DIVERSITY FROM A TO B

People living north of Augusta who have been hoping the state’s next governor would focus more on this half of the state have reason to be surprised by the hometowns of Gov.-elect John Baldacci’s transition team and his claim that the team represents all parts of the state. It doesn’t, but it is a mistake that can be avoided as more lasting appointments are made.

Under the headline, “Baldacci Transition Advisory Council reflects geographic, demographic and political diversity,” the nine subcommittee chairmen come from Portland, Portland, Portland, Old Orchard Beach, Freeport, Yarmouth, Alna, Hallowell and Bangor. The five members of the team’s key Tax and Budget subcommittee are from Yarmouth, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Portland and Portland. This is an interesting definition of geographic diversity, spanning one end of Cumberland County to the other.

There are at least three reasons that so many from southern Maine were chosen – there are more people there than elsewhere in Maine, they are better connected politically and they have served on similar types of committees before so their names are more likely to be brought up. But considering Mr. Baldacci’s emphasis during the campaign on problems specific to some of the rural parts of Maine, none of these reasons explains the composition of the council.

This is important because this is a self-perpetuating problem: The politically connected are noticed because they are politically connected. Those who are not, whatever their strengths, are not. Who, the governor should be asking, are the members of his transition team more likely to know and therefore recommend for policy-making positions – someone from Madawaska or a neighbor from Cape Elizabeth? If he wants ideas from around Maine his team will need a broader reach.

Those winnowing the long lists of contributors, the influential, party faithful, policy experts and various issue advocates had to balance all sorts of factors to choose the transition team and there is no hint of subterfuge in these selections, no grand plot. They are, instead, the result of taking a well-known route when there is little time and a lot of ground to cover. And certainly as a member of Congress representing Maine’s 2nd District, Mr. Baldacci has worked hard to serve this part of the state. But the effects of the transition council’s choices for policy and cabinet appointments will be felt for the next four or eight years or longer.

Just as Mr. Baldacci recognized in the campaign the need for specific zones to build economic opportunity in Maine, so too should the new administration make a special effort to build political opportunity. That should start early – with a focus now on the policy and personnel decisions about to be made.