📐 A Maine institution's new name could be the same as the old name.
◉ A new bill floated in the Legislature would change the Maine Community College System's name to the Maine Technical College System, returning to the moniker it had before a move led by former Gov. John Baldacci in 2003.
◉ The eclectic group of sponsors could bode well for passage. It is sponsored by Rep. Dick Campbell, R-Orrington, with Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, and House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, also supporting the bill alongside rural conservatives with bipartisan interest in centering the name more on the job market.
⏫ Keep an eye on a bill to increase the governor's salary.
◉ Two lawmakers are taking on a tall task in trying to get lawmakers to raise the annual salary of the governor from $70,000 — the lowest mark in the U.S. — to $125,000 starting with the next one in 2027. (Governors get an unaudited $35,000 expense account on top of that.)
◉ The measure comes from two government veterans, Reps. Bill Bridgeo, D-Augusta, and Sawin Millett, R-Waterford. The former is a freshman lawmaker but was the capital city's manager for 23 years, while the latter has served in four different administrations and was first elected to the Legislature in 1968.
◉ Maine has not raised the governor's salary since 1987. Lawmakers in both parties have long tried to secure raises by arguing that the job needs a recruiting boost, but they have often been packaged with other items including politically tricky pay raises for legislators. Recent bills on the subject have failed to make it to the floor. We'll see what happens. |
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