Together, we enjoyed more than 67 years of military service in the active duty Air Force and the Maine Air National Guard. We worked for, and learned from, some great leaders, in peace and war, both in Maine and across the globe.
One of the lessons learned from our experience is the critical importance of selecting a leader who has the experience, commitment and vision to meet the needs of the organization, whether it’s an air wing, a corporation, a university, or, in this case, the state of Maine.
In our judgment, at this time in Maine’s history, the best leader to serve as the next governor of Maine is Mike Michaud.
Michaud builds coalitions to get things done. He understands how to collaborate and find common ground. He leads by listening, bringing people together and respecting dissenting opinions.
He doesn’t intimidate or bully or use fear as a weapon. He doesn’t have an ego that sucks the air out of the room, for Michaud believes that almost anything is possible if you let others take the credit.
We’ve watched Michaud work with Maine veterans of all ranks and services. His respect, empathy and commitment are evident in those face-to-face meetings. He has worked tirelessly on veterans’ behalf his entire career.
After enduring years of war that have tested the Maine National Guard relentlessly, we find ourselves with more combat veterans in the state than we’ve had in several decades. We need an executive in the Blaine House who understands Veterans’ Affairs and veterans.
Two months ago, the Gov. Paul LePage attended a sendoff for Air National Guard airmen in South Portland headed to Afghanistan. When the ceremony ended, these airmen would board a bus and be gone for months. Airmen with their families and young children were kept waiting as the governor was more than 20 minutes late.
They did not spend those final minutes with their families; they stood silently in an auditorium waiting on the featured speaker.
Once he arrived, he gave a rushed, unprepared five-minute speech and then announced he had to leave immediately. Yes, the governor is very busy. But, as the chief executive, he alone chooses which events he will attend on time. We believe Michaud would have arrived early and stayed to see them off.
It’s not the only time LePage has let our military men and women down.
Starting in 1999, the National Guard Education Assistance Program provided tuition assistance for guard members to attend state schools. As they finish deployments overseas and decades at war, these men and women are returning home to find the administration not funding this benefit — which is typically funded out of available state resources — for the upcoming school year.
As a result, service members cannot start or continue post-secondary education programs. We believe this would not have happened on Michaud’s watch.
The Maine Air National Guard has a proud history and, every year, processes more jet fuel for operational military missions than any other National Guard unit in the country.
Despite that superb performance, the Bangor unit for years was unable to get funding to build a new aircraft hangar. A plan was developed for Michaud and then-U.S. Rep. Tom Allen to work together and initiate action in the U.S. House (congressional rules prohibited initiating such an action in the Senate).
Michaud and Allen successfully moved the action through the House and then teamed with our two Republican senators to move the initiative forward into the Senate.
This was followed by close coordination with the president, the Air Force and the National Guard Bureau. The result was funding for a new aircraft hangar in the 2011 budget. This hangar was the largest military construction project for any Air National Guard base in the country that year and was made possible through the effective leadership and teamwork of Michaud.
The substance of Michaud’s leadership style can be seen in his track record of forging bipartisan solutions. He is a change agent, a proven team leader and a great teammate with the strengths and the skill set that Maine needs.
Real leadership goes beyond simply issuing orders and waiting for results. Mike Michaud is the best person to lead our state.
Gen. John Bubar and Gen. Don McCormack both served as Assistant Adjutants General for Air for the Maine National Guard. Bubar also served as wing commander for the 101st Air Refueling Wing in Bangor and was course director for the Air National Guard’s Commander Development Course in Washington, D.C. McCormack was chief of staff for the Maine National Guard Joint Staff for more than seven years and, after retiring from the military, was appointed as a bureau director in the Department of Administrative and Financial Services for the LePage administration from 2012 to 2013.