Ball gowns and dinner jackets were out and dark suits, red ties and cocktail dresses were in at Wednesday night’s inaugural reception for Gov. Paul LePage and first lady Ann LePage.
Recognizing the lean economic times facing Maine and the nation, Gov. LePage decided against the trappings and expense of a traditional inaugural gala. Instead he hosted a more modest cocktail party at the Augusta Civic Center attended by an invite-only crowd of close to 5,000 people.
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To accommodate the crush of guests, the doors to the event opened early and stayed open for more than an hour after the party’s scheduled end time.
Around 7:30 p.m., LePage and his entourage were spotted on the second floor concourse of the civic center, causing a stir in the crowd. this point, people were already queued up three and four abreast along three sides of the room waiting for the receiving line to start. Once the governor and first lady made it down onto the floor of the civic center, they proceeded to personally greet the thousands of guests patiently waiting in line.
The handshaking and hugs took place surrounded by a mob of people snapping photos and calling out greetings to the governor and first lady. The governor’s security staff and a thin, blue stanchion made sure the LePages had plenty of breathing room.
Almost half an hour after the LePages began receiving guests, there was a brief interruption as supporter John Stewart took to the microphone to present the governor with an official blue highway sign that reads “Open for Business.” Stewart and his wife, Cynthia Rosen, raised the money to purchase the sign that echoes LePage’s desire to make Maine more business friendly.
“We’ll take a ride to Kittery in the morning and we’ll put it up,” Le- Page told the assembled masses over the microphone and then went back to greeting more guests.
Bathed in red light and white stars, the party — complete with jazz tunes from Downeast Brass, a cash bar and an assortment of snacks that included cheesecake, whoopie pies, brownies, cut vegetables, cheese and lobster claws — had the feel of a business networking event, albeit on a massive scale.
This was the perfect atmosphere for the packed crowd of friends, family members, legislators, supporters and well-wishers, who gathered to celebrate LePage’s move to the Blaine House. As I made my way through the party snapping photos and chatting with guests, I talked with many who said they were excited by the governor’s pro-business platform.
“He’s a businessman, to start with,” former state legislator Chester Rice of South Bristol told me. “He’s run a business and made a payroll and he really knows what it takes to make jobs. I think Governor LePage will swing us back to the middle.”
Dick and Lori Perry of Waterville, who’ve known the Le- Pages for years and told me their son Trevor Perry attended the prom with the governor’s daughter Lauren LePage, expressed a similar sentiment.
“He’s a businessman,” Lori Perry told me. “He’s going to run the state like a business.”
Dick Perry added, “We’re really looking forward to the change.”
Chris Rushton of Lewiston, who is active with the tea party, said he is eager to see how LePage will tackle the issue of streamlining the state’s regulations and red tape.
“I want it to be smart,” Rushton said. “Not just cut our regulations for the sake of cutting.”
Ashley Willems-Phaneuf, the student body president of the University of Southern Maine, is looking forward to the governor’s initiatives to strengthen the state’s educational system.
“From a Board of Visitors meeting we had with him, I know education is important to him,” Willems-Phaneuf told me.
Like many I spoke with, Jack Kaiser of Winthrop told me he got to know LePage years ago through the Maine Republican party.
“What you see is what you get,” Kaiser said. “He’s going to listen to everybody.”
Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila can be contacted at 791-6297 or at:
akamila@pressherald.com
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