After a long campaign season, it still feels a little strange to have Election Day behind us and swearing-in day in the rear view mirror. On Wednesday, members of the Maine Senate and House gathered in the State House to take our oath of office, administered by Gov. Janet Mills.
Historically, swearing-in day has been a time of celebration, pomp and circumstance. It’s a solemn but joyous occasion, especially for first-time legislators, to take our oath of office to serve the Maine people. Then, we go home and prepare for the real work. But with energy, heating and housing prices reaching catastrophic highs, Maine people can’t wait. Our first day of the 131st Legislature will still be momentous, as swearing-in day always is, but we’re also planning for it to be genuinely productive. After all, it’s a promise we made to voters: That we would roll up our sleeves and get to work on the most pressing issues facing our constituents.
When I spoke to voters around my district this year, the No. 1 concern people spoke about was the high cost of living, especially spiking energy and heating costs. Even in the late summer and earliest days of autumn, many families were worried about whether they’d be able to keep their homes warm this winter.
At the same time, Maine is facing an affordable housing crisis. More and more middle-class and working-class Mainers are being priced out of homeownership. Rising rental prices are also forcing some out of the safe apartments they’ve called home. I’ve also heard from many local businesses that even when they find a quality candidate to hire, they have trouble finding somewhere affordable to live in the area.
These problems are affecting Maine’s families, retirees and businesses right now. They’re problems that are dire and need immediate action. That’s why, on day one of the new legislative session, just hours after being sworn in, my colleagues and I in the legislature will take our first votes, focusing on proposals to provide real relief to Maine people.
The housing and energy crises are complex. To be frank, there are many factors that are far outside our control in the legislature. But for all my time in the State House, I’ve never seen that stop anyone from standing up and taking action. Mainers aren’t the kind of folks to sit around when there’s work to be done. Over the next two years of this legislative session, there will be proposals, counter proposals and passionate debates. But I have faith that there will also be real progress. Regardless of where we stand politically, at the end of the day, every elected leader in the Senate and House is there to do all they can to help their constituents. That means, truly, our biggest goals are the same, even if we might disagree on how to achieve those goals.
There are long days of hard work ahead of us, but we’re hitting the ground running on our very first day. Maine voters should take heart knowing that the leaders you’ve trusted to represent you are wasting no time in taking on the problems you’ve sent us to Augusta to solve.
Sen. Eloise Vitelli is Majority Leader of the Maine Senate, representing District 24, which covers all of Sagadahoc County and Dresden.
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