DEAR ELIOT

November 4th is fast approaching, and, with all due respect, I find myself
hoping you’ll withdraw from the race. Frankly, I had hoped that Libby Mitchell
would withdraw from the race in 2010, and officially endorse you. Yes, I was one
36.5% of Maine voters who supported your candidacy for Governor the last time
around. In fact, I have a long history of supporting 3rd parties/independents—specifically, the Green Independent Party. However, there comes a time when
imminent danger forces practical decisions. Governor LePage is that imminent
danger, and the state of Maine simply can’t afford to be saddled with four more years
of his failed and divisive policies. The damage he’s inflicted goes hand in hand
with the embarrassment he’s caused.
You’re clearly a very intelligent man, so it must be apparent that Mike Michaud
is a much more formidable candidate that Libby Mitchell proved to be. His support
will not be evaporating as hers so dramatically did. I derive no satisfaction in pointing this out, but it’s actually your poll numbers that appear to be steadily declining; from 20% in a March 31-April 5th Pan Atlantic SMS Group poll to 15% in a June 12th-18th Portland Press Herald poll. The most recent (Portland Press Herald) numbers show your support at 12%.
It’s impossible not to respect your very early support for Maine’s Marriage Equality,
not to mention your consistent pro-choice position. In fact, I find myself in agreement
with you on a variety of issues/goals:
Investing in Maine’s infrastructure
Modernizing/upgrading our communications networks
Restarting the Job Training Initiative (that LePage gutted)
Regulation reform
Growing Maine’s farms & fisheries
Offering assistance to distressed communities
Offering tax credit for repayment of student loans
Branding & promoting Maine

Heck, it’s all good stuff, but I can’t imagine Gov. LePage opting to support a single one of the proposals or programs that you hold dear. What it all boils down to is that Paul LePage must go. We can’t risk another four years of his temper tantrums or his stagnant economy. We deserve batter than crumbling infrastructure and broken dreams.
All the numbers suggest that Mike Michaud is the candidate most likely to topple this failed governor. I hope you’ll seriously consider the possibility of withdrawing from the race, thereby guaranteeing a Michaud victory on November 4th. I believe you and Mr. Michaud actually share a good deal of common ground—and I don’t think the same can be said about you and Mr. LePage. Please don’t gamble with Maine’s future, Mr. Cutler, the stakes are much too high.

