Maine voters will be confronted with a choice of three candidates for governor on Nov. 4, but only two kinds of candidates. They can choose from one of two highly partisan politicians or they can choose a candidate who thinks for himself, has original ideas and is able to articulate those beliefs naturally because he truly believes them.

The gubernatorial debates held in the last few weeks have thrown light on who the candidates really are. Gov. Paul LePage has conducted himself as usual, showing he’s a bully and incapable of not taking things personally. As if voters needed reminding, the debates demonstrate that Maine needs a different man in the Blaine House. LePage has been a national embarrassment and has said things in public for which even his fellow Republicans have rebuked him. From vulgarities to petty feuds, the governor has proven he can’t handle the tall task of governing in a way that makes constituents or even his fellow Republicans proud.

Mike Michaud has more of the steady demeanor required for governing, but he comes across as a puppet, repeating memorized phrases and saying what seems to be whatever party bosses tell him to. As a congressman, he’s done little of note in Washington, D.C., and we’re sure that would continue in Augusta. During the debates, Michaud says he has a plan for Maine, but when pressed for details, he doesn’t deliver the fine print. We’ve grown weary, and wary, of such politicians.

Then there is Eliot Cutler. Cutler is smart and actually seems to want to do something good for the state’s residents, rather than forwarding some partisan agenda and playing politics. And, impressively, he has been brave enough to put his plan in writing so the voter can study it, and then hold him accountable should he get into office. Some would call him nai?ve for doing so; we call him a leader.

Some of Cutler’s ideas will be welcomed, especially by the state’s overburdened property taxpayers. While LePage has promised tax relief, property owners have become the cash cow for the LePage administration. The state has shifted teachers’ retirements to local taxpayers, along with reducing state revenue sharing and, of course, never living up to the promised 55 percent in state subsidy for education. Elected in the Tea Party wave of 2010, in which voters were trying to curtail out-of-control spending, LePage has done little to reduce the overall tax burden and has actually thrown more weight onto those owning property. Cutler’s plan to increase the Homestead Exemption from $10,000 to $50,000 (up to 50 percent of a home’s value) will give property owners a needed break. He plans to increase the sales tax a half-percent to pay for it. We like any idea that helps homeowners, who are the backbone of a well-functioning neighborhood and society in general.

Cutler is also on the right track with his ideas for improving Maine’s infrastructure needs, including roads and bridges, ports and railroads, as well as expanding broadband Internet access. Cutler also promises to provide incentives so students don’t leave Maine once they’re educated, as well as giving tax breaks for those saddled by student debt.

While all these ideas sound promising, and capable of leading the state in a better direction, some voters are still vary of casting their vote for Cutler, since he’s not tied to a party and is lagging in the polls. Cutler’s press conference Wednesday, in which he indicated his intention to stand firm against calls for him to exit the race, reflected this political reality. Cutler is standing strong, believing he’s the answer for what ails Maine, and we do, too. But he also said, “Anyone who has supported me – but who now worries that I can not win and is thereby compelled by their fears or their conscience to vote instead for Mr. LePage or Mr. Michaud – should do so.”

Nonetheless, we urge Mainers to vote for the candidate they really want, not the candidate they think can win because of polling. We understand people don’t want to waste their vote, and many are voting for Michaud because they can’t stomach another LePage term. But voters need to remember Cutler made a late surge in 2010 and we feel that could happen again.

Beyond policy, when unforeseen issues occur during the next four years, only Cutler will be able to rise above partisan politics. LePage will bring four more years of infighting. Michaud’s election will probably bring with it a Democratic Legislature without gridlock, but the ideas will be more of the same old, same old: Throw money at a problem and hope it corrects itself. Cutler can move past partisanship and work with both sides in ways neither LePage nor Michaud can.

Mainers on Nov. 4 should vote for someone who can lead us into a brighter future, which we need and deserve. We believe Eliot Cutler is that person.

Copy the Story Link