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Monday, October 23, 2006
LaMarche touts freedom
Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||||||||
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Tortured logic? Or smart political move? Voters will decide Nov. 7. LaMarche, a 45-year-old mother of two, radio personality, and two-time Green Independent candidate for governor, said she didn't plan to get into the race until Republican Cianchette dropped out. She thought he'd be the next governor of Maine. Four years ago, then-Congressman John Baldacci defeated businessman Cian-chette -- and two others -- by earning 47 percent of the vote. This time around, La-Marche believes she can beat the incumbent Democratic governor and three other opponents -- Republican Sen. Chandler Woodcock of Farmington, independent Rep. Barbara Merrill of Appleton and independent Phillip Morris NaPier of Windham. "I'm an innovator," she said recently following a chamber of commerce breakfast in Auburn. "Maine's the ultimate fixer-upper and we need someone who can rally the troops." LaMarche's top issue is health care, something she believes resonates with voters of all political persuasions. Her proposal would put the state in charge of implementing universal health care, which would be paid for with payroll taxes. Companies with five or fewer employees would face a 5 percent payroll tax and larger businesses would face up to a 12 percent tax, depending on size. "It's good for business, it saves money, it lowers taxes, it's cheaper," she said. In addition, she wants to bring a medical school to Bangor, and a pharmacy school and dental school to the state. It's won't be necessary to build new facilities, she said, because the schools could locate at existing university facilities. Of all the candidates, LaMarche uses her sense of humor the most. She laughs easily at her own jokes and the jokes of others. She studies before events to tailor her message and to make sure she can speak with some confidence to each group she addresses. That kind of preparation and her media background have served her well in the campaign, said Marvin Druker, a public affairs professor at Lewiston-Auburn College. "Because she has a media background, she's doing well on TV and radio," he said. As someone outside the traditional two-party system, LaMarche has the freedom to talk about issues more so than Baldacci and Woodcock, he said. During forums, LaMarche is the only candidate who talks about instituting a water extraction tax to help pay for school improvements. "To me I think of it as a return on our investment," she said. "Not only is the water here, they are our aquifers." A group tried, but failed, to get the signatures necessary to put the tax on the 2006 ballot. She often mentions Rep. Richard Woodbury, a Yarmouth independent and economist who has served on the Legislature's Taxation Committee. She said his innovative ideas don't often get the credit they deserve. "There are a lot of great ideas that never see the light of day because they get killed by the status quo lovers," she said. "We need to restructure certain taxes." LaMarche opposes the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which is Question 1 on the Nov. 7 ballot. The measure seeks to limit increases in state and local government spending to the rate of inflation plus population growth, and require voter approval for all tax and fee increases. LaMarche compares it to what happens when parents lock a child in a closet when he misbehaves. It doesn't make the child behave better, it just makes it easier for the parents to know where the child is, she said. "I don't think you can take the current leadership, bind their hands and get better leaders," she said. "I think we need new leaders." As a member of one of the state's three recognized political parties, LaMarche said her supporters include "pro-choice Republican women." The core Green issues are civil rights, preservation of public lands and hometown government, she said. This is a particularly important election for the Green Independent Party because it must get at least 5 percent of the vote to retain its party status. Four years ago, Green Independent Jonathan Carter earned 9 percent of the vote in a four-way race. Many who live in central Maine identify with LaMarche as her radio alter ego Genny Judge, a name chosen to honor LaMarche's late mother. Known for doing good deeds, "Judge" once walked 109 miles to raise money for a boy who needed a kidney. A listener called and offered one of his kidneys, saving the boy's life, she said. Prior to her work as a broadcaster, LaMarche worked as head of the Children's Miracle Network at Eastern Maine Medical Center, a job she found emotionally rewarding -- and wrenching. Ten years after a little girl died following transplant surgery, LaMarche continues to wear a silver bracelet in her memory. The daughter of a doctor and a stay-at-home mom who went back to school to become an accountant, LaMarche spent her early years in Rhode Island before her father took a job at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. She moved to Bangor during her freshman year in high school, amazed at the amount of snow piled high in a shopping center parking lot. She's called Maine home ever since, although she's spent time studying in Europe and several months campaigning for vice president in 2004. Yet she's focused on the Blaine House this time around. "The governor is the biggest celebrity we have in the state," she said. "That's powerful. There's a huge cache of talent and popularity and ability a governor has that I don't think has been used since (former governor) Angus King left." Susan Cover -- 623-1056 scover@centralmaine.com |
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