PLC Logger's Voice Winter 2019

Irish Family Logging operations underway in November. Story, page 10
in the executive branch in Augusta and
loggers will have a seat at the table.
By early January, we should
know who Governor-elect Mills has
nominated to fill her various cabinet
positions. The departments that are
most important to the PLC are
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
(ACF); Energy; Labor and
Transportation. We have tried to play a
role behind the scenes in terms of who
will be nominated to these various posts
and our goal is to work closely with all
of the new commissioners and agency
level appointments to ensure that our
voice is not only heard, but conditions
are improved. The Maine Forest
Service within ACF is probably the
most important of all of the bureaus
within the agencies and we are looking
forward to a new Maine State Forester
who is willing to work closely with the
PLC as an equal leg of the forest
products stool.
As I have said to many thus far,
we can’t control Governor-elect Mills’
efforts with respect to social, judicial,
or other issues not having to do with
our industry, but if it has to do with
logging, trucking and the forest
economy, our voices will be respected,
and we should be able to get some
things done in the near future.
Also, in Augusta, there was a
monumental shift at the Maine
legislature. On November 6 th , a
Democratic wave crashed on the
Augusta beaches. The Maine House of
Representatives saw a shift of 18 seats
from Republican to Democrat. The
Democratic party now has a majority of
89 seats to only 51 for the Republicans.
Similarly, the Senate also saw a
sizeable shift. Democrats went from a
one seat minority (18-17) to a sevenseat
majority (21-14).
Committee membership will
now be dominated by the Democrats
from the House and Senate as most
committees will have a commanding
Democratic presence of 9 Democrats
and only 4 Republicans on almost all
committees. As a result of this power
grab, the Democrats will be able to
move most of their agenda forward
with very little resistance. It will be
extremely important for the PLC and its
membership to speak loudly when we
do not agree with policy
recommendations because without our
voice, change could be made at a
moment’s notice.
The most notable change in the
Senate is the selection of Troy Jackson
(D-Allagash) as Senate President. For
the first time in Maine’s history, a
logger has been elected to lead one
body of the Maine legislature. Senate
Doran Continued Page 22
The Logger’s Voice ▪ Winter 2019
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