State House Democratic leaders will unveil their plan for “A Better State of Maine” during a meeting Tuesday in Topsham that bears a strong resemblance to the town hall-style gatherings that Republican Gov. Paul LePage has been holding across Maine.

Senate Minority Leader Justin Alfond and outgoing House Speaker Mark Eves will talk about the Democratic plan and take questions from the audience at Mt. Ararat High School starting at 5:30 p.m.

“Maine built its middle class through hard work in industries that produced high-quality products and solid paychecks – think logging, shipbuilding and large manufacturing, to name just a few,” Alfond, D-Portland, said in a prepared statement. “Over the years, those jobs have become harder and harder to come by. But we know Maine has competitive advantages that should allow us to compete with anyone. Ours is a plan to get Maine back on track by focusing on those advantages.”

Alfond and Eves, of North Berwick, will be joined by Democratic state Reps. Sara Gideon of Freeport, Denise Tepler of Topsham and Sen. Dawn Hill of Cape Neddick.

Hill is assistant Senate minority leader and Gideon is assistant House majority leader.

“Young people are leaving our state in droves to chase opportunities they can’t find here. Many of them aren’t returning. We can’t afford to just sit back and watch this happen,” Eves said, also in a prepared statement. “To right the ship, we must embrace an active, nimble and engaged vision for economic growth that will help the next generation build their future right here in Maine.”

Following a presentation, lawmakers will take questions from the audience, according to a news release issued by Alfond and Eves.

The meeting is the first of its kind for Democratic leaders and appears to be a response to an 18-month town hall-style campaign by LePage, who frequently urges voters to elect lawmakers who will work with him. Neither Eves nor Alfond is seeking re-election in 2016, but the duo have been among LePage’s top political rivals in Augusta.


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