President’s Message: “Maybe we are more alike than we think…”

Many who attended our annual dinner last month have commented on our Bicentennial Celebration video project as a good reminder the lasting contributions made by our former governors. We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to interview the seven living Maine governors and reminisce a bit about their time in office, spanning 50 years of Maine’s history.

Each governor put service above self, and the legacies have stood the test of time. Today, the people of Maine still benefit from the priorities set forth even decades ago.
      
As we discussed their legacy, and likely as you watched the video that night, several key themes emerged: Each of them put great emphasis on the quality and value of our state’s education system, at each level, as an investment in the success of our people. And, despite their different leadership styles and policy priorities, each shared a common interest in serving the people to the best of their ability. They worked vigorously and with conviction, so that Maine people and Maine’s economy would be in the best possible position at that time in history.
      
But perhaps, for me, the most interesting commonality was found in their answers to “what advice would you give the next/current governor, based on your experience in office?” All seven of them, separately and unaware of the other responses, said “listen” to the people, to the opposition, to your advisors, and to your experts, considering as much information and as many perspectives as possible.
      
If you haven’t seen it yet or you’d like to see it again, the video project is available on our website, in the Annual Dinner recap, if you would like to watch it: www.mainechamber.org/2019-annual-dinner.html.
      
As the holidays approach, we have some exciting news to share as well. Effective December 1, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce's offices will be located at 128 State Street in Augusta, Maine. We will be closing operations at the current location on the morning of Tuesday November 26, to pack and load the moving trucks. Depending on the speed and success of our move, we hope to reopen our offices on Monday or Tuesday, December 2-3. Once we are settled, we will announce a date for an open house so you can visit our new offices in a historic building at the edge of Augusta's downtown district, placing us much closer to the Statehouse.

As you can see, we have much to be thankful for this season.