Weekly Radio Address: Senator Boyle says, Governor stands in the way of economic progress for our state and our state’s workforce

Weekly Radio Address: Senator Jim Boyle

Good morning, this is State Senator Jim Boyle of Gorham.

As a small business owner, I know the hard work that goes in to building a business. I understand the challenges and rewards that come with business ownership and development.

I have responsibilities to my clients, to my employees, and of course, to my own family.

I understand how it feels to face hard choices. For example, when to invest and when to cut? When to hire—and how many?

Senator Jim Boyle recording this week’s radio address

Like business owners everywhere, in order to address many of the daily challenges that come across my desk, I need to know what I can count on. I need to know what the rules of the game are and I need to know, that the state I live in and do business in respects my goal and drive to run a successful business.

Unfortunately, in the last few months Maine has received some economic news that is unsettling to me as a business owner and as a lawmaker.

For the last four years, the entire country has suffered the impact of a downturned economy. Yet, while the rest of the country is rebounding, Maine is not. In the last year, Maine was one of only three states in the entire country that actually lost jobs.

A recent comparison of governors by a business magazine, ranked Governor LePage as the second worst governor in the nation for his jobs record.

From day one, Governor LePage has touted his business savvy. In fact, one of his first acts to demonstrate his commitment to being a being a pro-business, pro-jobs governor was to hang the “Open For Business” sign at Maine’s gateway.

He is also known for saying, “capital goes where it’s welcomed and stays where it’s appreciated.”

He’s right. But there is more to supporting business and creating jobs than hanging signs and reciting slogans.

Business needs predictability.

Business needs access to investment, to capital, to grow.

Business needs a well-trained workforce, so they are prepared to meet the requirements for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

And, business needs a willing partner in government.

Unfortunately, Governor LePage has not been a willing partner, and it’s clear his strategy is not working. In fact, I would say, that not only is his strategy not working—it’s actually harming our state’s business climate, delaying our economic recovery, and keeping too many people out of work or underemployed.

Just this past month, because of last minute political hijinks at the hand of the Governor, Maine is in jeopardy of losing an opportunity to create a legacy industry, by an international industry innovator—Statoil. Because of the Governor’s choices, this opportunity with Statoil is literally hanging in the balance—and, along with it, are hundreds of skilled, good paying jobs, and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic investment.

Statoil is a world-leader and they chose Maine as its foothold for a first-of-its kind floating wind turbine project.

An agreement to move forward was just weeks away from being inked between Statoil and the Public Utilities Commission. But then, in a textbook case of politics at its worst, this deal, was undone by Governor LePage. And in one fell swoop, the welcome mat was yanked out from underneath the eager feet of Statoil.

In the middle of the deal, the Governor changed the rules, forcing the PUC to halt Statoil’s project.

Imagine if you were going to build a business: you followed the rules.  Got all the necessary permits. Bought the supplies, lined up your customers, and then, as you were about to open, you were told you no longer could.

That’s what happened to Statoil.

That is no way to run a business, and it’s no way to run a state.

Statoil is more than an opportunity. It’s a forward-looking industry that could put Maine on the worldwide map. In fact, some have said that attracting Statoil to Maine was like attracting the next Apple, Google, or GM to Maine.

Now as our state’s economy lags behind the rest of the country, and as more than 50,000 Maine people remain out of work, the Governor stood in the way of economic progress for our state and our state’s workforce.

This is not the first time.

For nearly three years, the Governor has held back on releasing bond projects. In every corner of our state, there are projects awaiting the Governor’s green light. They are shovel-ready. You can imagine that there are more than enough eager construction workers ready to get back to work. For nearly three years, there has been a laundry list of excuses for why these projects are held up.

Lawmakers, including the Governor, have an obligation to make sure that our state is moving in the right direction.

I am proud of the work we did in the Legislature this session to strengthen the economy, to grow Maine’s trained workforce, and to help business gain access to early seed capital. While none of these is the silver bullet to job creation and economic recovery they are real solutions that move our state forward. I wish I could say we have a willing partner.

Thank you for listening. This is State Senator Jim Boyle. Have a great weekend.