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GOVERNOR'S RACE

Mitchell's former opponents join her policy teams

McGowan, Rowe and Scarcelli among those joining Democrat's campaign

By Susan M. Cover scover@mainetoday.com
State House Bureau

AUGUSTA -- The three rivals who lost to Senate President Elizabeth Mitchell in the Democratic Party primary will lead policy subcommittees in support of her gubernatorial campaign.

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Libby Mitchell.

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Former Attorney General Steven Rowe, Stanford Management Chief Executive Officer Rosa Scarcelli and former Department of Conservation Commissioner Patrick McGowan have agreed to solicit input from people across the state on topics such as jobs, energy, and education, the Mitchell campaign announced Wednesday.

Also, House Speaker Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven, and Kennebec Technologies owner Charles "Wick" Johnson, of Hallowell, will serve as leaders of the campaign's overall policy committee.

"By engaging in a discussion with business leaders, citizens and industry experts, these groups will help enhance the policy agenda I am presenting to voters," Mitchell said in a statement. "I look forward to hearing their ideas on how to create more opportunity for Maine people."

Mitchell said her central themes include creating jobs by providing tax incentives to attract investment, reducing health care costs by providing incentives for prevention, establishing a small-business "ombudsman" and requiring all political appointees to file financial disclosures.

Regarding the latter of those themes, spokesman David Loughran said Mitchell wants to enhance the public's trust in government by expanding financial reporting requirements to more top level government officials.

"She thinks that people who make policy at the highest levels should disclose their finances in a meaningful way to avoid any conflicts of interest, and to give the public the information they need to continue to have faith that government officials are serving the public interests," he said.

Mitchell, of Vassalboro, is one of five people running for governor. She faces Republican nominee Paul LePage, mayor of Waterville; independent Eliot Cutler, of Cape Elizabeth; independent Shawn Moody, of Gorham and independent Kevin Scott, of Andover.

The day after the June primary, which Mitchell won with 34 percent of the vote, all three of her opponents pledged to support her during the campaign.

Rowe will be co-chairman of Mitchell's education subcommittee with Terry MacTaggart, the former chancellor of the University of Maine system, and Marjorie Medd, a former member of the state Board of Education and current UMS trustee.

Scarcelli will be co-chairwoman of the jobs and economic development subcommittee, with Johnson. McGowan will be co-chairman of the energy and environment committee with Adam Lee, of Cumberland, president of Lee Automalls.

Scarcelli said she has already met with a group to gather ideas to help the state economy.

"We've got a really great diverse group of people," she said, "supporters and nonsupporters. I think Libby sees herself as a consensus builder."

Mitchell also announced the formation of health care and government reform subcommittees for her campaign on Wednesday.

Dr. Maroulla Gleaton, an Augusta ophthalmologist, will co-chair the health care committee with Pingree, while the government reform committee will be co-chaired by Jeremy Fischer, a former legislator from Presque Isle, and Elizabeth Reuthe, a management consultant and town official in Vassalboro.

Susan Cover -- 620-7015

scover@mainetoday.com