Washington County has an image problem. From within, all one sees is the hard work, dedication and perseverance it takes to build an economy one job at a time. From without, it looks more like persistent poverty and chronic unemployment. From Augusta, a lost cause.

Which only goes to show how viewing something from a distance can distort reality.

With uncommon ingenuity, the bootstrapping goes on every day in Calais, Eastport, Lubec, Machias, Jonesport. If, as many in Maine’s easternmost region truly believe, Washington County’s natural and human resources will make it an economic powerhouse in the next decade, the sweat equity will be enormous.

Yet there are troubling signs and subtle rumblings from the State House, the Legislature in particular, that the few scraps tossed Washington County’s way are enough. No one denies that the region should have a modern highway to connect it to the rest of the continent, yet no champion has stepped forward. A new study recommends the revival of rail to the port of Eastport; the vague 10-year timetable and lack of financial commitment goes unquestioned. When the Legislature finishes with the 3,000 bills its has heaped upon itself this session, Maine may well have a state herb, a state soil and an expanded moose hunt. The most promising deep water port on the East Coast will be as isolated as ever.

It’s become somewhat fashionable of late to view the economic-development initiatives of Gov. John McKernan as abject failures, as a lot of flash but no cash. True, the Job Opportunity Zone program did not transform the region, but it made a couple of small investments that are still paying big dividends. It provided start-up funds for the port director position in Eastport, a job that continues to create jobs. It got Washington County communities working together and led to the establishment of the Sunrise County Economic Development Council, a remarkable grass-roots organization that has done everything from helping home-based crabmeat pickers adapt to new food-safety rules to helping Eastport replace the 100 jobs it lost when a textile factory closed down.

While Gov. McKernan’s Capitol For a Day had a whiff of the dog-and-pony show to it, the project did bring the state’s policy makers and agenda setters to Washington County on several occasions — and where the governor and his cabinet went, legislative leadership was sure to follow. Now, before their vision becomes permanently blurred, might be a good time for top lawmakers to visit Washington County again. It’s easy to find — just hop on Route 1 and head for the sunrise.