This governorship is about them — the men and women of Maine.This year, for the first time in our state’s 198-year long history, after 74 men from York, Cumberland, Penobscot, finally you have elected a governor… from Franklin County!I am from the foothills of Maine, which bred Margaret Chase Smith and Carrie Stevens.And Cornelia Crosby — known as Fly Rod Crosby — who became Maine’s first registered guide in 1897, and who famously said, “I would rather fish any day than go to heaven.”In recent weeks I have received many letters. The Governor, who established the program with MaineHousing in April, is dedicating an initial $5 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) to support the expansion. And in sad memory of the 418 Maine people who lost their lives to drug overdose in 2017, our Administration will create a Director of Opiate Response, a person who will marshal the collective power and resources of state government to stem the tide of this epidemicPart of that effort will be to fully engage with people in our own communities — to “take it outdoors,” as one of our favorite retailers puts it, renewing a healing bond we have with the land.In addition to protecting the medical health of our people, we will also advance the economic health of our people.To employers, entrepreneurs and innovators, with new ideas for forest products, aquaculture, recreation, renewables, and everything in between, I say, “You are welcome here!”We will develop a world-class workforce. We need to be ready.I made my own predictions back at the turn of the century. Janet Mills was sworn in as Maine's 75th governor Wednesday night.
Hospitals, nurses, doctors and businesses all agree as well. Their wisdom was passed along by people like Joseph Attean, legendary Governor of the Penobscot nation, a brave, open-hearted and forbearing individual, who guided Henry David Thoreau in his first moose hunt, through the vast and primitive wilderness to Chesuncook Lake. All are important members of the Maine family.My town has always had a commons, where everybody could graze their sheep and cattle, sell produce and where we would enjoy a concert on a summer evening. “Give us your specific ideas on how we can do things differently, how we can restart the economy and keep all our people safe and healthy.
This will be a gradual process to protect the health of Maine people while restarting our economy.”Maine’s reopening will be driven first and foremost by public health considerations and guided by the following principles:1.
They make every family strong. Janet Mills has refrained from ordering Maine residents to shelter in place, a move taken … People with disabilities. Live Now And we need healthy people.Maine voters agree – which is why they voted to expand Medicaid. They are the firefighters and teachers, the techies and hotel workers, the farmers and fishermen, the waiters and loggers, and the barbers and millworkers of our towns. The Mills Administration announced today an investment of $1 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund to significantly and quickly expand services to help reduce the disproportionately large racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 in Maine.Governor Janet Mills announced today that MaineHousing will double its rental assistance from $500 to $1,000 through the COVID-19 Rental Relief Program beginning next Monday, August 3rd. People we rely on every day. Attracting talented young people to move here and make Maine their home will be a top priority of my Administration.From now on, a sign will greet all those arriving in our state at the Kittery line.I will work with the new Legislature to achieve the best education for our people, from preschool through college and beyond, beginning with full and fair funding for schools, including our Career and Technical Centers.And we will treat our teachers with the respect and dignity they deserve.And with so many young people at Long Creek, with children waiting for critical mental health services, and some even losing their lives to violence in their own homes, it is high time we put children’s health and safety first.