Last Tuesday, the nation held its midterm elections. It was an historic election with a record number of women elected to offices from the local level on up to the United States Senate. In Maine, we elected our first female governor. Regardless of our political affiliation, it is a momentous day for our state and nation.
Personally, I am grateful to the citizens of Gorham and Scarborough for re-electing me to my fourth term in the Maine House. Representing our communities is truly a privilege and one that I do not take lightly.
With the election behind us, we now must turn to governing. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Over the next few weeks, Governor-elect Mills will be working with outgoing Governor LePage on transitioning the administration. In the Legislature, we will meet to elect our leadership in the House and Senate, a new Attorney General, State Treasurer and Secretary of State. After that occurs, we will begin the process of proposing legislation to be introduced in the 129th Legislature, which will convene in early January.
While there will be many issues we deal with in the 129th Legislature, chief among them will be implementing Medicaid expansion, which has been languishing in the court system. Governor-elect Mills has pledged to implement Medicaid expansion immediately so that 70,000 low-income Mainers can access health insurance.
Additionally, we must do more to address the opioid crisis. Many people, including social service agencies, medical experts, and law enforcement from around the state are meeting to formulate a plan. We also have the opportunity to grow our economy through investments in clean energy technology and infrastructure, areas of our economy that have faced roadblock after roadblock for the last eight years.
With smart, strategic investments in key areas of our economy and a more civil, collaborative government we can grow our economy, create jobs, keep our environment pristine, and entice more young people to our beautiful state. I am optimistic about our future.
Thank you for your overwhelming support. As always, if you have ideas about legislation, comments or concerns about state government, or if there is anything I can be of assistance with, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Rep. Andrew McLean, D-Gorham, is serving his third term in the Maine House. He is House chair of the Transportation Committee and represents parts of both Gorham and Scarborough.
(207) 939-8482 | (800) 423-2900 | andrew.mclean@legislature.maine.gov