a first-in-the-nation program to provide 34,000 laptop computers for every seventh and eighth grade student in Maine, there was a healthy budget surplus. But then the economy headed […]
Maine A Pacesetter In Rights For Disabled
In a 5-4 ruling last February, the U.S. Supreme Court held that states are exempt from the Americans With Disabilities Act, a federal law that protects handicapped citizens from job discrimination. The ruling could affect the disabled in many states, but not those who live in Maine. It acted to guarantee rights for the disabled […]
Maine Experiments With RX Price Law
There is nothing small about the battle set to begin in a federal courtroom in Bangor. It pits the State of Maine against the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry, and its outcome could affect the price and availability of prescription drugs nationwide. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PHRMA), a trade organization representing about 100 […]
Fighting Sprawl: A View From The Trenches
DURHAM, Maine — Ground zero in the battle over sprawl is right here, according to people who live in this small, rural community. In a December 1998 survey of the town’s 3,607 residents, 89 percent said keeping Durham’s rural character was “very important.” But it won’t be easy: Durham is one of the fastest growing […]
Maine’s Pleasant Political Problem: Fate Of Surplus
AUGUSTA — The second regular session of the 119th Maine Legislature convenes in Augusta in less than a month, and it’s expected to be unlike any that has preceded it. That’s because lawmakers this time will have a huge surplus to work with. The battle lines already are being drawn. The Democratic majority in both […]
Maine’s King Makes Independence A Virtue
AUGUSTA, Me — Governing a state as a political independent, without the backing of a major party, is sort of like going to the senior prom without a date. While you may be able to dance with whomever you want, you have to be very careful not to antagonize anyone else’s partner. Angus S. King, […]
Maine Panel To Consider Legislative Reform
AUGUSTA, Maine — Here’s a conundrum for leaders of state legislatures nationwide: How do you ensure that those in the governing bodies are representative of all the people? It’s an especially difficult dilemma in a state such as Maine. “Our Legislature was built around an agrarian style of economy,” says Maine Senate President Mark Lawrence, […]