BATH

Gov. Paul LePage spoke on a number of state issues Thursday at Morse High School in Bath during a sometimes raucous town hall-style forum.

Early on in the forum, LePage’s comments on welfare reform were disrupted by Freeport resident James Roux.

“What about black people? What about asylum seekers?” yelled Roux, who has openly opposed the governor at other town hall meetings.

Roux, who attended LePage’s forum in Freeport last month, stood up to leave when the governor addressed the issue of asylum seekers. Audience members clapped as he was escorted out of the room on Thursday.

“Every week, he’s here,” LePage said, later identifying Roux as the individual who “haunts” the Flag Ladies in Freeport. In January, the Flag Ladies — known for their weekly patriotic displays — were denied legal protection against Roux, whom they said harassed and terrorized them.

On Thursday, LePage spoke of the need to reassess the state’s school districts, pointing out the imbalance between Maine’s school budget and educational performance compared to other states.

“It’s not the blame game, it’s the facts” he said, addressing some audience members who were holding up opposition signs.

A task force will be looking at three major issues surrounding the state’s educational status next week, he said, which includes the size of school districts, disparity in education quality and the state’s high population of special education students.

“Preschool programs, my friend,” an audience member called out when the governor questioned why only one-third of Maine students in the third grade were proficient in reading and math at that grade level.

“Yeah I know. I’ve been there and done that,” LePage answered. “Russia’s been doing it for 50 years and said it doesn’t work.”

As others spoke up, LePage asked community members whether they wanted him to continue.

“If we can’t have civility, then maybe we leave,” he said.

During a Q-and-A session, another man spoke up, sarcastically asking LePage if he would be willing to authorize a “vigilante justice system” toward drug dealers, taking a jab at when the governor had described out-of-state drug dealers as “DMoney, Smoothie, Shifty” who “impregnate young white girls.”

LePage addressed the state’s opiate problem seriously, noting that he would be considering a new drug treatment facility and a rehabilitation project where addicts would have a chance to choose between rehabilitation or jail time. However, he said the dealers are who he “really want(s) to go after.”

“I would like to empty the jails with people with mental illness and put (drug dealers) in jail,” he added.

LePage also responded to a question about whether or not he would support the release of the senior housing bonds.

In November, voters had approved the $15 million bond, which was designated for elderly citizens who need access to affordable housing.

While LePage initially answered ‘yes,’ he said he found issue with the way the bond was written, noting that someone could request $500,000 from the bonds and “we give him the money and it’s gone.”

“I don’t think that’s what the voters of Maine intended,” he said.

LePage also suggested using the funds to invest in portable telemedicine units, especially for older citizens who would like to remain in their homes.

“I don’t mind using that money if there’s a value given back to the people of Maine,” he said. “But I don’t want to give $4.8 million to the gentleman who is a lot older and I can’t tell him anything. He sets the rates and he does everything, and we can’t control it. That’s the way it was written.”

If the bond was amended, LePage said he “would be all in.”

Asked what he would have done differently in past years as governor, LePage said: “I wouldn’t run,” he said, noting that it was “for the exact reason I heard people speak tonight.”

“Every morning, whether I’m criticized or not, I get up, I argue with myself in the mirror and say you’ve got to go do it again,” LePage said. “Whether I like it or not. That’s my motive, that’s my intention.”

dkim@timesrecord.com