Maine
Maine can’t afford to lose its rich — or forget its poor | Opinion
As a psychiatrist, I sit across from Mainers every day: retired electricians, young mothers, business leaders. Some come to me sick or scared. Others come to think out loud. But lately, one thread ties their stories together: fear that Maine is slipping away, either from rising taxes or from a fraying safety net. Let me tell you about three patients. Their names have been changed, but their stories are real.
Walter is 82. He’s a retired electrician with diabetes, arthritis and early signs of dementia. He lives alone in subsidized housing and relies on MaineCare for his medications. “Doc,” he once told me, “If I lose my nurse, I lose everything.” That nurse checks his blood sugar and keeps his fridge stocked. Her salary comes from taxpayer dollars.
Claire is 29. She fled an abusive relationship and lived in a shelter with her two children. She’s been clean for six months, sees a therapist weekly, and is working part time. Her child care is covered by a state voucher program that’s barely holding on.
Then there’s David, a wealthy entrepreneur from southern Maine. He built his company from nothing and gives generously to his community. But recently, he looked at me and said, “Doctor Jeff, if they raise taxes much more, I’ll move to New Hampshire. I love Maine, but I can’t be the only one writing the check.” And a financial planner in the Portland area shared with me that high-earning taxpayers are, in fact, leaving Maine for New Hampshire: “We lost five wealthy families just last year.”
Here’s the hard truth: all of these people are existentially connected. The safety net that keeps Walter alive and helps Claire rebuild her life? It exists, in part, because of taxes paid by people like David.
That’s why this isn’t a simple case of “tax the rich” versus “protect the poor.” Not some catchy three-word phrase attempting to solve one of the most important and complicated issues. It’s about balance. About keeping Maine whole. We are already one of the highest-taxed states in the country. Top earners here pay over 7% in state income tax compared to zero just over the border in neighboring New Hampshire.
According to Maine Revenue Services, the top 1% of earners contribute nearly a quarter of all income taxes collected statewide. And when they leave, they don’t just take their dollars. They take jobs, charitable giving and civic leadership with them. Again, wealthy high-taxed people do leave Maine. And when they do, it weakens our ability to help those who remain.
But that doesn’t mean we abandon the safety net. Quite the opposite. Right now, rural hospitals and birth centers are closing. Foster families are overwhelmed. Nursing homes are shuttering their doors. If we don’t invest in these services, we’ll all pay, not just in dollars, but in lives.
So, how do we move forward?
First, we need to stop framing this as a war between the wealthy and the vulnerable. Most Mainers, whether they own a business or rely on public services, want the same things: a state where people can live safely, raise families and grow old with dignity.
Second, we need better data. How many people are truly leaving due to taxes? What do we lose when they do? Let’s answer those questions honestly before writing new laws and budgets.
Third, let’s think creatively. What if we offered tax incentives for high earners to donate directly to Maine-based services such as rural health clinics, food pantries, legal aid, job training, and infrastructure? What if we made giving as rewarding as leaving?
And finally, let’s not forget who we are. Maine is a small state with a big heart. We dig each other out after snowstorms. We show up with casseroles. We wave at strangers on back roads. But we can’t do any of that if we drive away the people who help power our economy or if we look away from those sinking beneath its weight.
As a psychiatrist, I’ve seen what happens when the safety net fails. Patients end up in jail instead of treatment. Children go hungry and don’t graduate. Elders die alone. These aren’t abstract budget items. These are people. With names, fears and dreams. And as a Mainer, I see the value in keeping our most successful neighbors here, not out of guilt or fear, but out of both necessity and pride. Pride in a state that works for everyone.
So, let’s hold both truths close: that we need our wealthiest neighbors, and that we must never abandon our most vulnerable ones. Because in the end, Walter, Claire and David aren’t just stories. They are us. And if we lose even one of them, something in Maine is lost for good.
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This story will be updated.
The Maine Department of Transportation is moving to slash up to $400 million in projects from its agenda, a shocking and abrupt cutback that is rattling the state’s construction industry at the start of building season.
Roughly $50 million across six pavement projects have already been delayed, according to a memo exclusively obtained by the Bangor Daily News. The agency plans to cut or delay another $150 million in bridge, highway, intersection and multimodal projects later this month. A further $200 million or more in cuts are planned in the next three-year work plan.
Those figures were outlined by Transportation Commissioner Dale Doughty in the May 18 memo to Gov. Janet Mills that has since circulated widely in the transportation sector, which has been getting drip-by-drip details on the wide scope of the cuts over the past three weeks.
It comes at the beginning of the state’s relatively narrow construction season. Companies have hired workers and ordered materials for projects they expected to begin this summer. The severity of the transportation budget problems was not raised to lawmakers during the 2026 legislative session.
Kelly Flagg, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Maine, called the shortfall “deeply troubling” in a statement.
“We stand ready to work with policymakers, stakeholders, and industry partners to identify both immediate and long-term solutions,” Flagg said. “Maine cannot afford to fall further behind.”
Insiders saw this first.
