Baldacci takes stock at midterm Despite bumpy road, governor cites successes

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AUGUSTA – Maine fills only three political offices by statewide vote, but this year – by quirk of the electoral calendar – none of the occupants is listed on a ballot.

U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both Republicans, are at stages of midterm. So, too, in midterm is Democratic Gov. John Baldacci.

For the 49-year-old Baldacci, it is the first even-numbered year since he was a young man that he is not trying to win office.

But there is no respite from political self-analysis and calculation after a first-year honeymoon as chief executive turned into a more-contentious second year.

“There are bumps in the road, no question. … We’ve always looked at this as a four-year process,” the former state lawmaker and congressman from Bangor said during an early morning interview in his State House office.

Last spring, as the legislative session wound to a fractious close, Baldacci was denounced occasionally by the muttered epithet no officeholder wants to hear – one-termer.

More than two years before the next gubernatorial election, there was talk of an intraparty challenge.

Friends suggest grumbling was natural and probably unavoidable.

“He’s made some difficult decisions,” said Democratic lobbyist Severin Beliveau, recalling budgetary steps taken to cope with a $1 billion structural gap between spending demands and anticipated revenue. “He had to deal with it without a tax increase. … I think he dealt with it in a very decisive and responsible way.”

Baldacci’s relations with other Democrats sometimes hit rough spots as House and Senate majorities dueled inconclusively over various visions of tax reform and more liberal lawmakers fumed over aspects of budget-trimming, particularly those affecting human services programs.

Some hard feelings linger.

In a widely circulated e-mail in September, Democratic Rep. Joanne Twomey of Biddeford blasted what she took to be an administrative proposal harmful to the disabled, and added: “I know that you and I have not exactly been bosom buddies, as a matter of fact I will probably never vote for you again.”

Earlier this year, after resorting to a parliamentary maneuver designed to allow Democrats to enact budget legislation without GOP involvement, Baldacci found that an initially favorable response from minority Republicans was short-lived.

“It didn’t have to be that way,” said House Minority Leader Joe Bruno, R-Raymond.

Bruno remembers Baldacci’s second year in office as one in which he was “just totally shutting down Republicans completely on any issue.”

Over the summer, the governor and advisers within his administration consulted among themselves and with outside political analysts. Polling pegged his popularity relatively high and an effort began to emphasize that Baldacci was not merely likable but accomplished.

“We’ve set forward our economic plan. We’ve accomplished most of what we set out to accomplish,” the governor said in an interview.

In the achievement column, he listed a jobs bond, the development of community colleges, a bold health care initiative and the establishment of targeted business incentives.

“A lot of people have felt that I need to make people understand more clearly … that it was because of our initiatives that it happened,” Baldacci said. “We got an awful lot done. It was like a pent-up demand to address these issues.”

A FrederickPolls survey found a disillusioned electorate split in thirds on the question of the state’s direction, with roughly as many saying Maine was headed in the right direction as said Maine was headed in the wrong direction. A similar proportion of respondents answered with a mixed response or did not know.

The same poll gave Baldacci a positive job rating of 65 percent and a positive personal rating of 68 percent. The governor received high marks for being hardworking, but a lower grade for having a vision to make Maine better.

At a Cabinet meeting last month, the agenda reflected the special tenor of the times as well as the relentless routine of state management.

First topic: a status report on Maine troops overseas. Baldacci also expressed satisfaction with a recent 9-11 memorial in Augusta.

Next: Budget chief Rebecca Wyke on the latest fiscal developments, with an eye toward shaping a new two-year budget for submission to a new Legislature.

Around a long table in the Blaine House dining room, discussion among the administration’s top council moved from unemployment to agriculture. Mention was made of an upcoming gubernatorial trade mission, and Baldacci was briefed on the Maine Chamber of Commerce’s stance on the looming property tax cap referendum.

“To me it’s an extreme proposal,” Baldacci said of the so-called Palesky initiative. “It’s more about shifting taxes.”

This fall, Baldacci has weighed in periodically on the tax cap referendum campaign while also touting the Democratic presidential ticket led by Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.

“I would think he’s a plus. He’s a very popular governor,” says Democratic consultant Patricia Eltman. “He’s a good campaigner, John Baldacci. … Don’t worry. We’re using him.”

Baldacci is also lending a hand in the Democratic effort to retain legislative majorities.

Looking toward the future, Baldacci may do some reassigning. Communications director Lee Umphrey is taking up more of a role as liaison with lawmakers and others contacting the governor’s office. Umphrey is likely to cede the primary duties of press spokesman.

Kay Rand, the chief of staff for former Gov. Angus King, has noted that the previous administration underwent top-level organizational changes in King’s first term. Govs. John McKernan and Joseph Brennan also mixed and matched top staff over time.

Umphrey said last week Baldacci has a full plate facing him at midterm, including more budget-balancing and other fiscal challenges.

Baldacci, Maine’s first Democratic chief executive since the mid-1980s, characterizes himself as a moderate. Acknowledging flak from one side or another, he said a governor can only expect as much.

“There’s only one person in charge, and there’s only one cash register,” Baldacci said.