Blaine House 2010 | News

Candidate hails local government experience

Sidney selectman says internships crucial to retaining students

Posted on May 10, 2010, at 12:38 p.m.

John Whitcomb, an Independent candidate in the 2010 Maine gubernatorial election, works seven days a week as a marine electrician at Bath Iron Works, a shipyard in Sagadahoc County. He can’t afford to leave work to campaign.

“It’s a little harder for the ones that aren’t frontrunners,” Whitcomb said. “I’m at a huge disadvantage.”

Whitcomb grew up in Waterville and lives in Sidney, a town of about 3,500 between Augusta and Waterville. He has been a selectman there for the past six years, serving as chairman for the past three. He said the experience of overseeing a town’s finances on a small budget has prepared him for state leadership.

According to Whitcomb, the only difference between local and state government is “zeros at the end of a budget. You’ve still got to deal with the same things, which is seeing what’s in the best interests of the people that are paying your taxes.”

Whitcomb complimented the University of Maine System, but advocated more on-the-job training and career-oriented curricula. He wants to create incentives for Maine businesses to hire students.

Tax breaks for businesses hiring system students for internships, he says, would make students more likely to stay in Maine after graduation.

“When they’re done [with college], on day one, they could start doing their job,” Whitcomb said. “Make it a friendly partnership for all parts – the state level, the education level and for the business level.”

He expressed frustration with tuition increases within the system, saying they would deter Maine students from getting a postgraduate degree entirely.

“There’s no sense in going to school if you’re not going to have a job,” Whitcomb said. “Without the education, it doesn’t matter what we bring in for jobs.”

Whitcomb advocates “a 50-50 program” to improve the business climate in Maine. He said government should spend half of its time and money recruiting new businesses and half trying to preserve existing businesses. He believes far too much time is spent by Maine leaders on attracting new businesses.

“We seem to focus our time on new business and letting those that are here fall. That can’t be done,” Whitcomb said. “If you don’t have anything here, why would anybody want to come?”

Whitcomb sees financial waste in government as a large reason why the state is cutting funds to education and health and human services. He believes welfare leniency is a large reason why many state departments are in financial peril.

A 2008 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Study showed that 4.8 percent of Maine households received cash public assistance in the year preceding, the second-highest percentage in the nation, behind Alaska. This assistance includes general and temporary assistance income and excludes food stamps.

“The ones that are ripping the system off are the ones that they don’t even bother to check into,” he said. “They have loopholes that are so big they don’t even have to try to go through them. They just open the door for you and let you in,” Whitcomb said. “Helping somebody get back on their feet – yes. Helping somebody stay off of their feet – no.”

Whitcomb said he doesn’t oppose welfare, but advocates more strict time limits and longer residency requirements for people on welfare and food stamp programs. He supports tax breaks for businesses that employ people on welfare to wean citizens off of state aid.

“The biggest things I hear from people [are]: ‘Why aren’t we business-friendly? Why do we give everything away to welfare programs,” Whitcomb said.

Whitcomb said Mainers he has talked to are upset with the direction of Maine’s leadership and want to see a political outsider in office.

“They want someone who is a working-class individual that thinks more along the lines of what they are thinking,” Whitcomb said. “Somebody that is willing to step on both toes, to do the right thing regardless of what the party wants, is, I think, a benefit.”

Other gubernatorial candidates, Whitcomb says, do not provide the change necessary to lead Maine in the right direction.

“They’re career politicians and businessmen trying to buy their way,” Whitcomb said. “They’re the ones that have put a lot of these policies into place that have messed up.”

The candidate criticized Gov. John Baldacci’s two terms in office, and said the Democrat’s performance has been “poor.”

“I think he was more worried about what’s good for the party than what’s good for the state,” Whitcomb said.

Whitcomb is working right now to collect the required 4,000 signatures of registered Maine voters which Independents need to get on the ballot. He said he has “about a dozen people and a few businesses” in places including Bangor, Camden and Waterville collecting signatures, but doesn’t know exactly how many he has accumulated.

Whitcomb says although many Mainers do not want to see business as usual in Augusta, many also tell him he will have a hard time winning election.

“Most people have the mentality that you’re not going to beat big government and unfortunately they could be right,” Whitcomb said.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 10th, 2010, 12:38 pm. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.