For decades in Maine, our economic development efforts have been uncoordinated, duplicative, wrongheaded and unproductive. Cities and towns in Maine with the same fundamental interests in economic development have been competing against each other in exhausting, expensive and fruitless efforts to build their individual commercial tax bases. Literally hundreds of state, regional, local and non-profit agencies in Maine spend millions upon millions of dollars every year chasing jobs and industries that have little cause to move to Maine, while paying scant attention to the needs of businesses that already are in Maine and want to expand.
Our high cost structure has built a wall around the State of Maine, one that discourages new businesses from moving to Maine and investing here, while behind that wall we have failed to invest in a focused way in our competitive assets. Cutting our cost structure – lowering the cost of living and doing business in Maine – is our most urgent and immediate challenge, but at the same time we also need to bring a new, strategic and far more focused approach to investing in Maine’s competitive advantages – our young people, our quality places, our natural resources and our strategic location.
Tags: Economic Development, Muncipal, Regional, State, Town