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Independent Shawn Moody surprised many when he decided to run for governor. Going under the nose of the other candidates and the media, he and a group of volunteers collected 5,000 signatures of registered voters – 1,000 more than the total necessary to appear on the November ballot.
“There wasn’t one person that I ran into who said ‘I’m not going to sign that. Everything’s going great.’ Not one person. So that’s how deep the political unrest is,” Moody said. “They think that politics – not just at the state level, but nationwide – has turned into a shin-kicking contest.”
The candidate, who calls himself “as apolitical of a person as you’ll find” is the owner of Moody’s Collision Centers, with five locations in Cumberland and York counties. He started the business in 1977 – when he was just 17 years old.
“I didn’t go on to college. I started the business when I was young, knew what I wanted to do and didn’t see that need at that time,” Moody said. “The thing that Maine has right now is they have an aging population – close to the oldest in the nation. We’re worried about pension, benefits, 401(k) [plans] and retirement. What we’re not worried about is an entrance strategy [to the job market]. That’s what we need to be focused on – our young people. They’re healthy. They’re vibrant. They’re creative. They’re our future.”
The Gorham native said the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System must combine administrative duties to reduce overhead and to better understand the functions of each system.
“There’s no sense having redundancies in bookkeeping, human resources, insurances, business managers, deans, and things of that nature. There’s a tremendous amount of savings there,” Moody said.
The candidate also said the university system has lost enrollment due to the cheaper, two-year programs offered by community colleges.
“I think the university system has kind of lost its way. They’re tucking themselves up against Colby, Bowdoin or Bates. The university system was designed for an affordable, quality education,” Moody said. “Now, their tuition is so high that their enrollment is softening and dropping so they’re having a revenue problem.”
According to a University of Maine System report, the number of first-time, first-year students enrolled in the system dropped by 12 percent from Fall 2008 to Fall 2009.
Moody said his business adopted a program where young apprentices learn the auto body trade from older, skilled technicians – something he says could benefit Maine’s business community and educational systems.
“It’s a real powerful connection. I think I can bring that philosophy to education and state government,” Moody said. “I think we have voids in the workforce where we need good trained workers. Health care is a great example of that. But at the university level, we have waiting periods for people to get into nursing programs.”
The candidate applauded University of Maine System Chancellor Richard Pattenaude’s “New Challenges, New Directions” initiative to restructure the system, but says educators may be out of their range of expertise when it comes to managing the business operations of the system.
“I don’t know if educators are the best equipped to tackle those challenges that revolve more around organizational, operational changes, not educational changes. We certainly need the expertise of people who have had success in streamlining and consolidating services and operations,” he said.
Moody applauded Gov. John Baldacci for not supporting tax increases to help balance state budgets, but he said Baldacci “will be remembered more for what he didn’t do.”
The candidate called the June passage of five bond issues “a fingerprint of Maine’s people,” although many are concerned with the borrowing of money at an interest rate.
“They know we have to inject some capital and create some jobs. So, they kind of took it upon themselves, even though they know they don’t want to borrow money and we have to pay it back. Maine voters are smart, they’re compassionate and they did the right thing in a sense, to say, ‘Look, we need to get this economy moving,’” Moody said. “I don’t think anyone was going down that ballot and checking those boxes going, ‘Yippee.’”
The candidate said more private sector competition for the health care market in Maine would lower the costs of plans. He said car insurance in Maine is cheaper because companies are highly competitive and coverage is more selectable. He wants to see “a la carte” health plans, heightening consumer choice through customized plans.
Moody did not give his position on same-sex marriage, but said he would not have signed the bill legalizing gay marriage that Baldacci signed in May 2009. The law was suspended by people’s veto and voted down by a 53-47 margin that November.
“I think the Maine people have made it clear that they don’t want that issue being decided by the governor or the legislature,” he said. “Either side is going to go out and get the necessary signatures to veto.”
The candidate praised the “experience” and “compassionate” leadership of Maine Senate President and Democratic nominee Libby Mitchell and the business experience of Waterville Mayor, Mardens Surplus and Salvage lead executive and Republican nominee Paul LePage, but said he represents the best of both candidates.
“I’m really compassionate about people and social safety nets and education, yet I have the business acumen and the wherewithal to grow. I know what it takes to grow business,” Moody said. “I bet 80 percent of the people who got signs [from his campaign] have never had a political sign on their lawn before. They’re not backing a politician. They’re backing a hard-working person.”
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