Maine’s business climate is failing — and we know why

By Sen. Joe Martin

Hello, I’m Senator Joe Martin, and I have the honor of representing communities in Oxford and Franklin counties.

Today, I want to talk about a problem that affects every family, every worker and every community in Maine.

Maine’s business climate is headed in the wrong direction, and we should be honest about why.

For nearly five decades, Democrats have controlled Augusta for most of the time. They have controlled the governor’s Office, the Legislature or both for roughly 48 of the last 50 years. If Maine’s economy is struggling, if opportunities are leaving and if businesses are hesitant to invest here, those policies and those decisions deserve scrutiny.

The latest example is the stalled $550 million redevelopment project at the former Androscoggin Mill in Jay. This project promised hundreds of construction jobs, permanent employment opportunities and significant new tax revenue for a region that has already lost too many jobs.

Yet investors saw a Legislature willing to consider new restrictions, moratoriums and shifting rules after millions of dollars had already been committed. Whether a moratorium ultimately passed or not, the message was clear: Maine is becoming an uncertain place to invest.

And that’s the larger problem.

For years, Democratic majorities in Augusta have expanded regulations, increased spending, raised costs and made it harder to do business in Maine. The result is a business climate that discourages growth and drives investment elsewhere.

The people paying the price are not multinational corporations. They are small-business owners, family farms, truck drivers, loggers, manufacturers, restaurant owners and the hardworking men and women who depend on a strong private-sector economy.

Every new mandate, every permit delay, every added regulation and fee raises the cost of doing business. Those costs are eventually passed on through higher prices, fewer jobs, lower wages and fewer opportunities for young people.

The results speak for themselves. Maine recently ranked near the bottom nationally in economic performance. We continue to lose young workers, struggle with housing affordability, face some of the highest energy costs in the region and watch employers choose to invest elsewhere.

At some point, we must stop blaming everyone else and recognize the common denominator. When one party has largely controlled state government for nearly half a century, it owns the results.

The government does not create prosperity. Businesses, workers, innovators and entrepreneurs create prosperity. The government’s job should be to create conditions where they can succeed.

That means affordable energy, lower taxes, predictable regulations, respect for local communities and policies that encourage investment and stay right the hell out of the way instead of treating employers as a problem to be managed.            

Maine has every advantage needed to succeed: hardworking people, abundant natural resources, strong communities and an unmatched quality of life.

But until we change the direction coming out of Augusta, we will continue to lose opportunities like the Jay project, and we will continue to watch jobs, investment and young families go elsewhere.

The choice before Maine is simple. We can continue with the same policies that have produced decades of economic stagnation, or we can embrace a new direction that welcomes investment, rewards work and restores economic opportunity.

The future of Maine depends on making that choice.

Senator Joseph Martin represents the communities of District 19, which includes communities in Franklin and Oxford counties. He is the Senate Republican Lead for the Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the State and Local Government Committee.