When it seemed likely that Republicans would sweep to victory in Maine last month, Gov. John Baldacci tried to rally Democrats. “I wanted our side to fight more. I wanted our side to give the rest of the story,” he told WCSH-TV this month.
So what is the rest of the story? What is John Baldacci’s legacy as Maine’s 72nd governor?
Mr. Baldacci’s tenure included two national economic recessions, one of historic proportions. His response to those recessions, and the inevitable drop in tax revenue they caused, color our understanding of his eight years. Critics, especially those boiling up tea party anger in the last year, cited “runaway state spending.” Yet as Mr. Baldacci has noted, the state did not raise broad-based taxes in the face of declining revenues, and he led efforts to ratchet down state spending to levels last seen in the early part of the decade. And there are 1,000 fewer state workers on the payroll since Mr. Baldacci took office.
The governor also led a comprehensive effort to reconfigure state government and the activities it funds. His boldest — and most reviled — move was to push school districts to consolidate administration, transportation, maintenance and special education functions. The initiative was driven not only by lean times, but by declining student enrollments projected to continue far into the future. It was a tough prescription, and one that arguably did not go far enough, but it was the right fix. Mr. Baldacci also pushed to consolidate state agencies and departments.
The governor also got LD 1 passed, a law requiring schools and municipalities to take extra steps if they were to enact budget increases greater than the rate of inflation.
The governor said he wanted to “give the rest of the story.” But his weakness in telling the rest of the story — or telling any story — often wounded his worthy goals. A push back on school consolidation probably was inevitable. But had he traveled the state, speaking to parent-teacher groups, Rotary clubs and chambers of commerce and hosting town hall meetings to explain the need for consolidation, it might have been accepted by more people.
The same can be said for the Dirigo health insurance program. One of the biggest disincentives to doing business in Maine was (and is) the high cost of health insurance. And the 120,000 Mainers without insurance were consuming state health care dollars through ER visits and Medicaid reimbursements. Dirigo aimed to insure all 120,000, but after the Legislature modified the program, it was more like a pilot program, the governor said. He regrets not explaining to the public that insurance would be extended incrementally.
Dirigo also was undercut when insurance companies sued to oppose being assessed fees, money they were saving by not having to insure some high-cost clients. “We won every time,” he said, but the program was underfunded. A legislative fix that moved some of Dirigo’s costs to a soda tax was later repealed by voters.
Gov. Baldacci’s long public service career, beginning on the Bangor City Council and continuing through terms in the state Senate and in the U.S. House of Representatives, was marked by his ability to listen, build consensus and find practical solutions to help
Maine people. But in his first job as chief executive, he was unable to muster the dynamic, persuasive leadership style needed to lead, especially when his policies did not lend themselves to bumper sticker summaries. This may be his biggest failing as governor.
In addition to failing to articulate his vision, Mr. Baldacci relied too heavily on friends as he formed his Cabinet. By choosing commissioners and advisers from his Bangor and Augusta circles, the governor missed the opportunity to have new ideas, new relationships within government. Had he lured national experts to the posts, ideas that have worked elsewhere might have been replicated in Maine.
Yet the governor didn’t always play it safe. Signing the bill that made gay marriage legal was an act of courage for Mr. Baldacci, a lifelong Catholic who had to disagree with his church’s position on the issue. Voters overturned the law, but by a couple of percentage points; the margin would have been in double digits 10 years ago. He deserves credit for this principled stance.
Mr. Baldacci acted swiftly when gas and oil prices spiked three years ago. He pushed weatherization efforts, had the state install pellet furnaces in some state buildings, and — most controversially — pushed through a law that fast-tracked permitting for wind power projects. The hard job of fine-tuning and improving those initiatives falls to the next administration.
Gov. Baldacci’s record is inextricably tied to the times in which he served. With weak economies bracketing his eight years, he chose battening down the hatches and drawing in the sails over bold new tacks. It wasn’t pretty, but it kept the ship of state afloat.