GrowSmart
Maine
Excerpts from
Brookings Report Summary:
Here's what
Brookings suggests we do
Brookings'
recommendations reinforce
the often-heard call for
government and the state
to run like a business.
What do successful
businesses do? They plan.
They adapt as conditions
change. They keep an eye
on the bottom line and
continually work to become
more efficient. They make
key investments for the
long-term future. And,
they carefully protect a
brand name, knowing just
how
valuable it is. Along
those lines, here is what
Brookings urges Mainers to
consider.
Strengthen
our brand by safeguarding
our small town, rural
character
Maine is
never going to have a
competitive advantage over
other states or countries
that enjoy lower taxes or
energy costs, a warmer
climate or better educated
workers. But Maine can
beat just about everyone
else as an attractive
place to live. We have to
build our economy around
that unique competitive
advantage.
Make a few
large investments
Invest
heavily in a few things
that build on our brand
and have the best chance
of growing the economy.
Then, stick with those
investments over time.
Resist the urge to tinker,
spread the benefits to
everyone and promote new
ideas every election
cycle. Give investments
time to pay off.
Streamline
government to finance
investments and tax
reduction
When we
stack Maine up against
other rural states one
thing becomes clear. We
have too much overhead and
administration, and that
takes up resources that
could be more productively
invested. We have 286
school districts, for
instance, each with all
the administrative layers.
The national average for
the number of students we
have is about 66. We've
got to find a way to
deliver the services we
need with fewer
administrators so we can
invest in our state's
future and reduce taxes.
Don't sell
the state as a cheap date
Get
tourists to shoulder more
of the tax load, as other
states do. That would take
some of the burden off
Maine citizens and can be
done in a way that will
actually increase quality
tourism.
Find new
ways to work together
We have a
regrettable and costly
tendency, here in Maine,
to divide ourselves by
town or region, party
affiliation or philosophy,
income, and whether we're
natives or folks "from
away." All this division
is costing us dearly when
it comes to building the
kind of future that we all
want. The state is just
too small to afford the
luxury of those divisions
for much longer. We've got
to find new ways of
working together on the
things that need to be
done.
