Charting Maine’s Future -Making Headway

We extend special thanks to those who provided funding for this project:

Elmina B. Sewall Foundation Daniel HildrethHorizon Foundation, Inc. L.L. Bean, Inc.The Emanuel & Pauline A. Lerner FoundationThe Nature Conservancy in Maine Anna Marie and John ThronThe Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust Verrill Dana LLP

The report remains relevant because it took an idea that people understood intuitively – quality of place – and made it clear: living, working, and playing in healthy, vibrant communities makes good economic sense for everyone.

Focus on these recommendations may have inadvertently made Charting Maine’s Future appear to be the strategic plan for Maine.

We recognize that Maine’s economy will thrive and that our communities and natural and working landscapes will remain healthy when Charting Maine’s Future recommendations are meshed with equally powerful efforts related to workforce training and healthcare costs, and energy challenges.

Lesson No. 1: Local independence is cultural, historic, and not to be ignored

Lesson No. 2: Government is not always the most effective change agent

What We Learned: Six Lessons

Going Forward: Enhance community identity while empowering Mainers to engage in collaborative efforts.

Going Forward: Build support for key efforts through relationships with recognized community and business leaders. Focus on those initiatives with strong grass roots support as they are most likely to result in success.

Lesson No. 3: One state, diverse people

Going Forward: Directly address the tensions that exist between Maine’s diverse parts in order to create a sense that Maine is, while based on a foundation of individual communities, made up of a population that is “in it together.”

Lesson No. 4: Mainers are cautious

Going Forward: Celebrate our successes! Share lessons learned so that others can more readily follow the path being set. Focus efforts where they will have the greatest value. And be bold every once in a while.

Lesson No. 5: Investment requires sustained commitment

Going Forward: The state must commit to a consistent level of investment in innovations and quality places that will strengthen our economy. At whatever level Mainers are prepared to support, investments must be done in a way that is reasonably predictable. In return, Maine must offer consistent and reasonable regulations, at all levels of government, so that the private sector can be confident their resources are well invested.

Lesson No. 6: Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it’s still there

Going Forward: Be patient and consistent and celebrate our successes.

Investments in Maine’s Quality Places

One of the strengths is in connecting the importance of healthy and productive natural landscapes with equally vigorous downtowns of all sizes throughout Maine. This concept was not highlighted before.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS: UPDATE AND SUCCESSES

Revitalization of Maine’s Cities and TownsMaine’s tradition of local control places enormous responsibilities on small communities. While many are overwhelmed by growth and increased through-traffic, others experience zero or negative growth.

Towns functioning independently made sense when people lived their lives largely within the confines of a single town. How do we re-engineer government into thinking more regionally, while still preserving the best of our small town culture and traditions?

Investments in Innovation

“Charting Maine’s Future encouraged us to continue to invest in Maine’s resourcefulness and creativity.” Focus on sectors where we have a competitive edge.

Government Efficiency and Tax Reduction/Reform

A top to bottom overhaul of bureaucracies would not only improve service and finance needed investment, but could also make a down-payment on tax reform.

“For regional cooperation at any level…it has to be more than ‘the right thing to do’. The average citizen must be able to understand: Is this actually going to save me money.”

Ryan Pelletier, Northern Maine Development Commission

Announcing Healthy Maine Streets!“Making the healthy choice the easy choice – for ME!”

Announcing Healthy Maine Streets!$1,641 million two-year Community Transformation Grant (HHS/CDC) in partnership with MCD Public Health20 downtowns: 10 Main Street communities and 10 Downtown Network communities create local Wellness Councils Helps small businesses develop effective, community-based worksite wellness programs Training, assessing, planning, tracking and incentives providedResult? Healthier, more productive employees and communities!

Lynn BromleySmall Business Advocate

New England RegionU.S. SBA Office of AdvocacyTen Causeway StreetBoston, MA 02222

Phone: (617) 565-8418lynn.bromley@sba.gov

- Invest in Maine’s quality natural and build places

- Support our innovators

- Ensure government on all levels is effective in providing appropriate services

- Support community planning and development within and beyond municipal boundaries.

“There isn’t a bold revolutionary vision in economic development. This is a block and tackle event.”

“The Challenge for National and State Policy Makers is two-fold; to develop Economic and Growth Policies that Preserve the Maine Experience and the Second, Most Difficult Hurdle, Convince some Mainers to Trust them.”

David Trahan, Executive DirectorSportsman’s Alliance of Maine

“The world belongs to the collaborators.”

Senator Lynn Bromley

Making Headway

Elected officials can only go as far as those who elect them are prepared to go.

Making Headway, p. 7