Opportunity Maine to boost education

Far too often, good programs become law but then stagnate. That is not happening with Opportunity Maine by Clifford Ginn, lawyer and president of Opportunity Maine & Justin Alfond, state director of the League of Young Voters and treasurer of Opportunity Maine

As the legacies of two of the best-known business leaders and philanthropists in the state, we both now live, work and play in Maine because of its people, its unique sensibility, and because our roots here run deep.

From an early age, we learned from our families that education is a pathway to future choices and success. Our family legacies are firmly planted on the foundation of giving to improve education and encourage students to excel in Maine. Educational philanthropy is one the highest expressions of our families’ values.

It’s a legacy of which we are proud, and a tradition that we have committed ourselves to continue. That’s why we are among the founders and leaders of Opportunity Maine, scheduled to hold a Bangor-area open house Oct. 11 at the Children’s Discovery Museum.

By now, most people in the state have heard about the Opportunity Maine success story. Almost two years ago, concerned community leaders and students came together to address what was becoming an epidemic in Maine and throughout the nation — the rising cost of tuition, the downsizing of loan assistance programs, and massive amounts of accumulated student debt. In Maine’s rapidly changing economy, those barriers deny economic opportunity to laid-off workers, mothers wishing to enter the workplace, and those who simply need training to compete in our traditional and emerging industries. At the same time, Opportunity Maine’s founders and many other Mainers recognize that an educated workforce is the No. 1 predictor of economic growth and high incomes.

The program’s founders believed that the best way to address these problems is to make the prospect of loan repayment less daunting. And we succeeded! After collecting 73,000 signatures and gaining the support of business, labor, educational and civic leaders throughout the state, we were ready to put the question before Maine voters. Instead, Maine lawmakers recognized that our bill couldn’t wait any longer. With a unanimous vote in the Maine House, a three-fourths vote in the Senate, and the Governor’s enthusiastic signature, Maine’s elected leaders committed themselves to a long-term investment in Maine’s people, workforce and economic future.

Now anyone who attends a Maine college (public or private) and lives and works in Maine after graduation is eligible to claim a large tax credit to help pay their student loans. What’s more, businesses who pay an employee’s loans can take the credit for themselves.

Opportunity Maine will help Mainers of all ages to earn college degrees, and will attract people from other states to attend our colleges and settle here afterward. As the proportion of degree holders in our work force increases, businesses will increasingly start up, grow and locate here. Meanwhile, Maine businesses can offer employees a substantial benefit, at no cost, that is unavailable from out-of-state competitors.

Far too often, good programs become law but then stagnate. That is not happening with Opportunity Maine. When it comes to giving back to Maine, one of the important things we have learned is that it’s not enough to pledge support; you must follow through. The work of Opportunity Maine is far from done.

In the coming weeks, Opportunity Maine and its supporters will engage people throughout the state about the importance of supporting our higher education program. From an event next week featuring a trifecta of Maine governors — Baldacci, King and McKernan — pledging their bi-partisan support for Opportunity Maine, to the Bangor open house featuring University of Maine System Chancellor Richard Pattenaude, we’re marketing Opportunity Maine to make sure that it succeeds. Chambers of Commerce, labor unions, educational organizations and others are all reaching out to their members to inform them about Opportunity Maine and to invest them in its success.

But it’s not just politicians and business leaders who recognize the importance of implementing this first-in-the-nation program effectively; a vast network of students is currently spending their days and nights talking to other students about Opportunity Maine and how the program will benefit them for years to come.

Just like our parents and our grandparents, we believe that Maine is the best place in the nation to work, raise a family and have fun. But we also know that Maine can be a challenging place to do so.

Opportunity Maine will make living in Maine easier by expanding educational opportunities, reducing debt for students and families, and building a skilled work force that reflects the unique aspects that Maine has to offer. As we begin to raise our families here in Maine, we look forward to encouraging our children to consider Maine their home. With the success of Opportunity Maine and other programs designed to make college more affordable and to grow the economy, we’re confident that Maine will become an even more appealing place to plant their roots.

Read Full Story

Calais: Small-town community makes life worthwhile for lawyer - Bangor Daily News

CALAIS, Maine - While quiet, small-town life may drive many restless young people out of Maine, it was exactly what drew David Mitchell back to his hometown.

Mitchell, a 38-year-old lawyer, exemplifies the type of educated person the state is hoping to retain with programs such as Opportunity Maine, which gives tax credits for college loan repayment, and Realize! Maine, a social networking organization. He decided to return to Maine when he was 25 and in the midst of a teaching career outside Detroit, Mich.


"I can recall driving to school one morning … and thinking that but for that seven-mile trip, one would rarely have to leave the immediate area of his or her residence. Each corner of each intersection consisted of a strip mall of sorts with all the necessities. … But there was very little sense of community," Mitchell said recently in an e-mail to the BDN.

Mitchell grew up in Calais and attended boarding school at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass. He graduated from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, in 1991 with a B.A. in English and political science, then stayed on for a fifth year to play hockey and earn a second bachelor’s degree in education.

After teaching and coaching soccer, hockey and baseball at private schools in Massachusetts and Michigan, Mitchell decided to return to his home state and pursue a law degree at the University of Maine School of Law. His father is a lawyer in Calais, but it was not until Mitchell graduated in 1997 that he considered joining his father’s practice.

"He has a wealth of experience to tap into, and since I graduated after him he could tap into my knowledge," Mitchell said in a recent interview.

Mitchell & Mitchell is a general practice firm that takes on criminal defense, family law, personal injury, real estate and probate cases. In addition, Mitchell represents the Passamaquoddy Tribe.

Young lawyers who enter the field in rural Maine must be prepared to practice general law, Mitchell said. He has had plenty of opportunities to hold leadership positions and is a member of the St. Croix Chamber of Commerce, the Calais Planning Board and the board of directors of the Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

The cost of health insurance is the only complaint Mitchell mentions when asked about running a small business in Maine.

"It’s expensive. I always say ‘I have it but I don’t’ because the cost of it is so high. We have health insurance we never use because the deductible is so high," Mitchell said.

Mitchell said his brother, a hemophiliac, lives in New Brunswick because the cost of health care is so much cheaper there.

Life on the Canadian border allows for plenty of cross-cultural exposure, Mitchell said, and while he might be far from any major U.S. cities, he has quick access to those in Canada. His wife, Tammy, grew up in Pennfield, New Brunswick, and Mitchell coaches two youth hockey teams in St. Stephen. Two of his children, Greg, 8, and Emily, 6, play on his teams. Mitchell also coaches baseball in Calais.

Living out of state was ideal because Mitchell was able to return to Maine to establish roots, he said. And when friends frequently pose the question of why he chose to spend his young adulthood in such a rural place, Mitchell insists "the small things" make it worthwhile, he said.

"Not having to spend hours on the road commuting to work and such simple things as being able to return to my own home daily for lunch with my wife and youngest child, Megan, are, put simply, enjoyable."

by Anne Ravana

Editor’s Note: This is one in an occasional series of articles on young business leaders and their decision to live and work in Maine.

Read Full Story