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Gov. John Baldacci spoke to a full house Wednesday afternoon at the University of Maine. Students expressed concern over the economic development of northern, eastern and central Maine, as well as the changing demographic of the state.
Baldacci opened his 2 p.m. speech by reminiscing about his own days at the university, remarking how much the buildings have changed. He said he still feels, however, that the quality of education is as good as it was when he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1986.
“You’ve probably recognized, as I did as a student, that we are very fortunate [to have such good professors] because they are very dedicated to you, and they are trying to plant in you the seeds of opportunity to build a foundation of your independence and be in charge of your own destiny,” he said.
The first issue Baldacci addressed was the changing demographic of Maine. The census of the state is changing, the population is getting older, and young people are leaving Maine, he said.
“We need to recognize that there may be some things that we can do collectively,” Baldacci said. “We can’t change certain things, but we can at least plant incentives in certain areas where it may attract what I consider to be something that young people are really interested in.”
An incentive to bring in younger residents is the development of a creative economy jobs in the state, including artisans, software designers, architects and engineers, Baldacci said. Because of the information age and access to high-speed Internet connections, many businesses can participate in commerce anywhere they want, he said. Business owners will be attracted to Maine because of the quality of life and work ethic, Baldacci said.
“The leading economic indicators [to raise the per capita income] are the education level of our communities over 18 and the amount of research and development that is expended per worker,” he said, citing research from the state planning office.
Baldacci commended the university for being a leader in research and development, and said he hoped opportunities in that field that were available many years ago remain available.
“Our goal is that we want you to stay here,” he said. “Not because you don’t want to, but because you do and you are able to try out new things.”
Baldacci also discussed some unique businesses developing in Maine, such as a company that markets hovercraft lawnmowers and a company that produces blueberry juice.
He said his administration is working to improve community involvement, college attendance and educated votership, all of which he said could be improved by working on research and development, education, health care and business investment.
As for health care, Baldacci said the system needs to change, partly through working together with health care providers. Having the 10th-best health care in the state is good, he said, but improvements need to be made.
Baldacci called for Maine citizens to “think globally and act locally,” remarking on the first green-certified building being built in the state, the Governor Baxter School. Baldacci concluded his presentation by answering questions from members of the audience. One concern was the integration of southern Maine’s economic development with northern, southern and central Maine. Baldacci discussed “Pine Tree Zones” in Washington, Aroostook and Penobscot counties, where 5,000 acres have been set aside for regional and local economic development. He called for an aggressive plan to reduce taxes in those areas and rebuild factories, such as Great Northern Paper.
