Brewer Quoted in BDN Editorial on Legislature’s Avoidance of Big Issues
Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine, was quoted in the Bangor Daily News editorial, “Why the Legislature so often punts on crucial issues facing Maine.” Term limits have lessened expertise and forced lawmakers to more quickly try to make a name for themselves and rise through the leadership ranks, according to the article. The amateur lawmakers are easy prey for lobbyists who often have spent years in the State House, Brewer said. To fix the Legislature’s structural problems, he recommends ending term limits, hiring more staff and increasing lawmakers’ pay (coupled with a longer session), the article states. Brewer said he also would lengthen Senate terms and cut the size of the House.