Lunch with the Governor - Paul LePage - the people's politician

This past Sunday (2013-10-20) afternoon well over 100 people gathered at the Tradewinds ChowderHouse and Speakeasy to mingle with Governor Paul LePage and enjoy each other’s company, and a delicious dinner. In addition to many of the “usual” attendees there were nearly a dozen new faces in the crowd. The early reception was held downstairs in the “Speakeasy” which will be open to the public next month and will feature MoTown music and live entertainment. The Governor leisurely chatted with us and blended in as just another person. Of Course that’s part of the reason why we love him; he is just a regular man. LePage is a people’s politician not a polished politician.

Then we all went to the main dining area where we listened to the Governor speak for 30 minutes on a variety of topics including the recent incident where the federal government closed the Cobscook Bay State Park. Governor LePage took action for the people of Maine and had it reopened due to a long standing agreement that has been in place since 1965. He also spoke to the fact that he wanted more Mainers off foreign oil and used the Province of Quebec as an example of affordable electric energy. In Quebec 92% of the population uses electricity to power their homes. The average heating cost in the winter is $100.00 per month. LePage expressed his frustration that the legislature has not been willing to work at reducing the cost of energy for the citizens of Maine. One bright point is that the governors of Massachusetts and Connecticut recognize what Governor LePage has been saying for years. That Maine, New England should look north to Quebec for inexpensive energy. Jobs were another subject that the governor spoke to the crowd about. During his tenure there has been over 12,000 jobs created. These jobs are in areas that are economically depressed for the state. These jobs created are in contrast to the 56 created under the previous administration.

Governor Paul LePage took several questions from the audience and was thorough in his answers . The questions were hard hitting but dear to the hearts of many Mainers. The Governor answered each with grace and integrity that one would expect and did so in a way that all could relate to. When the meal was served he did not even eat, rather choosing to visit each table in the room shaking hands and posing for photographs.

Nearly $2000.00 was raised at the dinner and when added to the $5400.00 from the yard sale last week we are most certain to reach our fundraising goal for next year’s election cycle. A donation is going to be sent to Governor LePages reelection campaign form the Knox county Republicans as a measure of our gratitude and support . Thank you to all who attended, sponsored tickets, and to Bob Liberty at the Tradewinds, and Kevin and Cathy Labree as well as the staff at the ChowderHouse.