BANGOR, Maine — Leaders of two political advocacy groups used a large television screen in Pickering Square to play a tongue-in-cheek “movie trailer” that was designed to “scare the truth” into voters about Gov. Paul LePage’s record on climate change and unregulated chemicals, the video maker said.
Both groups also issued statements in support of Democratic contender Mike Michaud to replace LePage.
“It’s [time] to get behind Mike,” said Ben Waxman, state director of NextGen Climate Maine, which created the “Nightmare at the Blaine House: Part II” video to let voters know they are against LePage because he has not done enough about climate change, which is “affecting our way of life.”
Prevent Harm, a public health political advocacy group spearheaded by former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree, also was onhand and Pingree spoke out against LePage’s voting record on regulating chemicals.
The movie trailer was played in Portland on Monday and will be back in Portland on Thursday, Waxman said.
Prevent Harm also held an anti-Lepage event, its “Fear the Beard” campaign in Maine in Bangor, Portland and Augusta earlier this month.
After the Bangor event, Maine Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Karl Wilkins issued a statement saying in 2014 the state doubled the number of chemicals listed as priority chemicals in Maine, adding arsenic, cadmium and mercury to the list, and is working to add more.
DEP commissioner Patricia Aho wrote a July 8 article that states LePage created the Environment and Energy Resources Working Group, which is led by the DEP and composed of representatives from the Governor’s Energy Office along with the departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Transportation, Marine Resources and Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, to look at climate change.
“Contrary to popular belief, the DEP is engaged in both climate mitigation and adaptation efforts in many ways,” Aho said.
Waxman said with only a week left before the election, “It’s clear that it’s a two-person race.”
“We need to do whatever we can to ensure that LePage doesn’t get another four years in the Blaine House,” he said.