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Sandra Caron of Orono is a retired professor and recipient of the 2019 Distinguished Maine Professor Award, and a 2023 Maine Women’s Hall of Fame inductee.
My friends who live outside Maine always marvel at my literal close proximity to my elected representatives. It’s normal to see our federal representatives out and about, even if they are spending half their time annually in Washington, D.C.
Maine may be large geographically, but it’s small in terms of where we gather to worship, celebrate and shop. Years ago a friend ran into Olympia Snowe when she was still a senator. Olympia was pushing a cart at the local Hannaford. My friend was a little starstruck and blurted out that she was surprised to see her there. Olympia smiled and replied, “Hey, I have to eat like everyone else!”
In the past year alone, I’ve encountered most of our state’s most prominent politicians socially. I did the geriatric boogie to Willie Nelson at a Bangor waterfront concert with Gov. Janet Mills and Sen. Angus King, who were having a grand old time in the next section. Last October, I ran into Troy Jackson and Matt Dunlap at the University of Maine homecoming tailgates, happily chatting with anyone who approached them. Less than two weeks ago, I sat 20 feet from Sen. Susan Collins at the Alfond Arena, part of a sellout crowd cheering on the UMaine hockey team.
While my friends may be amused that Mainers spot their reps “in the wild” so often, what they really envy is the incredible constituent service that has been the Maine norm for decades. Our federal elected officials return home and visit their field offices often. They demand personalized and prompt constituent response. This ethos is also ingrained in state elected officials, regardless of party. Many state legislators freely publish their private cellphone numbers and email addresses for their constituents. We know we can call or write any representative with a gripe or compliment, and we’ll generally get a personal response.
I believe this tradition will be broken if Maine’s 2nd Congressional District elects Paul LePage. It’s generous to describe him as a part-time Maine resident. LePage has spent most of his time in Florida since leaving the governor’s office in 2018, and has faced tax controversies since then over homes he and his wife have owned as Florida residents.
He had a short stint back in Maine in 2022 when he ran for governor. After that failed campaign, he returned to the 3,800-square foot home in Florida he and his wife have owned since 2018. Does anyone really believe he lives now in that sad little apartment in Augusta above a barber shop that he leased from a prominent Republican last spring, just before announcing his current run?
LePage admits he is a “snowbird,” planning to spend the winter months in Florida, not Maine. He says it’s too cold and “he doesn’t play hockey anymore.” I don’t begrudge anyone the choice of spending winters somewhere warm. But that’s a choice for a retiree, not someone who wants to represent me come 2027.
The next winter promises to be brutal for Mainers. Between soaring heating oil costs and the collapsing healthcare system, there will be many Mainers desperate for help from their representatives. Instead, when he isn’t in Washington, D.C., LePage will apparently be spending his winter in Florida sunning himself by his heated pool, literally phoning it in for his constituents.
Matt Dunlap is a year-round Maine resident. If he is elected, when not in Washington, D.C., he will be shoveling snow and cursing his latest fuel oil bill just like the rest of us. He will likely know neighbors struggling to pay medical bills. He will feel our pain. And yes, he will also share our joy, live and in person, when we cheer on our beloved UMaine Black Bears.
LePage may know the hardships of living in Maine from his formative years. But times have changed, and to know Maine now you have to live here now, especially when you are signing up for a job that will keep you in D.C. for much of the year. LePage has apparently decided he’s either too old to live here full time, or he’s too entitled to think it’s a necessity.
I believe his lack of full-time residency in Maine disqualifies him from serving as our representative.