Cutler said that after spending is cut in state government, Maine will need to revamp its entire tax structure. But, he said, it wouldn’t be done “on the back of any particular industry, including this one.”

You can read the full article here.

I’m a registered Democrat and I voted for Libby Mitchell in the primary. Shortly after that, someone else got my attention — Eliot Cutler.

The state of Maine is in trouble. We need a governor who is intelligent, passionate about the job and hardworking. It’s going to take a lot of work to turn around the mess we’re in, and we need someone who will take the job seriously. That someone is Eliot Cutler.

I have had a lot of firsts this year. I’m proud to say this is the first year I have donated to a candidate, the first time I have put up a lawn sign and the first time I have sent a letter to the editor.

I feel so confident that Eliot Cutler is the man that can do the job! I urge all my friends to vote for him.

Judy Williams, Stonington

You can read the full article here.

Kudos to your editorial board for the recent piece on Maine’s public education system. The status quo is not working. We need to change it. Special interests have a stranglehold on our ability to implement any effective change.

What can we expect from our gubernatorial candidates on this issue? Certainly more of the same old, same old from Libby Mitchell. To nobody’s surprise, she was endorsed by the Maine teachers union, a group that is funneling money to her to keep the status quo for another four years.

Libby Mitchell likely will do what the teachers’ union wants rather than what our students need. Meaningful reform is not on her agenda.

As for Paul LePage, he’s more interested in ignoring these problems and making sure that creationism is taught in schools. And his time as Waterville’s mayor should give everyone pause for concern.

After six years in power, LePage decimated Waterville’s per pupil spending, far below the average Maine town, such that fourth- and eighth-graders didn’t meet state standards for reading and math.

We need a governor who is tough-minded and independent to improve our education system. Eliot Cutler is that candidate. He’s the only candidate who warned state officials long before Maine was denied Race to the Top funds that our application didn’t promote reform or innovation (the reason we were denied those funds).

He’s the only candidate who will open Maine’s education system, rather than tearing it down, by allowing charter schools and evaluating teachers based, in part, on student achievement.

The other candidates will spend time diverting our attention from the real problems.

Eliot Cutler is the only candidate presenting innovative ideas that will provide real reform in our education system. That’s what our children need. That’s what our future demands.

Kerry Corthell, Scarborough ME

You can read the full article here.

“Cutler differs from the major party candidates, however, in offering a near-term strategy for reducing the costs of energy currently available by creating a public power authority with the ability to purchase and resell electricity at substantially lower costs than are currently paid by Maine businesses.”

You can read the full article here.

I am graduating from the University of Maine in December and would like to have job opportunities in Maine. But jobs have always been few and far between in our state as a result of poor planning and outdated policies. Eliot Cutler is the only candidate for governor who has a plan to revamp Maine, remove obsolete policies and clear the way for the future.

The need for economic growth is evident to every Mainer. Far too many of us have been looking for a decent job for far too long. When I read about Mr. Cutler’s proposed Office of Regulatory Review and Repeal in the Bangor Daily News, I knew he was serious about knocking down the barriers to business in our state. He continues to provide the only substantive platform that offers hope for employment in our state.

He also understands the need to educate our work force to help lure employers and provide Maine’s next generation with the opportunity to stay in our state.

Mr. Cutler’s plan is simple. Reduce the cost of working and living in Maine. Invest in educational opportunities from pre-K through postgrad. Eliminate waste and redundancy in government. And use our natural resources as a fulcrum to our future success across the entire state.

After a short visit to Cutler2010.com you will see that Eliot cares deeply for our state and has the platform and boldness to revitalize our government. Join me in voting for Eliot Cutler to bring jobs to Maine.

Jen Cohen, Old Town

You can read the full article here.

My objective is to cut the marginal tax rate more than half of its current level. I would like to get it down to close to zero. The income tax right now stands in the way of jump-starting Maine’s economy. It’s driving capital out of the state and keeping new capital from coming in.

You can read the full article here.

TED O’MEARA
ted@cutler2010.com
207.699.4401

or

MONICA CASTELLANOS
monica@cutler2010.com
207.699.4401

Portland, Maine – Speaking at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) in Portland tonight, Independent candidate for governor Eliot Cutler said that as governor he will ask the Maine Congressional Delegation to assist him in persuading the federal government to give Maine exclusive management authority over fishing resources out to a limit of 25 miles off the coast.

“We can do a much better job managing this critical resource ourselves,” Cutler said. “We would agree to be judged on performance and outcomes over a 15-year period – with interim reviews every five years – against clearly stated goals for conserving and rebuilding fish stocks and for protecting species whether they are inshore spawning or wintering offshore.

Cutler said that Maine fishermen should not to be forced to compete against industrial fishing competitors, who have different goals, different criteria for success, and no experience that comes even close to matching Maine’s success in the self-regulation of its lobster fishery.

Cutler also said that he would invest in the Maine brand, and that our failure to develop and promote the Maine brand has hampered our ability to develop export opportunities.

“We are sitting on a gold mine, and we need to invest in it,” Cutler said. “Branding Maine isn’t something we need to do just for fish or lobsters or blueberries. This is something we have to do for everything we represent as a state. It is for tourism, paper products, boatbuilding, schools and colleges, our places and our people – the whole experience of living and working in Maine.”

Maine’s gubernatorial candidates have taken up the issue with varying positions; Eliot Cutler said that the condition of the bridges are typical of the state’s approach to transportation infrastructure in the past:

“They’ve kicked the can down the road for so long that we’re right up against the wall, not only on these bridges but on bridges and roads across the state.”

You can read the full article here.

Independent candidate Eliot Cutler actually responded with a specific program to address the issues raised by Maine’s RTT application… [Cutler] is the one candidate willing to take these issues head-on. Check him out.

You can read the full article here.

“What a way to mark Labor Day.”