So now what?

The next four years in Augusta should be fascinating. Our newly elected state governmental rock band, apparently unwanted by 62 percent of the electorate, might as well be called “Paul LePage and The Rage.”

Additional Photos

Maine’s next Senate president, Kevin Raye, center, welcomes Gov.-elect Paul LePage, left, to the Senate chamber last week. Associated Press File

I predict a yowling conservatively suited lead singer with a heavenly House rhythm section backing a riotously rightist Senatorial section. Think the Rolling Stones channeling Lawrence Welk and Jack Benny.

Muchas gracias to the Maine Democratic Party, whose self-immolating mail campaign of lies and innuendo against Elliot Cutler poisoned the entire fall campaign and made electing anyone other than LePage an impossibility.

Kudos to Libby Mitchell, who managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and hold onto just enough voting members of the teachers’ union to ultimately deny Cutler the prize.

And finally, greatest thanks to the two what’s-his-names who together hammered out just over 6 percent of the total vote in a monumental political ode to narcissistic and silly campaigns that contributed nothing to the debate.

The clearly best candidate’s ship simply could not take so many torpedoes. Hopefully, Paul LePage can harness his better demons and turn this mess we know and love as Maine around somehow from the educational, employment, and financial straitjacket we are now in. Nothing else has worked.

Green tea, anyone?

Bruce Sanford
Raymond

Thankfully, the elections are finally over and Paul LePage will be our next governor, for better or for worse.

At best his election win was a hollow victory. Only about half of the registered voters in Maine actually voted and LePage received barely a third of that number with only a one-point advantage over his rival, Eliot Cutler. That slim margin can hardly be construed as a mandate for LePage from the people of Maine.

Considering that he does not have the majority’s support, we can only hope he will prove equal to the task of leadership. He should be aware that his every move will come under intense scrutiny.

Our governor-elect has promised to bring fiscal responsibility to our state. He has pledged to eliminate all wasteful spending while retaining viable services, balance the budget, create thousands of new jobs, bring sensible reform to our education system, preserve our environment, and probably have time to make health care available and affordable for everyone.

He has pledged to place “people before politics.” I do hope this means he has no commitment to the tea party movement.

He would have us believe he will succeed where his predecessor in the Blaine House (in his opinion) has failed.

I long to give Paul LePage the benefit of the doubt, but his window of opportunity can slam shut very quickly. We are staking our future on his ability to convert his ambitious campaign promises into reality.

Phyllis Kamin
Cumberland

A recent editorial in the Portland Press Herald indicated that Maine had voted for a new direction. Before we get too enthusiastic about Paul LePage’s “victory” with 38 percent of the vote in the governor’s race, please keep in mind the following: Only about 16 percent of Maine’s residents voted for him. That leaves about 84 percent who did not choose LePage or his new direction.

Dawn Leland
Portland

Now that Paul LePage has been selected by about 38 percent of those who voted, we left-wing liberals need to stop hyperventilating. If Minnesota can survive a vulgar, trash-talking Jesse Ventura, Maine can certainly survive LePage. And I think all who voted for LePage will expect him to either decline that invite from President Obama, or go down to that focus of tea party hatred (Washington D.C.), and tell the president to “Go to hell” to his face. Let’s see if he has the guts.

Mike Morrison
Fryeburg

The headline of the Nov. 7 Maine Sunday Telegram Forum page — “Celebrating LePage’s Victory” — did not reflect a single letter on that page. Only one letter congratulated LePage, but it also congratulated Baldacci, and could hardly be considered a celebratory letter. The next two letters complained that LePage won with barely a third of the votes, and that elections should have runoffs, requiring the winner to have a majority of the votes. No other letters were about the election.

The Forum page headline should have reflected those two letters; instead the headline was inaccurate, as it often is.

J.D. Cowie
Portland

The state of Maine now has a governor whom not even half of the voters wanted. The damage that is likely to afflict the state and its people as a result of this particular election can be foreseen, given who he is and what he’s said.

We may not be able to limit the damage to come in the next few years, but we can and should learn from this misbegotten event. We can be foresighted, and do now what we need to do to ensure that this does not happen to the people in Maine ever again.

How do we start the process for having runoff elections in the future? Perhaps The Portland Press Herald could write an article informing us of the process, so that we can immediately begin it.

Evelyn S. Newlyn
Scarborough

Question 3 vote ensures key funding

I write on behalf of the Friends of Scarborough Marsh to give many thanks to every voter who supported Question 3 during the recent election.

Question 3 endorsed a $9.75 million bond that includes critical funding for the highly successful Land for Maine’s Future Program.

LMF works to permanently protect lands that have exceptional recreational or ecological value along with land for farms, forests, tourism, and working waterfronts.

This award-winning program enjoys a broad coalition of support and has protected more than 500,000 acres of wildlife habitat, farmland, and unique natural places throughout Maine.

These include local spots like Broadturn Farm in Scarborough and Robinson Woods in Cape Elizabeth.

These goals can only be achieved with your support. Question 3 won overwhelmingly on Nov. 2 with almost 60 percent of the vote.

The Friends of Scarborough Marsh thank you, and will continue to work with LMF and many others to protect and restore our natural resources.

Katie Fellows
Scarborough

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