Gov. Paul LePage is doing his best to bring the dysfunction of Washington, D.C., to Maine.

During his three and a half years in office, the governor has issued a record-breaking number of vetoes — including 15 in one day.

He’s rejected commonsense, bipartisan ideas. He’s rejected state budgets supported by Democrats, Republicans and Independents. He’s said “no” to compromise legislation that would have provided health insurance to nearly 70,000 Mainers, including 3,000 veterans. And he’s held hostage important voter-approved investments that would have created jobs and strengthened our economy, just to get his own way.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

I served in the Legislature under Democratic, Republican, and Independent governors, and I was able to work with them to craft and shape legislation, even when we disagreed on the details.

Issuing a record number of vetoes is not something to be proud of. It shows a complete inability to work with the Legislature, which is the responsibility of any governor, regardless of their party.

Beyond the heavy use of the veto pen, the LePage administration has been marked by anger, divisiveness and poor management.

I serve as the ranking member on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee where I’ve had the privilege to work with Chairman Jeff Miller, a Republican from Florida.

Miller and I have been able to avoid partisanship. Along with other members of the committee, we have been able to improve the lives of veterans. We’ve improved health care, invested in education and generally worked together to get things done.

On Monday, May 5 (5:30 – 7 p.m. Kresge Auditorium), I’ll be part of a panel discussion at Bowdoin College: “Is Bipartisanship Dead: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Compromise.”

The answer to that question is “no.” I believe we can bring back bipartisanship.

There’s little question that the current governor believes his best path to political success is obstruction and fighting. I believe it’s time to return Maine to the type of politics that our voters are accustomed to — a process marked by civility and respect.

In 2000, I was elected unanimously as president of the Maine Senate. At the time, the Senate included 17 Democrats, 17 Republicans and one independent. If someone was sick, the majority could change hands.

A lot of folks were skeptical. They expected gridlock and constant fighting. Instead, we worked together to accomplish important things for the state we all love.

In 2001, I kept my promise to honor the power sharing arrangement and turned the gavel over to Sen. Bennett, who served as president of the Senate in the second year of the session.

Working in good faith, we were able to build trust and keep an open line of communication. Because we were willing to work together, those differences never stood in the way of progress.

Much has changed in the last 14 years. Politics has gotten rougher. Big money, often hidden and unaccountable, empowers those who would prefer to fight than to govern.

But I strongly believe that we can make a change. Maine needs a leader who has a proven track record of bringing people together to solve problems, who will listen and treat everyone — regardless of political party — with respect.

Bipartisanship in Maine isn’t dead. But it has been on vacation for the last three and half years. Now is the time to restore that lost art of compromise and get busy helping Maine to grow and prosper. We can’t afford not to.

U.S. REP. MIKE MICHAUD represents Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. He is running for the Democratic nomination for governor.