Brewer quoted in BDN article on Portland’s role in North Woods national monument proposal
Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine, spoke with the Bangor Daily News for the article, “Why the path to a North Woods national monument could run through Portland.” Greater Portland may have the population and economic base to tip the scales in the controversial national monument debate — even though the region is hours away from the proposed site, and many people neighboring the property have said they don’t want it to fall into federal hands, according to the article. While rallying support in southern Maine may help the park’s case in Washington, it may hurt it among people nearest the property, the article states. Brewer said those are the constituents who could convince the state’s congressional delegation to support the next-level change from a national monument to a national park, which must be approved by Congress. He also called national monument talks in Portland “problematic in terms of political optics.” “Anybody anywhere in the state could play a role in this,” Brewer said. “But I think most would agree that the role for a place like Portland should be smaller than the role for a place like Millinocket.”