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The cuts stem from a structural funding gap of at least $130 million in the state’s current work plan, according to Doughty’s memo. Losses are magnified because state money from the gas tax and other revenue sources is matched by federal funds. Lawmakers have long grappled with politically difficult long-term problems with the state’s transportation budget.
A Mills spokesperson said Wednesday morning that the administration was working on a response to questions from the BDN. The department says it needs roughly $240 million more in state capital funding annually to maintain the existing system, and that anything less than $200 million will erode it over time.
Doughty’s memo the only near-term solution is a series of bonds beginning as soon as possible. Lawmakers would have to return to Augusta to authorize that if one is going to appear on the November ballot.
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Michael Capeci is the former chairman of the Bangor GOP.
Let’s be honest about Maine’s current state.
For many families, the cost of living has become unsustainable. Housing is out of reach for many young people. Energy bills keep rising. Many small businesses are struggling under taxes and regulations that make it harder to grow. Rural hospitals are under strain and despite years of increased state spending, the results are not showing up in people’s daily lives.
Concurrently, Maine continues to lose young workers to other states. That is not a statistic, it is a warning sign.
To me, the question in this Republican primary for governor is not about slogans. It is whether we continue with a political approach that has failed to reverse these trends, or whether we nominate someone with new ideas. I think that someone is Owen McCarthy.
Owen is not a political insider. He is an entrepreneur from Patten, a small town where opportunity is not assumed, it is built. He grew up in a working-class family, became the first in his family to graduate from college graduating from the University of Maine, and founded MedRhythms, a healthcare technology company focused on neurological treatment.
He didn’t just talk about opportunity. He built it. That distinction matters, because Maine’s problem is not a lack of debate it is a lack of results. We have seen the trajectory: higher costs, slower growth, and a steady outmigration of young workers. I believe Owen McCarthy represents a break from that pattern.
His Maine 2040 plan focuses on creating 50,000 new jobs in sectors where Maine has real advantages — maritime and defense, advanced forest products, and life sciences. These are export-driven industries tied directly to Maine’s workforce, geography, and institutions. What sets Owen apart is not only what he proposes, but how he approaches governing.
He prioritizes modernizing permitting so projects do not stall. He supports using technology to reduce costs and increase efficiency. He focuses on making it easier to build, hire, and expand in Maine.
That same practical mindset extends to healthcare. Expanding telehealth, strengthening EMS systems, improving provider flexibility, and shifting toward earlier intervention are not abstract reforms. They are system upgrades designed to improve access while controlling costs.
Maine voters consistently respond to competence. They reward candidates who understand problems and present plans to solve them. I believe they are tired of rhetoric that does not translate into results, and skeptical of politics that prioritizes messaging over execution.
Owen’s approach is grounded in solving the issues that shape daily life — affordability, healthcare access, job creation, and government efficiency. That is not just policy positioning. It is a governing model that speaks directly to voters.
Some will point to his lack of political experience. But I believe Maine’s core problems are not the result of insufficient political experience; they are the result of policies that have failed to deliver measurable improvement. Experience inside a broken system, by itself, is not a solution.
If Republicans want to win, this primary must be taken seriously. From my perspective, it is not about choosing a nominee for governor who can energize the base. It is about selecting someone who can compete in a broader electorate that is frustrated and looking for change.
That requires a candidate who can speak beyond the base, not by abandoning principles, but by demonstrating competence and a credible plan to address Maine’s challenges. I believe Owen McCarthy offers that combination. He represents a shift away from managed decline and toward economic execution.
This is not just another primary. It is a decision about whether Republicans position themselves to win Maine or whether they remain trapped in a cycle of repeating the same strategies and expecting different outcomes.
If Republicans want to compete for Maine’s future, they cannot afford to nominate a candidate who only motivates part of the electorate. They need someone who expands it.
I believe Owen McCarthy is that candidate.
And if the goal is to win Maine, then the choice should be unmistakable
The only notable change in the top-seven of the Varsity Maine baseball poll is that Gorham now has eight first-place votes, two more than last week. The order of the seven teams is identical. In fact, the only change in the top-seven over the past three polls is the swap at the top after Gorham’s win over South Portland on May 19.
Furthermore, Gorham, South Portland, Oxford Hills, Cheverus, Bangor, Mt. Ararat and Fryeburg have been ranked in the top seven for four straight weeks, and six of those squads have been among the top seven in every poll this spring.
Meanwhile, Scarborough is ranked for the first time since May 5, and Ellsworth and Thornton swapped spots.
The Varsity Maine baseball poll is based on games played before June 2, 2026. The top 10 teams are voted on by the Varsity Maine staff, with first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points.
1. Gorham (8) 89
2. South Portland 79
3. Oxford Hills (1) 75
4. Cheverus 55
5. Bangor 42
6. Mt. Ararat 41
7. Fryeburg Academy 30
8. Ellsworth 27
9. Thornton Academy 25
10. Scarborough 12
Also receiving votes: Washington Academy 8, Monmouth Academy 4, Cony 4, Leavitt 2, Falmouth 2.
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