Interview With Bruce Poliquin

Pine Tree Politics is planning to interview every serious candidate for Governor in the coming months – from all parties.  We will soon be speaking with Republican Matt Jacobson and Green Independent Lynne Williams, but the honor of my first interview in this series goes to another.  I recently had a chance to metaphorically sit down with Bruce Poliquin, Republican candidate for Governor of Maine and chat about his campaign, the issues he believes in, and where he would take Maine if he makes it to the Blaine House:

First of all, tell me a little about yourself. Many people in this state are getting to know all of the candidates for the first time – give me a sense of who you are as a person.

I’m a proud father and native Mainer. My family settled in Maine more than 100 years ago. I’m the third generation to grow-up in Waterville. I’m a product of both public and private education. I worked my way through Harvard as a scholarship student, studying economics under world renowned professors and business managers.

My professional life has been dedicated to building and managing businesses. I have hands-on experience managing a number of companies which have infused millions of dollars into our state economy. I also helped build and run an asset management firm which handled $5 billion of worker pension funds for companies such as Bath Iron Works and International Paper. Each day our firm was entrusted with more money than our state government spends in a year.

I’m the only GOP candidate in this race who grew up in Maine and has a clear understanding of our great state and the hard working people who live here; who has been trained in finance and economics; and who has owned and managed business. These skills will be critical to lead Maine out of the current fiscal crisis, and to help build a new positive business climate with good jobs for our struggling families.

You’ve never been an elected official in this state. What made you want to jump into the process, and why did you decide to run for Governor and not for say the state legislature?

I’m not a career politician. I’m a business owner and manager. Maine is my home, my heritage, and my future. I can no longer stand by and watch my home state descend further into financial and administrative chaos. Maine faces a financial crisis today in large part because our elected officials have had very little real-world experience in management, finance, and economics. The voters of Maine are telling me they want a native son and who has a strong finance and management background to take on these challenges. I have that history and those professional skills.

I’m doing this interview from Washington DC, because after college I found that Maine was an inhospitable place for me to get a job, so I moved. I am hardly unique – the state is getting older, and its economic base is going away, all while its demand for social services rises. How can we combat this trend? How can we keep people like me in Maine?

We all understand that Maine needs more jobs. More jobs means a broader tax base, a government less dependent on individuals for revenues, and opportunities for our sons and daughters who want to return to Maine after college. Unfortunately, we can’t just hold up a banner and say “Maine is Open for Business.” Our state government and non-profits have tried that for decades with very poor results. Instead, we need to address the root problems of why Maine can’t compete for good jobs. These reasons include high taxes, an incomplete infrastructure, and a regulatory environment which discourages business-owners from expanding or locating here.

There’s no doubt that we need to lower taxes across-the-board. To do so we must reduce spending on state services and programs at least to the national averages. Decades of poor management and oversight have allowed our state government to swell. One of the Governor’s chief responsibilities is the safe and productive investment of taxpayer dollars. As Governor, I will institute a performance assessment of each state program, agency, and department to identify and eliminate waste, and to institute a more efficient way to deliver state services.

Maine’s infrastructure is badly in need of repair and expansion. However, we cannot move forward until our fiscal house is in order. Unlike many in Augusta, I won’t saddle Mainers with even more taxes, fees, and assessments to pay for infrastructure improvements. Cutting waste and finding the money in our current budget for infrastructure projects is the first step.

Finally, we need a new positive attitude toward business development and jobs. This won’t come from a career politician. It will only come from a strong and informed leader who knows first-hand how tough it is to start and run a business in Maine. I do.

What is the single biggest problem Maine has, and how would you fix it?

Augusta has an insatiable appetite to spend, which, in turn, forces up taxes. We must begin to competently manage our budget or high taxes will continue to plague our families. We must lower taxes and spending, at least to the national averages. That’s going to take a business manager who understands finance and how an economy works. Our problems require a hands-on Governor who can start on day one retooling our state government to operate within its means.

What is Maine’s greatest strength, and how can you leverage it to position Maine well for the future?

The people of Maine have a strong heritage of resilience and independence. As a people, we are mentally tough and frugal by nature.

Unfortunately, during the past 30 years our elected officials have pulled us far off course. Maine government has become wasteful and spend-thrift. By any objective measure, Maine government has become extremely expensive, living well beyond its means. To pay for the bloated programs we must tax our families at uncommonly high rates. This, in part, drives away businesses and jobs. Our struggling families pay the price for this fiscal mismanagement.

Our next governor must be someone who can tap into the fundamental resilience of Mainers. We must renew our deep heritage of independence and fiscal prudence. That will only come from someone with deep roots in this state and has a background in finance and business.

If you are elected Governor, it is likely you will face a Democratic controlled legislature. The last time we had a Republican Governor and a partisan Democratic legislature was Governor McKernan, who’s tenure was marked by bitter budget fights that often turned extremely nasty. If you found yourself in a similar situation, how do you think your administration would deal with it?

