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MSEA/SEIU 2009 gubernatorial forum

Statement of Lynne Williams, Maine green Independent Party candidate for governor, at gubernatorial candidates reception held as part of the MSEA/SEIU convention in Rockport on Oct. 30, 2009.

We’ve heard some candidates tonight talking about operating government as a business, about government offering better “customer service,” and we’ve heard candidates tell us that as they travel around the state they are hearing that people are mad at government, and that government doesn’t listen to them and isn’t responsive to their needs.

First of all, the citizens of this state are not the “customers” of state government, they are the owners of state government. And when you hear people talking about government not being responsive, about not listening, they’re not talking about state workers, they’re talking about the leadership in this state.

As for the concept that government should be run like a business: the governor of this state – Maine’s CEO, if you will – makes $70,000 a year. That’s not out of line with what most state employees get paid. In contrast, the CEO of the company that owns Anthem insurance makes $11 million a year, while some workers in that company earn minimum wage.

This is the kind of icon we want when we say government should be run like a business? I don’t think these kinds of businesses, with their over-priced management, are a very good role model for what we want our government to look like.