Collins told funds for security needed

WASHINGTON – When Lewiston City Administrator James Bennett had a chance to tell U.S. Sen. Susan M. Collins of his concerns about homeland security, it was a chilling moment.

“We’re not prepared at all,” he said before an assembly of some 30 municipal officials attending the 2003 Congressional City Conference hosted by the National League of Cities.

“We’re not trained to even recognize threats. I’m scared we’re not prepared [and that could result in] someone getting killed.”

Augusta City Manager William Bridgeo agreed. “I’m scared something is going to happen. We’re not ready.”

Bridgeo painted a picture for Collins and a half-dozen of her staffers that suggested there needed to be more specialized training and more people who can identify a potentially dangerous situation. He said when the community loses a firefighter, emergency medical technician or police officer, help-wanted advertisements often do not draw enough applicants to fill available positions.

He wondered if Congress could do something about the dangers of pulling too many individuals out of the local first-responders system to be mobilized with the Reserves or the National Guard.

“These people are valuable to us, not to sound unpatriotic,” Bridgeo said.

The emphasis of what Congress needs to do to help Maine, Bennett said, was to focus on getting federal homeland security assistance funds into the municipal delivery system.

Bennett and other Maine municipal officials – including 10 from Bangor – launched Monday into a two-day series of meetings with the state’s congressional delegation. The town officials hope to influence the delegation members on priorities of importance to their communities and the state. They are also trying to find out where Congress is headed on key issues of importance to the state.

Bangor Mayor Nichi Farnham said that while Bennett and Bridgeo were airing concerns that may be true in some places, her city is confident it is ready to respond to an emergency or terrorist situation.

“We want federal assistance to flow down to the local level, and we are here to ask for that, too,” Farnham said after the meeting with Collins. “But we have special forces designated to work on emergency situations in our city and in the region.”

Bangor City Councilor Gerry Palmer said everyone is on the front lines now, “9-11 proved that,” and Bangor City Councilor Frank Farrington said one of Maine’s advantages is that “we’re just one big small town where everyone knows everyone and everyone helps everyone.”

The municipal delegation gave Collins – and planned to give Sen. Olympia J. Snowe and Reps. Mike Michaud and Tom Allen – virtually the same message:

. There needs to be a federal economic stimulus package in place soon.

. Homeland security concerns remain a priority.

. Transportation issues endemic to Maine need to be addressed.

. The No Child Left Behind Act needs to have more federal funding in order to be implemented.

The town officials crafted a broader agenda that they left with Collins’ staff Monday. The group was scheduled to meet with Snowe and the two House members today.

Collins, who was greeted warmly by the group, pledged to remain out in front in working to get money to first responders and to work with the Bush administration on an acceptable economic stimulus package.

She said a federal grants program that is part of a homeland security package would free up funds for training programs, instead of the current system, which limits funds primarily to equipment purchases.

Collins said she is working on an economic stimulus package that would help the state. The plan, introduced in January with bipartisan support, would target $10 billion in Medicaid relief and another $10 billion in social services block grants over an 18-month period. Of that sum, $128 million would be channeled to Maine, according to Collins’ spokeswoman Felicia Knight.

Collins also said efforts to push the federal government to keep its initial pledge of supporting 40 percent of the funding necessary in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, program may finally come to pass this year.