Maine Politics and Government

Thomas Taylor G., T. Palmer Kenneth, E. Lavigne Jean, A. LiBrizzi Marcus

Description

Remote and thinly populated, Maine was long insulated from many of the demographic and economic trends of states to the south. Maine Politics and Government traces recent changes in the state’s system as agriculture, manufacturing, and maritime trades have ceded dominance to high-tech businesses, extensive commercial development, and an expanding governmental sector.

 

This compact overview of Maine politics and government describes how the state’s history and political culture have shaped its political processes, its governing institutions, and its public-policy priorities. It also highlights the shift in the role of Maine’s governments in the past half century—from low-service entities to administrators of a broad range of public policies. The authors consider the impact of the influx of newcomers along the southern Maine coast, serious financial issues involving burdensome taxation, the pressing need to make the nearly five hundred units of local government more efficient, and problems attending the spread of suburbs throughout the state.

 

Fully updated and expanded, this second edition provides a wealth of new material—maps, case studies, updated demographic information, treatment of new policies and health-care plans, and an overview of the administrations of the two most recent governors.

Sujets

• USA
• United States of America
• Region
• Administrative division
• Regional
• États-Unis
• Maine

Informations

• Publié par: Nebraska Paperback
• Date de parution: 01 décembre 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780803226470
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

maine politics and government, second edition

Politics and Governments of the American States

Founding Editor

Daniel J. Elazar

Published by the University of Nebraska Press in association with the Center for the Study of Federalism at the Robert B. and Helen S. Meyner Center for the Study of State and Local Government, Lafayette College

kenneth t. palmer, g. thomas taylor, marcus a. librizzi, and jean e. lavigne

Maine Politics and Government

second edition

university of nebraska press lincoln and london

©2009by the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska

Chapter5,“The Constitutional Tradition,”is a revision of Kenneth Palmer and Marcus A. LiBrizzi,“Development of the Maine Constitu- tion: The Long Tradition,1819–1988,”Maine Historical Society Quarterly28(Winter1988– 89):126–45, and is published here by permission of the Maine Historical Society.

Chapter15is a revision of Kenneth T. Palmer and Edward B. Laverty,“Maine Documents and Sources,”newsfor Teachers of Political Science 34(Summer1982):17–19, and is published here by permission of the American Political Science Association.

All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Maine politics and government / Kenneth T. Palmer . . . [et al.].—2nd ed. p. cm.—(Politics and governments of the American states) Prev. ed. entered under: Palmer, Kenneth T. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-8032-8785-3(pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Maine—Politics and government.2. Local government—Maine. I. Palmer, Kenneth T. II. Palmer, Kenneth T. Maine politics & govern- ment. jk2816.p35 2009 320.4741—dc22 2009022515

Set in Times by Bob Reitz. Designed by Mikah Tacha.

contents

List of Tables and Maps, vii Authors’Preface to Second Edition, ix Authors’Preface to First Edition, xi

one State of the State,1

two Maine’s Political Culture: The New England Frontier,7

three Maine’s Traditional Politics and Its Transformation,23

four Contemporary Maine Politics,34

five The Constitutional Tradition,54

six The State Legislature,67

seven The Governor and the Administration,82

eight The Court System,100

nine Maine’s Budget as Policy,117

ten Contemporary Policy Concerns,141

eleven Maine in the Federal System,177

twelve Local Government,194

thirteen Substate Regionalism and State-Local Relations,215

fourteen Concluding Observations,241

fifteen Maine Documents and Sources,247

Notes,255 Index,275

tables and maps

tables 1. Political party registration in selected years,35 2. Maine expenditures compared with all state by funding sources,124 3. Federal spending in each state per dollar of federal taxes,125 4. Maine state-local tax burden compared to U.S. average,126 5. New England property taxes per capita, growth rate, and percent of income,132 6. Maine spending compared with all state average expenditures as a percentage of total state expenditures,137 7. Distribution of powers between primary forms of local government in the Northeast,197 8. Population of Maine’s metropolitan statistical areas,209 9. Population and land area of Maine counties,219

maps 1. Maine counties,218 2. Regional councils and their boundaries,225 3. Caribou Bog Penjajawoc Project,238

Authors’Preface to Second Edition

The authors wish to thank several persons who assisted us with the second edition of the book. We especially appreciate the work of Cindy D’Angelo, who guided the technical preparation of the manuscript. Several persons in Maine government provided assistance to specific areas: Lynn Randall, formerly head librarian of Maine’s law and legislative reference library, helped us locate research materials; Jane Lincoln, chief of staff to Gov. John Baldacci, described the work of the executive branch; Daniel Wathen, former Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, discussed recent developments in the Maine courts; and Michael Johnson, communications director for the majority party in the Maine Senate, provided insights on the legislative process. Peter Crichton, Cumberland County Administrator, and environmental- ist Sally Jacobs were both very helpful in reviewing parts of our manu- script. Research assistants Debbie Ellingwood and Ken Savary (University of Maine) and Nate Walton (Bates College) were helpful in assisting the authors during this four-year project. Additionally, several persons listed on the preface to the first edition also aided us in this version, and we are pleased to thank them again for their assistance.