Maine doesn’t have Democrat or Republican problems. We Mainers are all in this together. I may be elected as a Republican, but a good manager realizes that consensus fosters success. If the Legislature plays politics, I’ll take my case directly to the people, using the stage of the Governor’s office to build public support. Mainers are independent and reasonable. They can also be extremely convincing when motivated. I’m prepared to fight to make our state government accountable again.

Social issues have often been viewed as a problem for Maine Republicans. Many observers feel that if the GOP moderated itself on issues like gay marriage, it would fare much better here – do you agree? Do you support a people’s veto of the Equal Marriage Law passed earlier this year?

Government and politics has no place in social issues like abortion and gay marriage. When it comes to an issue of conscience, it is best that the people of Maine have a vote. As Governor, I will do everything in my power to refer such issues to the ballot so that the people of Maine can ultimately make the decision.

The Maine Legislature just passed a tax reform bill which has received mixed reviews. The Washington Post hailed the mostly flat tax on income as “The Maine Miracle”, while business leaders in the state decried the extension of sales taxes on several products. Where do you stand on this reform?

Once again our state government demonstrated that it’s not serious about reducing taxes or helping to make Maine more attractive to business development and job creation. The new tax bill simply changed the way the same amount of taxes will be collected. There is no tax reduction. There is no real tax reform. As Governor, I would have led the effort to lower taxes across-the-board. Doing so will put more money in the hands of our struggling families and remove a major impediment to doing business in Maine.

Republicans in Maine have been complaining that the state has a draconian tax code for decades now. How can you be different, and actually deliver real tax relief? It is always nice to say it is needed, but how can it be structured so that it has a real impact, and the state budget is actually able to be balanced.

Real tax reform takes more than just saying you’re going to “cut taxes.” First, we must get spending under control. That’s going to take a strong leader with a background in finance and hands-on business management to go line-by-line and agency-by-agency to assess how each state program is performing. Second, based on that data, we can look for significant cost-saving measures that will lead to real tax relief for all Mainers. Savings must be passed directly to taxpayers through tax relief.

If you were to liken yourself to a national political figure, ideologically, who would it be? Olympia Snowe? John McCain? Mitt Romney? Eric Cantor? Somebody else?

That’s a good question for political pundits like yourself. I’m happy to leave it with you guys. I value honesty, integrity, hard work, and living within your means. That’s what I will bring to Augusta.

What state entitlements and services do you think can be reformed? What would you do with Dirigo health?

We have a fiscal crisis brought on by years of mismanagement in Augusta. We need to go line-by-line through the budget, making sure each program or service is performing as expected. If not, we need to make changes. Dirigo Health was introduced in 2003 to enroll 130,000 formerly uninsured citizens within 5 years, while becoming fiscally self-sustainable.

Six years later, Dirigo health has enrolled only 10,000 residents, half of whom were previously insured, at a cost of approximately $100 million to Maine taxpayers. By any objective measure, this poorly performing program has been a failure. It continues to drain precious health care dollars. It should have been reformed or closed years ago. We need to find a better way to solve our health care problem.

Changing gears here for a minute, the Maine Kennebec Journal recently asked if Maine should have a Lieutenant Governor. Given the recent happenings with Governor Sanford and Governor Palin, it is clear that sometimes it is not a bad idea to have one. What do you think, should Maine look at that position?

I believe less is more when it comes to adding another position to the state bureaucracy.

Do you have any national aspirations? I am assuming that you would likely run for re-election and try to be Governor for the full eight years, but do you see any future in politics beyond the Blaine House? Running for the House or Senate, perhaps?

I’m not looking beyond this election. I’m not a politician. My only agenda is to help 1.3 million of my fellow Mainers. I’d be honored to work for the people of Maine and take on the tough challenges of getting our fiscal house in order, creating a positive business climate, and bringing better job opportunities to our struggling families.

Finally, the GOP field already has several aspirants for the Blaine House, and is likely to get a few more. Many of them have extensive business experience in one way or another – so I’d like to ask exactly what you think sets you apart from them that would make you a natural choice for Republican voters, and then the state as a whole?

First, I’m a native Mainer. My family has been here for over 100 years. I have a deep and clear understanding of our great state and the hard-working people of Maine. Second, I’m the only candidate with a background in finance and economics, combined with business ownership and management.

I have the experience and skills to address the root problems of why Maine can no longer compete with other states for business development and good jobs. Our problems won’t be solved by banners or slogans. We won’t turn our economy around with tax incentives to one industry or another. It will take strong and informed leadership from someone with my background and professional experience.

Third, I’m a full time candidate with a professional team and an increasing number of loyal volunteers. We are taking our message 24×7 directly to the voters of Maine. Fourth, I’ve already demonstrated broad and expanding grassroots and financial support. By the June 30 reporting deadline, three times as many donors were supporting my candidacy than any other candidate in the race. Our message is being very well received and I expect that to continue.