Author: Nick Isgro

Over the last decade, Mainers have withstood an onslaught of attacks on our constitutional rights, especially those protected by the Second Amendment. These attacks, while well-funded by out of state special interests, have all been defeated thanks in large part to Mainers’ undeniable ability to reach out to one another and form broad coalitions across party lines in true grassroots activism. With new tactics on the rise, however, we must be vigilant. The new strategy of the left is to attack our right to free speech by using fear and intimidation to get every day folks so scared to speak…

In the course of his tenure, Gov. Paul LePage and conservatives in Augusta have implemented reforms to Maine’s welfare system that have led to the transition of thousands of Mainers on public assistance to what has become the state’s highest rate of employment. Liberals in Augusta, led by House Speaker Sara Gideon, are seeking to reverse this success. Gideon’s “LIFT” bill, LD 1475, would explode Maine’s welfare rolls by offering new benefits immediately, and would create, by necessity of implementation, a larger bureaucracy to administer the new benefits. First up in the new welfare bill are new demands of massive…

Around the state, liberals are touting Maine Democrats’ “Opportunity Agenda” as the solution to our state’s budget woes. There’s no need to go the town halls they’re holding; the details of their plan are out. The only opportunities Maine liberals seek are those which take more money from the pockets of hard-working Mainers. The document on the Senate Democrats’ website states that, “Maine Democrats believe that Maine has a bright future.” This is great to hear, because we are now harvesting the rightful fruits of Governor LePage’s leadership and conservative budget priorities that have led to a record-low unemployment rate,…

Gov. Paul LePage’s biennial budget has been released for only a matter of days and already we are hearing the usual moans from those opposed to change. From Democrats in the state legislature to municipal money grabbers around the state, the opposition to progress is well underway. While no budget is perfect, the biennial budget released last Friday has many reasons to earn the support of Maine taxpayers. Here’s why: Repealing the General Assistance Program – For far too long this well-meaning program has been allowed to grow into a required albatross on both state and municipal budgets. It has…

Every two years, the citizens of Maine get to sit back and watch a spectacle of drama and high-pitched emotion take place in Augusta. We call this the biennial budget process. In the world of municipal government, we pay close attention to this process because many of the decisions made in Augusta will impact both our municipal budgets, as well as the personal budgets of our constituents. While most elected officials remember the first part about municipal budgets, often forgotten are the effects these decisions have on our constituents’ finances. Case in point: municipal revenue sharing. As my first foray…

The other day I was in the grocery store with several of my children doing my weekly grocery shop. As often happens, I was stopped by a constituent to discuss a concern. There among peanut butter, bread and frozen vegetables, I listened attentively about a mother’s concern for her son and the municipal issues that were important to her. Fortunately for me, my children are used to getting stopped and have learned the gentle patience that is often difficult for children who are only steps away from the ice cream isle. As our conversation ended and the woman began to…

At this point in the election cycle we all understand fully the union special interests behind Question 2. A ballot initiative that poses to be about improving the quality of education, Question 2 is nothing more than a radical tax scheme with potentially devastating effects on our state economy. While the misleading premise of Question 2 is bad, when we take a closer look there is something far more repulsive lurking behind the shadows of union big wigs and out of state cash. Should it pass, Question 2 will be setting a precedent regarding our very form of government and…

This past week in Waterville, while the fading sun of a warmer than normal October day still lit the bottom of Main Street, the last remnants of the old Levine’s department store came down to make way for a new 48 bed boutique hotel and restaurant. Welcome to the renaissance of Waterville. The new hotel, along with a new student residence hall and rehabbed office space readying to house 200 high tech jobs for Massachusetts based firm Collaborative Consulting are the results of an announcement one year ago from Colby College president David Greene that the Waterville based school would…

One of the arguments we continue to hear against Questions 2 is that we all want Maine schools to be adequately funded, but this law isn’t the right way. That statement in itself implies that Maine schools are not adequately funded at their current levels. While this may be true in a few rare instances, by and large the insinuation could not be farther from the truth. When we take a close look at Question 2, “An Act to Establish The Fund to Advance Public Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education,” we find that the law has little to do with advancing…

On a Tuesday night in the middle of August, the torrential rains of a summer evening gave no relief to the humidity that oppressed the Kennebec Valley. While the streets were quiet in downtown Waterville, a revolt was brewing inside the City Council chambers. It was just after 8:00 p.m. and the chamber was packed to standing room only while residents continued to approach the podium. For most municipalities in Maine, passing the budget was already a distant memory. But, after a series of council votes, a property revaluation, a mayoral veto and a veto override, the citizens of Waterville…