Weekly Radio Address: Senator Goodall says, It is time for legislators, regardless of party, to stand together

Weekly Radio Address: Senate Majority Leader Seth Goodall

Good Morning, this is Senate Majority Leader Seth Goodall of Richmond.

The Maine Legislature is nearing the end of its work. While the headlines, at times, have been misleading, make no mistake, that the work being done in the Legislature has been productive.

Sen. Goodall delivers the weekly radio address

We have tackled some of the most important issues facing Mainers today. From workforce challenges to energy; and from education to health care.

We paid back the hospitals—and passed a bipartisan balanced budget—unanimously out of committee and with a super-majority vote in both the House and the Senate.

As Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature, we worked together in the spirit of doing what’s right for the people of Maine.

The debates have been lively. We have disagreed at times but we have always been respectful.

We’ve negotiated and compromised. And while no one got everything they wanted in this budget, everyone got something they needed. That is compromise, and that is what is needed in divided government in order to move Maine forward.

For weeks—even before the Legislature passed a budget—the Governor has said he will veto it. He will veto it because it’s not his budget. His budget would have raised property taxes on every homeowner in the state by hundreds of dollars.

Earlier this week, the Governor held a pep rally reaffirming his veto threat and denouncing the bipartisan work of the Legislature and, personally attacking one of our colleagues.

This is not leadership.

He said he’d rather shut down state government instead of signing this responsible, balanced budget.

This is not leadership.

Personally attacking lawmakers and threatening a state shutdown because you don’t get what you want is behavior not fitting for our state’s top leader.

He is working to shut down the very state that he is supposed to lead. Whose interest is he serving? Not Mainers. Not the 45,000 public employees who will instantaneously be put out of work; Not the folks whose paychecks depend on summer tourism; not the hospitals who will not get paid by the state; and not the hundreds of businesses, from construction to car dealers, whose work will be stopped in its tracks for inability to get licenses and permits. And the list doesn’t end there.

Regardless of who is in the majority or who resides in the Blaine House, our obligation as lawmakers, from the Governor to every legislator, is to work for the people of Maine. It’s to make government work. We were sent to Augusta to do so—it is our job.

The Legislature will reconvene next Wednesday to override the Governor’s promised veto on the budget.

Next week’s vote will be a vote to stand up for Maine people, keep the shop open, businesses thriving and people working.

It is time for legislators, regardless of party, to stand together and support the work we have done—together—in collaboration, with compromise.

Mainers should be assured that Republicans, Democrats, and Independents will do the right thing.

This is Senate Majority Leader Seth Goodall of Richmond. Thank you for listening—and have a good weekend.

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