McGowan for Maine

Pat McGowan comes from a family of public servants - his mother was the first woman on the editorial board of the Waterville Sentinel and his father was a legislator.  Pat proudly represented rural Somerset County in the Maine House of Representatives and served as Commissioner of the Department of Conservation. 

Pat firmly believes in the positive role government plays in protecting the most vulnerable, promoting equal opportunity, and ensuring justice for all.  But he also believes in the words of Thomas Jefferson – “The government that governs least governs best.” 

On the campaign trail, Pat has felt a shift in public opinion against the role of government in their lives.  People are struggling economically and angry that government institutions failed to rein in the excesses that caused the recession.  As Governor, Pat will work to restore faith in state government, getting it focused back on the basics.  Fundamental reforms are necessary.  Pat McGowan has a clear plan for sweeping governmental and political reforms that will improve Maine’s policymaking process, make elections more focused and informative, and save taxpayers $10-15 million per biennium. 

Reduce the Size of the Legislature

For a state of 1.3 million people, Maine has a high ratio of legislators to population.  The Maine House of Representatives currently has 151 members, and the Maine Senate has 35 members.  The average number of citizens per legislator in the eight states nearest to Maine in population is roughly 10,000.  In Maine, it is around 7,000. 

Pat’s plan calls for reducing the Maine House of Representatives to 99 members and the Maine Senate to 24 members, and making corresponding reductions in associated legislative staff and expenses.  This will move Maine’s ratio closer to the regional average, save significant amounts of money every year, and make state government more efficient.

Fewer Bills, Shorter Sessions

There are currently very few limitations on the numbers of bills submitted by legislators.  The same bills can be submitted, and defeated, year after year.  Bills on less important or repetitive topics waste legislative time and taxpayer money, diverting attention from real deliberation and debate on innovative proposals to address Maine’s most pressing problems.  That’s why Pat wants to limit the number of bills submitted each session to 1,000.  With fewer bills, legislative work will be more focused and efficient. 

With less work, Pat will also propose to reduce the length of the First Regular Session by 9 weeks - from a maximum of approximately 30 weeks to a maximum of 21 weeks.  He will also propose to reduce the length of the Second Regular Session to 30 days, focused only on budgetary and emergency matters, as it was originally intended.

In tandem, these two reforms will focus the policymaking process on Maine’s most pressing problems and save taxpayers money.

Improve Term Limits

As Commissioner of Conservation, Pat worked intimately with the Legislature on environmental, conservation, and energy issues.  As a result of term limits, he saw an important change in the policymaking process since he served in the Legislature in the 1980s – the enhanced power of lobbyists to bend policy toward the interests of their clients.  Unlike some career politicians, Pat does not believe in repealing term limits – he wants to improve the system.  Pat will propose to increase the length of terms from two years to four years, and to reduce the maximum number of terms members of the Legislature can serve from four terms to three terms.  Pat’s reforms will improve Maine’s policymaking process by providing more continuity among policymakers and more predictability for citizens' groups and business leaders.  They will also save taxpayers money by reducing the total number of elections.

Shorten the Election Season

The election season in Maine is far too long.  With the primary election in June and the general election in November, most candidates begin running for office more than a year before Election Day.  Voters get tired of the constant electioneering and are fatigued by the endless cycle of campaign advertising.  There is a better way – 22 other states hold their primary elections in August or later, as do the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.  That’s why Pat will propose to move Maine’s primary election date from June to September.  Shortening the campaign season will focus public interest on important civic decisions in a more manageable timeframe.  It will also reduce the amount of funding necessary for Maine’s public financing system, saving taxpayers money.

Create an Office of the Lt. Governor

Only seven states in the U.S. do not have a lieutenant governor – Maine is one of them.  Pat supports creating a new position of Lt. Governor to provide continuity in the event the Governor is incapacitated or dies.  Furthermore, by reducing the Maine Senate to 24 members, a Lt. Governor would provide the tie-breaking 25th vote.  To ensure that the new position does not create additional costs, Pat will also give his Lt. Governor responsibility for a Cabinet-level department, eliminating the need to appoint a commissioner. 

Streamline State, County, Local Government

Pat McGowan has a simple leadership style – never ask anyone to do anything he wouldn’t do himself.  As Governor, Pat will apply this principle to state government.  In order to hold the line on taxes for Maine families and businesses, all levels of government – state, county, and local – must become more efficient.  Duplicative services must be eliminated and new ways of providing services must be developed.  State government should lead this effort.  As Governor, Pat will constantly search for efficiency and push the members of his Cabinet for better ways to operate.  He will begin by eliminating the State Planning Office, the Department of Economic & Community Development, and the Department of Professional & Financial Regulation, and replace them with a new Department of Commerce.  This change will create a single state department with a sharp focus on commerce, eliminate duplicative personnel and services, and save taxpayers money.