A Remembrance of Paul LePage

In hindsight, we probably should have seen it coming, but it all seems so surreal now. He had been elected Governor with roughly 38% of the vote, fueled by the self-proclaimed Tea Party, a demoralized Democratic state party that many feared was intent on shooting itself in the foot, and an independent whose outsized ego was not yet readily apparent.
The warning signs were immediate, and all too frequent. Given the state’s economic malaise, Governor LePage somehow determined that his first act of any consequence ought to involve abducting a mural (under cover of darkness) from the Department of Labor—ostensibly because one of his supporters astutely recognized it as an example of North Korean-style propaganda (not for what it actually was—a depiction of labor history). While the 62% of Maine voters who’d opposed him did their best to ignore him, the Governor nevertheless provided comedic relief to a country in need of a good laugh.
Unfortunately for Maine’s hard-working people, and anyone interested in constructive and civil political dialogue, it became increasingly difficult to keep his irrational pronouncements and occasional tantrums out of the hands of the media. After all, if a good story proves elusive elsewhere, it’s tough to ignore the one that drops right into your lap.
While on the campaign trail, he assured his supporters he’d tell President Obama to go to hell. Once in the Blaine House, he assured anyone who’d listen that the President hated white people. This was undoubtedly around the same time he was telling the NAACP they could “kiss his butt” for daring to question his decision not to attend Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in Bangor and Portland. Donald Trump’s notoriously thin skin resembled elephant hide when contrasted with that of former Governor LePage.
It wasn’t long before major policy failures such as completely bungling a deal with Kestral Aviation that would have brought up to 600 new jobs to the Brunswick area (apparently Maine was not “open for business”) became lost in a sad circus sideshow.
In response to the Maine Board of Environmental Protection banning BPA (and its link to numerous health issues in young children and fetuses) in all reusable food and beverage containers sold in the state, LePage rejected the science and suggested the worst that could happen was that “some women may have little beards”.
One could assume there are many ways to take on the IRS without offending millions of other people, but Governor LePage had clearly eluded his handlers yet again when he likened the IRS to the Gestapo. He was allegedly discussing that agency’s role in enforcing the Affordable Care Act that had just been upheld by the Supreme Court, but who can be certain?
Who can forget his comment regarding Vaseline, or the lack thereof, in criticizing Democratic State Senator Troy Jackson during deadlocked budget negotiations?
His words and deeds had pretty much warned us the day was coming. He told us his greatest fear in the state of Maine was newspapers, and while sitting in a fighter jet simulator he wistfully expressed the desire to find the Press Herald building “and blow it up”. His aides maintained he was “clearly joking”.
But then along came Sovereign Citizens. The FBI still considers them a domestic terrorist organization that (among other things) believes the government perpetrated the 9/11 attacks, the Sandy Hook school shootings, and is plotting a Christian holocaust via mass collection of firearms. So, why did Governor LePage choose to meet with this group? His handlers maintained it was reasonable to expect he’d meet with a wide range of constituents. They offered no explanation, however, as to why he then met with them eight times.
Mike Tipping, author of “As Maine Went: Governor Paul LePage & the Tea Party Takeover of Maine” revealed LePage bought into several of the Sovereign Citizen conspiracy theories, had a sheriff look into a number of their demands, and had his legal staff draft an opinion on the group’s contention that Democratic leaders of the state legislature should be arrested and executed (for “treason”, naturally).

After the outcry surrounding this particular story, things seemed to plummet downhill quickly for the former Governor. He turned up one morning outside the headquarters of the Maine Army National Guard in an agitated state, red-faced and furiously chain-smoking Camels. No one present could fully understand his rather incoherent demands, but he apparently believed he had the authority to issue arrest warrants for Justin Alfond, Mark Eves, and a host of other political opponents. He clearly expected the National Guard to carry out these arrests. It will always be remembered as a very sad moment by all who witnessed it as the former Governor and a handful of hardcore supporters were corralled and gently led away.
In hindsight, it was a very good thing that Governor LePage made sure the hospitals in Maine were paid the money they’d been owed. As a result, we can all be sure he’s getting the excellent care, and rest, he so clearly deserved. One thing’s for sure, things have certainly been much quieter since Governor Michaud was elected back in 2014.

