Maine
Opinion: Funding for Maine housing emergencies should be nonnegotiable
A few days ago in Augusta, a community member almost froze to death while they slept outside in single-degree weather. Perhaps lawmakers don’t know it, but on their way to the State House in the mornings, they are passing right by woods where more fellow Mainers have been camping. Then, elected leaders enter the marble hallways of the Capitol to consider funding — or cutting — programs that prevent evictions and build affordable homes.
None of us can have a productive, healthy life without a decent and affordable place to live. Housing comes first in our lives — and it should be a first priority in the state budget. Yet this year the governor has proposed cutting the housing program of last resort, General Assistance, making those facing eviction and homelessness eligible for only three months of relief a year.
She didn’t continue funding for the successful Eviction Prevention Program (EPP) created by the Legislature in 2024. In fact, the governor’s budget would even divert $10M from the HOME fund, which supports programs including affordable housing development, homelessness assistance, home repair and lead abatement.
Legislators must stand up for these programs and ensure they are adequately funded. Doing so would support thousands more families crushed by housing costs and better protect our cities and towns from housing and financial crises.
The EPP, an $18 million pilot, is expected to help at least 1,000 households pay their rent and avoid the trauma and displacement of an eviction. As soon as the program opened in October, applications rushed in from 1,800 renter households swamped with rising housing costs. Money continues to flow to help renters catch up and stay afloat. Each renter who is helped to stay in their home alleviates costs for GA, shelters and other programs.
Our legal team has helped Mainers who qualify for relief from the EPP. It’s life-changing.
In November, Maine Equal Justice met a tenant at eviction court in Portland. He owed his landlord back rent from being out of work for several months due to a serious illness, and his wife was working limited hours because of complications with her pregnancy. He was starting a new job in a couple of weeks, but it was going to be difficult for him to catch up on his debt. Our paralegal helped him apply for rent relief, and within a month, his landlord received a check to clear his debt. This assistance is going to help him and his wife save money for the birth of their first child, due any day now.
That’s the power of housing: this man, his wife and their child will spend their first months together in security and be able to work for a brighter future. Multiply that brighter beginning by the 1,000 households the EPP will help. We wish legislators could meet more families like this.
Losing a home can mean months or years of instability, job loss, lost education and stability for children and trauma. Maine undoubtedly needs to pull out all the stops for new construction, but it will take a decade or more to meet current needs, so supporting people who have an emergency now must be a top priority.
Maine people strongly support more housing solutions like the EPP. In 2024, Maine Equal Justice surveyed Mainers with low income; housing was the top concern by far, and nearly 90% supported extending the pilot to prevent more evictions.
Some worry that taking care of our renters facing eviction is too much for Maine to take on. They say we simply need more help from the federal government for programs like Section 8 (housing vouchers). That’s clearly not going to happen this year, and it’s no excuse to allow evictions to skyrocket.
Maine can prevent evictions, and their societal costs, by asking the wealthiest 1% and corporations to pay their fair share. What is the state for, if not marshaling resources for an emergency that is affecting every community and almost every business?
We know lawmakers want to do their best to make a difference for Maine people. We hope they’ll keep in mind how much of their work and success depends on their previous night’s sleep, morning shower, dinner and breakfast at the table, and knowing their families are safe and warm. Our homes are basic to everyone’s survival and success — and should not be treated as optional or up for negotiation in the budget.
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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.
This story was broken in Maine Politics Insider, the BDN’s daily premium newsletter for the most ardent political news followers. If you are a new BDN subscriber, you can sign up here. Current subscribers can contact our customer service team to upgrade.
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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