From the Kennebec Journal

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Libby Mitchell has pulled out of at least two gubernatorial forums because two unenrolled candidates were not invited to attend.

She is encouraging her competition to do the same.

"By winning primaries or gathering signatures, five candidates earned a spot on the general election ballot. At this early stage, when voters are still learning where the candidates stand and what their visions are for Maine, all of the candidates should be included in the debates," Mitchell said in a statement Wednesday. "Using artificial thresholds to determine whom to invite to a debate will do a disservice to the voters, especially at this point in the race. Maine people prefer inclusion so that they can make up their own minds."

Mitchell said she would not attend forums or debates if invitations had not been extended to all five candidates.

Groups that had invited only Mitchell, Republican Paul LePage and unenrolled candidate Eliot Cutler said they had no plans to extend invitations to unenrolled candidates Shawn Moody and Kevin Scott. With a limited amount of time for forums, they said, organizers preferred to hear from candidates they considered frontrunners. It's not uncommon in primary and general elections for groups to filter out whom they invite, narrowing the field based on whom they consider to be viable candidates.

Mitchell, LePage and Cutler were set to appear in a forum in Bangor this morning. The forum was a "leadership roundtable," and the three were to answer questions about cross-border economic development. It would have been the first time the three candidates appeared together. Scott and Moody were not invited.

Today's roundtable discussion was sponsored by the Bangor Region Development Alliance, Bangor Metro and Maine Ahead magazines, with organization support form the Bangor Regional Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President and CEO John Porter said he thought Mitchell's campaign preferred to have other unenrolled candidates on the stage, beyond just Cutler.

"I think they feel that if Eliot has the stage to himself as the only independent candidate, that just strengthens him as a candidate," Porter said.

Both Cutler's and LePage's camps said their candidates were still attending.

Edward "Ted" O'Meara, Cutler's campaign manager, suggested that Mitchell's stand "has nothing to do with principle and everything to do with politics."

"Groups that sponsor these events have every right to invite the candidates that they feel are the serious candidates," O'Meara said. "To cancel something the day before with a stunt like this is rude. This would have been the first opportunity for Maine people to hear the three front runners on the same platform. Paul LePage has ducked all the debates this summer. That doesn't seem to bother Mrs. Mitchell. Tomorrow she's taking herself out of it."

David Loughran, Mitchell's spokesman, noted that his candidate was scheduled to debate Cutler, Moody and Scott in Bath Wednesday night.

"Accusing her of ducking the debates is kind of silly, considering she's debating tonight, she's debated twice and she'll continue to debate throughout the fall," Loughran said. "Libby's happy to debate all of the candidates, and has no problem with including any of them."

LePage's campaign manager, John Morris, declined to comment on Mitchell's statement, or to respond to O'Meara's comment.

"Paul will be there to discuss energy policy and how to lower the electric bills of hardworking Maine people," was all Morris would say about the forum.

However, a news release from the Maine Republican Party said she was running from today's forum on economic development.

"Libby Mitchell needs to explain her record on these issues," said Charlie Webster, chairman of the Maine Republican Party, in the release, with further comments taking Mitchell to task for her "long, sordid record of anti-business activity."

Michael Pajak, Scott's campaign manager, said he was glad to see Mitchell "kind of putting this stake in the ground."

"It's an inherent unfairness to members of groups hosting forums and the electorate who are allowed to see or hear from three-fifth of the slate that have earned a spot on the ballot," said Pajak. "It's certainly unfair to the candidates."

Moody said he supported groups' right to limit forums however they choose, but gave credit to Mitchell for making a stand on including all candidates.

"To get a balanced, objective forum, to me, you need all of them," Moody said.

Moody said he didn't believe Mitchell's decision was politically motivated.

"People can second-guess the motivation, but I see her motives as being pure," he said.

Mitchell said she also had informed organizers of a forest products forum scheduled for Sept. 2 that she would not be attending, for the same reason. Organizers of a tourism-industry event set for Sept. 9 had invited only Cutler, LePage and Mitchell, though the Democratic candidate had not contacted them yet to cancel.

Porter said organizers of today's event had invited only the three because they considered them the frontrunners in the race. John Williams, president of the Maine Pulp & Paper Foundation, said his group organized the Sept. 2 forum, along with the Maine Forest Products Council, the Small Woodlot Owners Association and the Forest Resource Association. The groups decided that with a limited amount of time -- about an hour and a half -- for the forum, they wanted to limit it to three candidates, "one of whom was most likely to win in November."

