John Baldacci
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John Baldacci | |
---|---|
73rd Governor of Maine | |
In office January 8, 2003 – January 5, 2011 | |
Preceded by | Angus King |
Succeeded by | Paul LePage |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd district | |
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003 | |
Preceded by | Olympia Snowe |
Succeeded by | Mike Michaud |
Member of the Maine Senate from the 9th district | |
In office December 1982 – December 1994 | |
Preceded by | Constituency established |
Succeeded by | Sean Faircloth |
Personal details | |
Born | John Elias Baldacci January 30, 1955 Bangor, Maine, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Karen Baldacci |
Children | 1 |
Education | University of Maine (BA) |
Signature | |
John Elias Baldacci (born January 30, 1955) is an American politician who served as the 73rd Governor of Maine from 2003 to 2011. A Democrat, he also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.
During his tenure as governor, Baldacci initiated reforms in the areas of health care, energy development, administrative reform and efficiency, public education, and led significant efforts to expand investment in workforce training and development. During his four terms in the U.S. Congress, he served on the Agriculture Committee and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. He currently serves as vice chair of the board of the non-partisan Northeast-Midwest Institute,[1] a Washington-based, private, nonprofit, and nonpartisan research organization dedicated to economic vitality, environmental quality, and regional equity for Northeast and Midwest states.
Early life and political career
Born in
Baldacci was first elected to public office in 1978 at the age of 23, when he served on the Bangor City Council. He continued in politics, winning election to the Maine Senate in 1982 from a Bangor-area district. He was reelected two times, serving a total of 12 years.[3]
United States House of Representatives
In 1994, following the retirement of his cousin, United States Senator
Baldacci would never face another contest nearly that close, and was reelected to Congress three times with well over 70 percent of the vote. He served on the House Agriculture Committee and the House Transportation Committee.
Governor of Maine
2002 election
A
First term
After being elected, Baldacci attempted to fill a $1.2-billion deficit. This was done through budget cuts, consolidation, and fee increases. Baldacci refused to raise broad-based taxes, honoring a campaign pledge. Baldacci won approval for major initiatives including Dirigo Health, the Maine Community College System, and Pine Tree Development Zones (PTDZ).
Pine Tree Development Zones were enacted in 2004 and offered eligible businesses the chance to greatly reduce or virtually eliminate state taxes for up to ten years when they create new, quality jobs in certain business sectors or move existing jobs in those sectors to Maine. However, a report released in 2014 showed that the PTDZ program was ineffective, costing state government more than it brought in. Over the first ten years of the program, it cost Maine $457 million.[4]
Baldacci's overhaul of the healthcare system was established with his
With the Maine Community College System[5] he took technical colleges and revamped them into community colleges by adding more courses, more teachers and programs relevant to the communities in which they were established. He passed legislation that made it possible for credits and degrees from the community colleges to be transferable to the University of Maine system if student wished to pursue a four-year degree. The community college system grew exponentially adding new satellites. In their first three years, Maine's community colleges grew 42 percent.[6] The demand is so great there are waiting lists for admission.
In 2005, Baldacci introduced
Baldacci is a supporter of
2006 election
Baldacci ran for reelection in 2006, facing opposition from Republican Chandler Woodcock, Independents Barbara Merrill and Phillip Napier, and Green Independent Party candidate Pat LaMarche.
Democratic-leaning voters had a wide array of choices. Merrill, who was elected to her state house seat as a Democrat, Woodcock, and LaMarche received money from Maine's
Baldacci won the election with 38% of the vote. Woodcock placed second with 30%. Merrill received a surprising 21%, narrowly defeating Baldacci among unenrolled voters. LaMarche finished with 10%, enough to maintain ballot access for the Green Party.
Second term
Baldacci was inaugurated on January 3, 2007, in Augusta. Baldacci, in his second term, built on the foundation he created in his first four years in office. He increased Maine's competitiveness in the global economy; streamlined government services; attracted good jobs; and ensured that all Mainers have access to quality education, workforce training, and health care. In 2008 the recession hit forcing more consolidation efforts and Baldacci never increased state income taxes. He left office with a surplus and a rainy day fund.
