Joe Baldacci

As an attorney, a citizen and a taxpayer who believes in the legal process and the Constituion of the United States I make the following observations. It has bothered me for some time the attitude and the inaction that some people in my own party and others took on this issue of fraudlent spending of taxpayer funds. This should not be a partisan issue but because of the inaction or incompetance of the state to lead this we now have the US Attorney's Office who is going to step in and do the job the state should have done in the first place. I said so on debates and during the campaign. Some people have tried to pretend the problem doesnt exist. 1. It should be the goal of everyone to weed out waste, fraud and abuse in any government spending, rule or regulation. Obviously there will be differences of opinion sometimes on what is waste and what is neccessary. That's a rational political debate. 2. One of the essential messages to voters, regardless of party, has to be it will not be tolerated. And that every dollar that gets wasted on a program or misused is a dollar that can't be spent on helping people. 3. As I said during the primary the public generally does not have confidence in the state's ability to get this done appropriately. 4. The inaction by the State and the Attorney General's Office and other officers of the state have now basically left this to be dealt with by the feds. 5. The timing and the rhetoric no question are politically driven which is never good and raises red flags it self; and likely will only further undermine public confidence inthe state's ability to manage this. 6. As a state senator I made clear my position earlier this year on tv, in debates and on the campaign trail and unfortunately the echo chamber could not grasp practicall ideas on how to address issues. 7. From the beginnning the State should have brought in independant auditors to examine the books and to have a bipartisan commission established that would oversee the independant audit work in public sessions and make reccomendations on changes. As I said the State's inaction has only really left this to the feds to deal with and people saying it is not a problem and throw up hands and say we have done what we can are not serving the public or the taxpayers the way they should be. Have a good day.

Happy to share with you this important press release from Maine Health on the Lincoln County birthing and delivering practice. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Independent Experts to Review Data and Process Behind Lincoln Hospital Labor and Delivery Decision Community invited to meet the review team at a virtual public forum on November 4 DAMARISCOTTA, Maine – MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital invites community members to a virtual public forum on Wednesday, November 4, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., to meet the independent experts reviewing the data and process behind the decision to transition labor and delivery services from Lincoln Hospital to MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital. The review team will assess whether all alternatives considered by Lincoln Hospital management, including those identified in the White Paper and those provided by external entities, were reasonable, feasible and sustainable. The reviewers are free to reach conclusions that differ from those of MaineHealth or other stakeholders. The five-member team brings national and Maine-based expertise in maternal-fetal medicine, family medicine, nurse-midwifery, public health and healthcare operations. Together, the reviewers have experience in obstetric quality and safety, rural maternity care, workforce sustainability and community engagement, including a statewide assessment of Maine's rural obstetric workforce. "We believe the data and process that informed our decision were fair and reasonable, and we welcome an independent assessment," said Cindy Wade, President, MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital. "We also recognize the importance of ensuring that alternatives proposed by community stakeholders are evaluated for their merits and sustainability." At the forum, the review team will introduce themselves and explain the review's scope, process and timeline. No pre-registration is required: Join the forum via this meeting link. Questions about the independent review may be submitted in advance to [email protected]. Community members and other stakeholders may also send written comments to the same address for the review team's consideration. The reviewers will prepare a written report of their findings, which will be shared with MaineHealth and the Maine Legislature's Committee on Health Coverage, Insuance and Finance.

For our 33rd Anniversary Beth and I went somewhere where there were no American political ads. 33 is either silver or not having to watch 5000 negative ads. Its good to be back in the good old USA! – at United States

Paul LePage was 'Trump before Trump'. The real one is hurting his comeback. bostonglobe.com/2026/10/20/n… via @BostonGlobe I am glad I could give the Democratic perspective for Matt for this article in Today's Globe: "Democrats, meanwhile, are increasingly confident. Joe Baldacci, a Democratic state senator who narrowly lost to Dunlap in the June primary, said voters don’t want a “rubber stamp” for Trump. “I really think LePage has gotten rusty,” Baldacci added. “And I think he hasn’t had to play in this national political environment before, to this extent, when it’s going against him.” The national stakes for this race are high — not unusual for a district that has changed party control more than most in recent years. Democrats are increasingly favored to retake control of the House, but Maine’s 2nd District is the GOP’s best chance to flip a Democratic district not affected by redistricting." That is why I am voting for Matt Dunlap on November 2nd and hope you do too.

FYI. In what was described by the Bangor Daily News at the time as " the most restrictive ordinance allowed under Maine law" . Bangor passed an ordinance 2013, still in effect that prohibits sex offenders from moving to within 750 feet of ,not just schools, but any publicly owned property in the City frequented by children. It was passed on a 6 to 3 vote. I worked on the ordinance in committee and proud to help pass it, with my then colleagues. Voting for it: "Councilors Joe Baldacci, Pauline Civiello, James Gallant, Charlie Longo, David Nealley and Benjamin Sprague." In setting policy protecting people, especially kids, should not be a partisan issue. – at Bangor, ME