Weekly Radio Address: Alfond says: Important to our success is the tone we set—we must focus on what’s right instead of what’s wrong
Weekly Radio Address: President Alfond
Good Morning. This is Justin Alfond, President of the Maine Senate.
The Legislature is in full swing. Committees are up and running. And, earlier this week, lawmakers submitted bills for consideration.
It is clear that regardless of party affiliation, many in the Legislature are interested in finding a path to get Maine moving forward again.
As Democrats, we have set our priorities for this session. And we believe the best way to strengthen our economy is by putting people back to work and growing our middle-class.
But also important to the success of this Legislature, to this state and to the people of Maine is the tone we, as lawmakers, leaders, and citizens set.
We need to set a tone of focusing on what’s right instead of what’s wrong.
We need to have the hope and self-confidence that together, in partnership with private industry, non-profits, education, and government, we can all build the next economy from the ground up and middle out.
We have a lot to be proud of, and we should celebrate our strengths: We, Mainers, are a hard-working bunch! We are self-reliant, flexible and frugal.
Our state’s natural resources are unmatched; Our communities are safe and friendly; Some of our businesses are recognized as national leaders in their industries. And, the Maine-brand, is a brand known world-wide…world-wide.
We must build on these strengths and also learn from what can be done better.
Next week we are going to hear the State of the State address from our Governor. I hope he will not only talk about our challenges but also talk about the good things that are going on right here in our state and with our people.
Too often we hear about the rankings where Maine does poorly. But did you know, that Maine ranks number one in the nation for incentives for new business investment—and that’s according to Ernst and Young. And did you also know that some of our towns like Belfast, and Bath, and Camden, and my hometown of Portland, have all received top-rankings for livability and job attainment.
We’ve also recently heard from the CEO of Chand Eisenmann, who moved his business of fifty employees from Connecticut to Aroostook. Earlier this week, he said to a group of lawmakers, “I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t move their business to Maine?”
The Maine brand and Maine values remain a powerful draw—an increasingly rare asset in our country’s landscape. We need to not only remind ourselves of this but tell the world.
I am optimistic about the two years ahead of us. I am confident that together my Democratic and Republican colleagues can find common ground. Together, with our governor and the people of Maine, we can all do what is needed: make Maine a place where we can live, work, play, invest, and be successful in!