"It certainly wasn't a reflection on the other two candidates," Williams said. "We felt we really needed to use our time the best we could."

Williams said the group discussed the issue again Tuesday, after the Mitchell campaign asked it to consider including the other two candidates.

"We made a decision, it's too late to make changes, and we'll stick with what we've decided," Williams said. "You do have to make these kinds of decisions, so we did."

Vaughn Stinson, CEO of the Maine Tourism Association, said the six member groups of the Hospitality and Tourism Alliance decided to invite only Cutler, LePage and Mitchell because of time constraints. Mitchell's campaign hadn't yet contacted the alliance, said Vaughn. If she does pull out, Stinson said, his inclination would be to continue with Cutler and LePage, adding that it was a decision the group would have to make.

In the statement sent Wednesday, Jesse Connolly, senior adviser to the Mitchell campaign, made the case for groups to include all five candidates.

"The public polling shows that this is a two-person race between Libby and Paul LePage. If organizations want a debate with the frontrunners, then they would invite those two. If they want to include the independents, they should invite all three of them," Connolly said. "This race has a long way to go before the voters select the next Governor. At some point it may make sense to invite only the frontrunners, but at this early stage, doing so is a disservice to Maine voters."

The best part about running for Governor is that you get to meet so many extraordinary Maine people. Their stories help tell us where we have been, and where we are going; in essence, the larger story of who we are as a state.

Every day I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to talk with working people, business owners, families and people from every other walk of life. By sharing their stories with you, I hope to give voters a better sense of what is happening around the state as well as what I am seeing and hearing on the campaign trail.

Matthea Daughtry

I was in downtown Brunswick on a balmy summer day recently – meeting residents, chatting with shop owners and listening to the concerns of people like 23-year old Matthea Daughtry.

Matthea is the curator for VSA arts of Maine, a non-profit organization in Brunswick that provides arts, educational and cultural opportunities for children and adults with disabilities.

While taking a break to walk her dog, Emma Lena, this Brunswick native told me that while she is happy to have found a good job with health benefits so quickly after graduating from college, she is not at all happy that the her insurance deductible is sky high. That’s worrisome for Matthea, who has an autoimmune disorder.

Not only is her inadequate health care coverage nerve-wracking; it is disheartening. I hear her concern loud and clear. I’ve met far too many Mainers who have inadequate coverage – or no health care coverage at all.

Matthea describes herself as an “old fashioned Mainer” who believes that the community must take care of its own – a core value that she says should be translated into government action. And that means affordable health care for all Mainers.

It’s a value I share, a value that will guide me if I am elected Governor.

Mainers like Matthea--young and old alike--shouldn’t have to worry about being able to afford health care. They should instead be able to focus on their families, their jobs and the simple joys of life – like taking a break to walk the dog on a gorgeous August afternoon.
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Lynn Archer

I recently toured Rockland’s Main Street and was impressed by the amount of activity in their downtown. It wasn’t just the hustle and bustle; the people who are making their businesses work in this tough economy really stood out.

One of those business owners was Lynn Archer. Lynn owns the Brass Compass, a restaurant famous for its seafood dishes and homemade pies. Like Lynn, the restaurant was brimming with of energy, diners filled the tables and servers flew back and forth from the dining room to the kitchen.

Lynn is making her restaurant succeed because she is an outside the box thinker. A few years ago when the price of lobster dropped unusually low, she launched a campaign to encourage everyone to eat lobster. Her efforts paid off and the local seafood and lobster industries were able to get by until prices rebounded.

She also had a brush with fame when she took on the Food Network’s Bobby Flay in an episode of his show “Throwdown.” Lynn says that attention from the “Throwdown” has helped boost business but that she must continue to be innovative if she is going to continue her success.

The world could use a few more Lynn Archers (but if you have had the pleasure of meeting her, you know that there is no one else like her!). And while we cannot clone Lynn, we can strengthen Maine’s economy by supporting entrepreneurs, attracting investment for businesses seeking to grow, and making sure our children receive a world-class education.

It was a pleasure spending time with Lynn and her crew. My one regret is that I did not get a chance to try one of those pies! You can bet I wont miss out next time I am in town!

Do you have an idea that will improve Maine’s future? I would like to hear your thoughts on how we can strengthen our economy, improve Maine schools ,and protect the qualities that make Maine unique. If you cannot make it to a campaign event, please share your ideas through my website.

I appreciate you taking the time to contact me and look forward to reading your suggestions.