News from Washington, D.C., is often grim – anthrax, congressional bickering, gridlock, scandals. Yet, Washington has something to offer Maine that, as of yet, has gone missing. What do Mainers need in Washington? A Maine State Office. Too many resources go untapped for Mainers because Maine lacks an institutional advocate and ambassador in Washington, D.C.

One of the few states without a dedicate advocate and ambassador in Washington, Maine is left out of the loop too often. What would a Maine State Office in Washington, DC embody that could help Mainers in their daily lives? Many things, including, three significant aspects.

First, a Maine State Office could host a grant expert. Someone who would be on-call for any Mainer, nonprofit, education institution, individual, working on corporate, private or government grants. A grants expert could provide free advise on language, buzzwords, and concepts that particular funders are looking for in a winning proposal as well as provide technical support for the cumbersome and tedious process of assembling the paper work that accompanies many grant applications.

The grants expert would also take a pro-active role, spending time at The Foundation Center in Washington, D.C., actively seeking new sources of funds available for Maine projects. Most of the corporate and private money that is available is never accessed simply because people are not aware that it is available. The grants expert would “network,” a Washington term for spending evenings at cocktail parties mixing with “connected” people, promoting interest in Maine. Washington, like Maine towns, runs on personal connections. If Maine does not have a human face represented in the grants circles of Washington Maine cannot hope to claim its fair share of the vast resources that do exist.

Second, a Maine State Office would host a compliance officer, otherwise known as a red-tape buster. As any small business owner, farmer, logger, fisherman knows, the red tape of government hobbles innovate progress and thus profits at nearly every point. Each government agency has a different rule or regulation and many incentives are not undertaken because these ideas for improving profits require timely and costly approval from multiple government agencies. Many small business, educational institutions and independent producers often get lost in the costs and complexities of red tape. This stalls progress that hinders, if not halts, economic, social and cultural development in Maine. A red-tape buster in the Maine State Office would be on-call to any Mainer trying to navigate the vast array of government agencies and their regulations in Washington, DC. This would enable Mainers to progress more rapidly when they have a great idea about how to enhance their business or social service program.

Third, a Maine State Office could serve, like clubs in London, as an affordable place for Mainers to stay when they come to Washington to do business. If a Maine State Office was housed in a town house, the first floor could be the office, with the remaining floors serving as an inn. For low price, businessmen and women, educators, and individuals coming to Washington on work related matters could stay at a Maine State Office. This would help cut costs and encourage more Mainers to come to Washington and tap into the vast financial resources available. This would also increase the presence of Mainers in Washington and serve to generate more interest and familiarity in Washington of Maine and Maine’s needs. The low fee accommodations would support, in part, the cost of maintaining a Maine State Office.

There are many resources and people in Washington from which Maine could benefit. However, without a permanent institutional advocate and ambassador in Washington, Mainers may never know what they are missing. Now, more than ever before, Maine needs an advocate and ambassador in the nation’s capitol.

Working toward establishment of a Maine State Office should be an integral component of any development plan for our state. Without it we may never know the benefits that Washington, DC has to offer.

Lori Handrahan, Ph.D., an international development expert with a focus on Central Asian, is an adjunct faculty member at American University and a human rights and gender consultant (www.finvola.com). She is preparing to announce as a candidate in the 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary.