ORONO – The five candidates for Maine governor are speaking individually this morning at a forum at the University of Maine at Orono.

Waterville Mayor Paul LePage, the Republican nominee, was the first to speak this morning. He pointed to his “Learn to Earn” program, which he said is inspired by a program in North Carolina in which students have the option of attending five years of high school to earn an associate’s degree or two years of transferable credits to a college or university

LePage used the example to take a veiled swipe at his chief rival, Democratic nominee Libby Mitchell.

“I believe the most important person in the classroom is the student,” LePage said. “My opponent will say the most important person in the classroom is the teacher. I don’t believe that.” LePage said his administration would take a wholesale look at higher education in Maine, examining costs, graduation rates and how many graduates find employment within a year.

LePage also said he would push for the creation of a “one-stop shopping” website “so you can see what’s available in the state of Maine for jobs, the opportunities, the professions, and find out what the business sector and employers offer for future training.”

In describing the importance of higher education, LePage recounted his own story of living in poverty as a child, being taken in my two families and getting the support of then-Sen. Peter Snowe to attend college, first with a bachelor’s degree at Husson and then a master’s at the University of Maine. He also recounted how his family took a young Jamaican into their home a decade ago, and he is now attending Louisiana State University.

During a question-and-answer session, LePage addressed some hot-button issues. Asked by a student whether he would reject any federal funding and if that would affect grants going toward university research, LePage said he would “take every federal dollar on the table,” but he held a pamphlet of the U.S. Constitution and said he would “look at the fine print and make sure they don’t buy us off.”

“If they’re going to give us money and put strings attached, I will look at it very carefully,” LePage said. “I will evaluate the strings and some money I will not take.”

Asked by a student whether he thought global warming is a myth, LePage said no, but “I just don’t know how severe it is and I’m not sure how much we as human beings contribute to it,” saying that “scientists are divided on it.”

LePage went on to tout his approach to energy, saying he’d focus on investments in hydro and tidal power, but he would evaluate all forms of alternative energy by “the impact on the environment and the cost.”

Other highlights from candidate responses so far:

Kevin Scott, independent:

Scott emphasized his background in hiring and recruiting for high-tech start-up companies, saying that he stood apart from the other candidates because he had no political ties and wants to “move off the same old practices we’ve used.”

“We need to look seriously and make certain we’re interviewing our next candidate for governor, the ability to recognize greatness within an organization, and I have that,” Scott said. “I will be a champion and work with the Legislature.”

Scott said the key to Maine’s economic future is providing jobs in emerging markets, namely agriculture such as the indoor Backyard Farms tomato greenhouse in Madison. Scott said he would require Maine schools to get their foods from Maine-based producers, and “there’s your market right there” to expand the industry.

“The future of farming is local,” he said.

Eliot Cutler, independent:

Faced with a state budget shortfall as high as $1 billion, Cutler said the state needs to “stop the bleeding” and then make targeted investments because the state’s economy is currently “dead in the water.”

He outlined his proposal to merge Maine’s university and community college systems and look at consolidating its campuses and centers throughout the state.

Cutler, who served under the Carter administration to negotiate a 1980 settlement act with Maine’s native American tribes, was asked whether he would be willing to revisit the deal.

“If there’s a desire to reopen it, then we can revisit it,” Cutler said. “But I won’t commit to reopening, or commit to anything. But I had an open mind at the time and I have an open mind today.”

Cutler offered a similar response to whether he would support the Maine Economic Improvement Fund which supports research and development at the university. Cutler said he wouldn’t make any promises to “special interests,” including higher education.

“I won’t do it,” Cutler said.

Libby Mitchell, Democrat:

Mitchell, who noted that she is still paying off a college loan after attending law school later in life, said loans are a “huge barrier” for college students today.

She proposed renegotiating the state’s liquor contract – “a state asset” – and use resulting revenue for the state’s trust fund and seek matching money from the private sector to provide scholarships and grants “so that first-year students can go to college.” Mitchell also said it’s key to offer pre-school at all Maine school districts, since only about half do now.

Mitchell also fielded the question about Maine’s native American tribes, noting that she was recently on a task force on tribal sovereignty issues. Mitchell said she has been in contact with many tribal leaders and hoped to meet with all of the chiefs.

“It’s critically important to balance the needs of the tribes and their desire for sovereignty while working within a state framework,” she said.

Asked by a student to respond to LePage’s criticism earlier in the day that his “opponent” thought teachers were the most important people in the classroom, not students, Mitchell said she didn’t know how to respond to that except that “I support both.”

“I don’t know what it means, frankly,” Mitchell said. “I do support teachers. I am a teacher; my mom was a teacher … you can’t have a quality school without quality teachers.”

Mitchell was also challenged by a student questioner about whether her “negative attack ads” against LePage meshed with her promise to use the “politics of hope, not fear.” Mitchell defended the TV ads, which have criticized LePage for offshore drilling in the gulf of Maine and his comments about accepting federal funding.

“Campaigns are about choices,” she said. “When I put up an ad about drilling off the Gulf of Maine … I disagree with Mr. LePage that drilling off the coast of Maine is appropriate. I see it as making sure people know the differences.”

Mitchell turned around and accused LePage of distorting her voting record in the Legislature, “which I’m very proud of.”

Shawn Moody, independent:

Moody addressed what he called a societal “indoctrination” of young people that they all need to attend college. Many young people in Maine would benefit from vocational and trade training, he said, and he would promote and expand such programs as governor. The jobs are out there, he said, but people need specialized training. 

Moody rejected Cutler’s proposal to merge the university and community college systems, saying both served different missions and that the university’s seven physical campuses were vital to each community in the state.

But Moody said the school systems could run more efficiently in much the same way as his Gorham business, Moody’s Collision Center, through consolidation of payroll, administration and other “behind the scenes” operations through use of technology.

“It’s taking things that don’t add value. I’ll call you folks the customers,” Moody said, referring to students in the audience. “The customer doesn’t need to know who’s doing payroll or marketing. … There’s tremendous economies of scale in those areas.”

Moody also said he’d support additional assistance for the state’s thousands of “micro businesses,” which employ 20 or fewer people, by offering grants and other “crucial” training resources for employees.

“We developed a high-performance work environment through education,” he said of Moody’s.

 

Check out tomorrow’s newspaper for complete coverage of the forum.

 

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