During his inaugural speech, Baldacci reaffirmed his goal for school administration consolidation. Shortly after he began his second term, his biennial budget proposal included consolidating Maine's 152 school districts into 26
In 2007, Baldacci announced a plan to send 125 Maine prisoners to the private
Baldacci continued a major effort to promote alternative energies and energy independence for the state. Maine homes and businesses were heated 86 percent with oil. As of 2011, that declined to 76 percent. Baldacci's programs promoted wood pellets, which were manufactured in the state using Maine's vast forest lands, as well as wind, solar, biofuels and wave technologies.[10] He also started the Energy Efficiency Trust. He successfully created new standards and goals for the states Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). These RPS standards encouraged alternative energy suppliers to invest in Maine using the state's natural resources sustainably. Offshore wind technologies for floating wind turbines developed at the University of Maine brought Energy Sec. Steven Chu to visit the University and the Department of Energy has given the university various grants to continue the research.[11]
Baldacci also brought the region's leaders together for a special conference to coordinate and cooperate on regional energy efforts such as the infrastructure needed to carry the electricity to markets. In addition Baldacci led the effort for Maine to become part of the first cap and trade state consortium for East coast states called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative,[citation needed] which has brought in $83 million to the state for weatherization programs.
Throughout Baldacci's eight years he promoted a number of bond efforts that were passed by the people of Maine to increase research and development in the state focusing on sectors of growth and innovation. These bonds helped to transform research and development in biomedicine, composites and forest products at Maine's leading educational institutions.
In February 2008, Baldacci hosted an official visit to Maine by
In the
On May 6, 2009, Baldacci signed legislation legalizing
Baldacci left office in 2011, and was succeeded by Republican Paul LePage.
Personal life and family
Baldacci lived with his wife Karen and son Jack in the Blaine House in Augusta, while governor.
Baldacci's brother, Joe, is a member of the Bangor City Council.
Baldacci held a technician class
Electoral history
Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1994
|
John Baldacci | 109,615 | 46% | Richard A. Bennett | 97,754 | 41% | John M. Michael | Independent
|
21,117 | 9% | Charles Fitzgerald | Maine Green Independent | 11,353 | 5% | * | ||||
1996
|
John Baldacci | 205,439 | 72% | Paul R. Young | 70,856 | 25% | Aldric Saucier | Independent
|
9,294 | 3% | * | ||||||||
1998
|
John Baldacci | 146,202 | 76% | Jonathan Reisman | 45,674 | 24% | |||||||||||||
2000
|
John Baldacci | 219,783 | 73% | Richard H. Campbell | 79,522 | 27% |
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1994, write-ins received 55 votes. In 1996, write-ins received 47 votes.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic
|
John Baldacci | 233,543 | 47.2 | ||
Republican
|
Peter Cianchette | 205,335 | 41.5 | ||
Green
|
Jonathan Carter | 46,903 | 9.28 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic
|
John Baldacci (Incumbent) | 206,991 | 38.0 | −9.2 | |
Republican
|
Chandler Woodcock | 164,861 | 30.3 | ||
Independent
|
Barbara Merrill | 117,111 | 21.5 | ||
Green
|
Pat LaMarche | 52,150 | 9.6 |
See also
- List of Arab and Middle-Eastern Americans in the United States Congress
References
- ^ "Northeast-Midwest Institute". www.nemw.org.
- ^ New York Times interview with John Baldacci, November 1, 2009.
- ^ a b "BALDACCI, John Elias - Biographical Information". congress.gov. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
- ^ Hall, Jessica (April 20, 2014). "Pine Tree Zones tax breaks costing state more than they deliver". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
- ^ http://www.mccs.me.edu/about/gccacreport.htmltook[permanent dead link]
- ^ According to the Maine Community college website as of May 2013
- ^ Microsoft Word – Interim Report CoverSept.doc Archived June 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Tapley, Lance (April 25, 2007). "Prisoners as commodities". The Phoenix. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
- ^ Tapley, Lance (January 21, 2009). "Baldacci rejects reform, embraces corporate prisons again". The Phoenix. Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
- ^ According to the Bangor Daily News Article, Energy bills smarten up state policy by Kevin Miller on May 11, 2010.
- ^ According to the UMaine composite center
- ^ "Maine news, sports, politics and obituaries — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine". bangornews.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
- ^ "HillaryClinton.com – Media Release". Archived from the original on February 13, 2008.
- ^ Ben Smith (May 6, 2009). "Maine governor signs marriage bill [UPDATED]". politico.com. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
- ^ "Joe Baldacci, brother of former Maine governor, files papers to run for Congress". The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram. July 29, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
- ^ Solomon, Deborah (October 29, 2009). "The Wedding March". New York Times Magazine. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ "ULS License - Amateur License - KB1NXP - Baldacci, John E".
- ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Archived from the original on July 30, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
External links
- United States Congress. "John Baldacci (id: B000081)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Appearances on C-SPAN