Dawn Gilbert organized a late summer Maine picnic honoring Paul and Ann LePage in recognition of their contribution to the state of Maine and in support of Paul’s current gubernatorial campaign. The event was held on Saturday, Aug. 27 on the Boothbay Common. The gathering featured friends, neighbors, good food, good music, and conversation. 

The featured speakers were Ann and Paul LePage of Edgecomb. Stephanie Hawke, a local businesswoman and former state legislator, worked with fishermen friends to provide Maine’s iconic sandwich, the lobster roll. Music was provided by the band Amberjack from Augusta with Sondra and Dean Martin. Merle Parise, candidate for HD-46, from Newcastle manned the grill. Merle’s neighbors, Steve Popp and Steve’s son Christopher provided crowd control. Most of the Lincoln County towns were represented in the audience of the event. Candidates Abden Simmons, SD-13 from Waldoboro, and Ed Polewarczyk, HD-47 from Wiscasset, came to join the audience and to meet their constituents. Mother nature provided a classic Maine late summer day with sun and a sea breeze.

The mood was upbeat and cordial. After Ann and Paul were introduced by State GOP Chairwoman Demi Kouzounas, Paul shared his concerns with the audience. Problems in search of solutions were: Maine’s tax rate, noted by some measures as fourth highest in the nation, are hurting both industry and our citizens, the cost of food in Maine is third highest in the nation behind only Hawaii and Massachusetts, and presently Maine is spending $250 million a year in rent for people. The $15 billion received from the Federal Government, due to the pandemic, has done little to help Maine’s chronic problems in attracting and keeping good industries (and jobs) in Maine. It is also a one time infusion of cash which should not have been used for pet projects. He believes some of that money should have been allocated to farmers to produce more food (and jobs) locally. He is concerned that Mainers will not be able to heat their homes this winter with $5 or $6 fuel oil and some of this money should have been set aside to help them.

Paul then shared his plans for Maine. Several of his points were interrupted with rounds of applause. First was “no income tax for retired people on a fixed income.” He went on to say too many of our retirees leave the state permanently or for “six months and a day” to avoid the tax. Secondly, children should be “allowed to be children” and that the “doctor made a mistake” in noting their sex on a birth certificate has no place in our primary schools resulted in applause. He went on to note that Maine needs to have a system that provides training for those who do not go to college. Trade schools are a solution but not just simply carpentry and mechanical trades but cyber security, computer technology, and other high-tech careers. His statement that we must start respecting our police was enthusiastically received and the fifth interruption of applause was the requirement for a voter ID. He noted that a driver’s license, putting pictures back on the state EBT card, or a special ID provided free of charge by the state would promote voter integrity at no cost and little effort. Paul closed with “enjoy the rest of summer because snow will be coming soon” – good advice to those still working on their wood piles. More information and pictures are available at lincolncountyrepublicans.org.