York Town News
Report recommends big changes to accommodate growth and keeps Maine's character intact
By Melissa Wood
YORK - Historian David McCullough has said that few people would know what revolution they're living in.
A person who lived during the Industrial Revolution, for example, would most likely not have realized that a revolution was even taking place.
We're also living in the middle of a couple of powerful revolutions, Alan Caron, president of GrowSmart Maine, told a group of 45 to 50 gathered for a regional town meeting at Village Elementary School on Monday night, May 7. Digital and technological revolutions are taking place right now, he said, creating a new economy where some people are no longer tied to geographic locations because of their jobs.
"What it means is for the first time in human history large numbers of people can live in one place and work in a completely different place ... as long as you have high-speed Internet connection and a decent airport nearby," said Caron. "This has never happened before; it is truly revolutionary."
What that means for Maine is the state's population has actually grown since 2000, with more and more people who are not tied to a particular place choosing to live here.
"It's happening because we have this quality of place, and it stops happening if we lose it," said Caron.
The question of how to grow without wrecking Maine's sense of place has been taken up by GrowSmart Maine, a four-year-old, non-partisan citizen group based in Yarmouth that is working on an action plan for Maine's future. The way to do that is to invest in an innovation economy, reduce taxing and spending and protect the brand that makes Maine so special and unique, GrowSmart concluded in a report with the Brookings Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank.
"We are poised for an era of sustainable prosperity," said Caron. "It is not guaranteed to us by any means. It will require some tough choices and that we invest our limited resources wisely."
Two specific ways to reduce taxing and spending suggested in the report are to restructure government by creating a commission for the legislature set up in the same style as the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), an entity created to give an independent but experienced recommendation on base closings, and shift the tax burden onto people visiting from other states by increasing the lodging tax by 3 percent to bring it up to 10 percent.
"We really need a fundamental restructuring of government," said Caron. "We have a real fear that if some change doesn't happen, the pent up demand for it will be taken up by the people. ... Try TABOR (the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights) on for size, that's really what we're facing."
Sen. Peter Bowman, D-Kittery, said he also introduced a bill calling for a BRAC-type commission to streamline government. The commission would make recommendations that would then be approved by an up or down vote. He is still waiting for the bill's hearing, which must take place within the next couple of weeks before the close of the legislative session.
"It's just interesting floating this balloon out there to see what will happen," he said.
As for the increase in lodging tax, Caron pointed out that it is the lowest of any New England state and that five or six other proposals are in the Legislature to raise it. However, he said the GrowSmart proposal is the only one that would reinvest the $190 million generated from the 3-percent increase in the things that tourists come here for -Maine's heritage and the land.
According to Caron, the Brookings report says not raising the lodging tax is like leaving money on the table.
"We have a special product here, and it's part of our attitude problem that we're not prepared to price a special product at what people are willing to pay," he said.
Part of Maine's problem is that it suffers from a "wicked attitude problem," said Caron, which makes it difficult for residents to realize the opportunities at hand.
"We have institutes in the state whose primary purpose when they wake up every morning is to make you feel miserable about Maine," he said. "We have to deal with this one in order to deal with all the other things."
Caron said communities all over Maine are grappling with how to handle growth - whether it is over casinos, big box stores, or suburban sprawl.
"I believe Maine people aren't pro-growth or anti-growth. I think we're just deeply ambivalent," said Caron.
He pointed out that two-thirds of the people in Maine are natives and one-third are "from away," and all have chosen to either move to or stay in the state because it is a special place.
"We have a unique quality of place," said Caron "When you take anything in diminishing of supply what is left goes up in value. ... If we wanted Maine to become Anywhere, U.S.A., we would've gone there or stayed there."
Caron has presented the report at regional meetings around Maine. He said the response has been favorable, but added that it wouldn't make sense if everybody just agreed with all of its parts.
Tess Schneier, a member of the Kittery School Committee, said she was concerned that the Brookings report is being cited by Augusta as the reason the state is moving toward consolidation of its school districts. She suggested that the state start redistricting with the 75 percent of school districts that have 500 children or fewer.
"I don't know looking at those as cost savings will do Maine any good," she said. "Parents with young people aren't going to move here if they see this is poorly thought out."
Caron answered that the move toward consolidation is in line with the national average.
"Our school population went down 16 percent, the number of teachers went up a third and the administrative cost went up 54 percent," he said, adding that he personally supported neighborhood schools. "Can we afford to keep those schools, quality in the classroom and the administration that we have? The status quo is not an option. We can't have it all."
Caron said two bills, Legislative Documents 1848 and 1872, were introduced to the Legislature that incorporate all the changes recommended by GrowSmart Maine and the Brookings report, including $50 million for investing in research and development. But they face the challenges of partisanship within the Legislature and of being too comprehensive for a Legislature divided up into many different committees for different issues.
Caron said that real change happens from the bottom out with grassroots organizations working at local levels. He said the state should have more confidence that local people are both smart and passionate.
"Give people tools, give them resources, and, this is a horrifying idea, give the money to the communities," he said. "You're talking revolution. Let's maximize the creativity we have out there."
He invited people who wanted to get involved to join the GrowSmart Maine network, contribute what they can and spread the word. For more information, visit http://www.growsmartmaine.org/.