I.M. Muhral
Somewhere in Maine
August, 2017

Unassuming Hero: Maine's Adam Cote

Among the primary definitions of “hero”, according to Merriam-Webster, you’ll find “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities; a person who is greatly admired”. Personally, I believe “hero” has become one of the most over-used words in the English language—more often than not being applied to this or that sports or entertainment figure. I would argue that hitting a come-from-behind grand slam home run in the bottom of the ninth, or tossing a game-winning touchdown pass in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter do not define “heroic” actions. And while there may be a handful of truly talented actors, musicians, or artists whose work has the ability to touch or impact our lives in some fashion, would anyone argue that this would qualify them as “heroes”?
In recent years, I’ve asked myself if I’d even be able to recognize a genuine hero if I came face to face with one. In spite of a certain level of caution and cynicism on my part, I’m happy to say that the answer to that question is “yes”...right here in Maine, and a Democrat to boot!
Adam Cote grew up in a working class family in Sanford. He attended Colby College and shortly after graduation he enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves. He served as a military policeman in the NATO peacekeeping mission in Bosnia from October, 1997 to April, 1998. That brutal conflict claimed over 100,000 lives and devastated the country. In the face of the deprivation faced particularly by the children, Adam organized a program in his platoon to provide toys and candy for local kids. He noted that while the program wasn’t life changing, “M&Ms and comic books really make their day”. He also worked at establishing scholarship opportunities for college-aged students who had the skills to study in the U.S., but lacked the funds.
After returning from Bosnia, Adam received his law degree (cum laude) from the University of Maine School of Law, and began practicing with Pierce Atwood LLP in Portland. His focus was on real estate law, as well as domestic and international energy policy—with an emphasis on renewable energy.
From March 2004 until March 2005, Adam’s unit (Maine Army Guard’s 133rd Engineer Battalion) was deployed to serve in Iraq. As a platoon leader, Adam led over 100 convoys and oversaw numerous reconstruction efforts—including the construction of schools and clinics. He created and spearheaded the “Adopt an Iraqi Village” program, which distributed school supplies and other items to destitute Iraqis. On December 21, 2004, Adam was in the mess hall on the U.S. base in Mosul when a suicide bomber walked in and blew himself up—killing or wounding over one hundred soldiers and civilians. Adam was awarded an Army Commendation Medal for his leadership during this attack.
Upon his return from Iraq, Adam resumed his law practice. In 2008, he joined Global Relief Technologies, serving as Senior Vice President. His responsibilities included managing, overseeing and building upon GRTs’ local, state and federal emergency management initiatives. He worked closely with the American Red Cross, the National Guard, and numerous emergency management related organizations throughout the country. Adam was at the forefront of the company’s response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2009, using satellite-linked handheld computers to gather information on amputees for Healing Hands for Haiti and Handicap International.
Adam was a Democratic candidate in Maine’s 1st congressional district 2008 race. He sought the nomination to replace the incumbent, Tom Allen, who was running for the Senate. In a field of six, Adam Cote finished a strong second to eventual winner Chellie Pingree. Soon after this foray into public service, Adam and business partners founded Thermal Energy Storage of Maine. The company sells electric thermal storage furnaces and room heaters that allow users to purchase less-expensive electricity at off-peak hours and store it for later use. Adam notes that “Maine is number one in the country for home heating oil… we’re not even close to being second. And of course we get hit every time there’s a crisis in the Middle East, every time there’s a shortage, every time there’s an executive driving up the price—we get hit the worst in Maine.” Adam is determined to do something that helps Maine become more energy independent, and his efforts were recently acknowledged by the White House when Adam was honored on November 13, 2013 as one of 12 Veterans advancing Clean Energy and Climate Security. He was acknowledged as a “Champion of Change”. Unfortunately, Adam was unable to receive this honor in person since the 133rd Engineer Battalion had deployed to Afghanistan in the fall of 2013. Adam participated in the ceremony via Skype.
When I first began blogging, it provided an outlet for the frustration I was feeling. Like many others, I was appalled at the gridlock in Washington, and found myself especially disgusted by Tea Party extremists who view compromise as some form of treason. Additionally, I was mortified at having been thoroughly conned by Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards; and my anger towards myself persists to this day. I was, as the name I chose for my blog indicates, “Missing Mister Smith”. I never expected to recapture the sense that we as individuals could make a difference, and I certainly never thought I'd believe once more that someone running for office might actually encompass the values I had been raised with. It's clear there is far more to Adam Cote than any blog posting might convey, but if you get a sense of his decency, pragmatism,and work ethic, then I’ve at least accomplished something! I hope that at some point Adam will share his amazing story in greater detail; it’s very much the “American life” we used to read about.
Shortly before the Maine 133rd Engineering Battalion safely returned home(thank God)this past month, Captain Cote had organized--and run--a "shadow " Boston Marathon with eight others to honor the victims of last year's tragic events. I was moved, but hardly surprised as I read the story. Adam's good karma apparently only continues to accumulate.
I owe Adam Cote a major debt of gratitude for restoring my faith in the decency and potential of people, and in recognizing that there are still flesh and blood heroes among us. Somewhere down the road, when he's had ample time--and then a little bit more--to reconnect with his wife and five children, I hope to have the opportunity to shake his hand, and simply say "thank you".