Yes on Question 1

The success of the slots facility in Bangor makes the question of expanding gambling one of equity. A yes vote on Question 1 would allow the Passamaquoddy Tribe to build a gaming facility in Washington County. Expanding gambling to the state’s poorest county offers an opportunity to spur economic development in an area where it is sorely needed.

Instead of trying to hold off what is already in Maine and growing nationally, voters should enable the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Washington County to join in hosting what is one of the fastest-growing forms of recreation in the United States.

Located near the fifth-busiest border crossing with Canada, the facility, which will also include a resort and conference center, will bring new visitors, and their money, to a region where they are sorely needed. In addition, revenue from the facility will also support needed educational and economic development opportunities in the area.

Yes on Question 2

This $55 million bond builds on the work, done largely at the state’s universities, colleges and independent research laboratories, funded by previous borrowing to upgrade the state’s research and development capacity. This bond money is aimed at turning research into reality through commercialization. This phase will create new, albeit small, industries in Maine. These industries will create jobs offering more Maine college graduates an opportunity to stay in state after graduation, while also boosting the state’s payroll.

Because of a lack of sustained investment, Maine lags behind other states in this area. This bond will provide some of the funding needed to further research efforts and to turn that work into commercially viable products and services, furthering the economic benefit to the state.

The Maine Technology Institute would manage $50 million of the bond funds, allocating money using a competitive process so funds go to projects with the largest potential payback. Question 2 also includes $3.5 million for the Finance Authority of Maine and $1.5 million for the Maine Rural Development Authority. Those funds would be made available to support additional economic development initiatives.

Yes on Question 3

This $43.5 million bond is a companion to Question 2. Just as university research needs to be turned into commercially viable products, the state’s public campuses need to be upgraded to support this research. Without up-to-date facilities, critical grant funding, research opportunities, faculty and students will go to institutions in other states. With record growth at the community college system and some university campuses, improved classrooms and laboratory space is a top priority. New and renovated buildings are also more technologically and energy efficient, saving campuses money in the long term.

In all, 15 campuses statewide would receive funding, including Maine Maritime Academy, and $1.5 million of the total would be added to the School Revolving Renovation Fund, which helps local K-12 districts improve the safety of schools. Another $2 million would pay for repairs and improvements to public kindergarten-through-12th-grade schools. The money targets improvements that address health, safety and compliance deficiencies, general renovation needs and learning space upgrades.

In addition, $2 million would be made available to the Maine State Cultural Affairs Council to support its New Century program, which funds arts, humanities and preservation efforts and offers educational services.

Yes on Question 4

Protecting and enhancing Maine’s “quality of place” has been a frequent refrain among policymakers since the Brookings Institution’s report on the state’s economic challenges was issued a year ago. Approving this $35.5 million bond gives residents an opportunity to invest in that quality. It is an investment the state needs to make.

The bond effectively spreads the money across the landscape, from fishing villages and riverfront communities to farmland and state parks. The bulk of the bond – $17 million – is dedicated to the popular Land for Maine’s Future program, with $3 million for a program that helps secure working waterfront land for commercial fisheries.

Another $7.5 million is for capital improvements at the state’s 40-plus state parks and historic sites and $5 million is to be awarded competitively to riverfront communities to spur economic development to link river access and municipal goals. Another $1.5 million is to help farmers develop water sources such as farm ponds and wells and $1.5 million will be set aside for municipalities for public infrastructure grants and loans.

Yes on Question 5

Term limits, while popular when they were enacted more than a decade ago, are problematic. Limiting time lawmakers can serve has resulted in more divided committee reports and the reintroduction of bills that have little chance of passage. They have also shifted power away from lawmakers to lobbyists and bureaucrats and from rural areas to more populated parts of the state.

By extending from four to six the number of allowable consecutive terms, Question 5 would allow lawmakers more time to develop expertise, which can help rectify some of these problems.