LPC Nominations Underway

MMA’s 70-member Legislative Policy Committee, comprised of two members elected by the councils and selectboards in each of Maine’s Senate districts, plays a critical role in shaping the association’s priorities on the issues before the Maine State Legislature.  As the election of the 2026-2028 LPC gets underway, current members Steven Buck, Marc Meyers, and Dwayne Young join Rebecca Lambert and Amanda Campbell to discuss the process and its importance.    

Transcript

Welcome everyone to Potholes & Politics, Local Maine Issues from A to Z. I'm your co-host, Rebecca Lambert, and with me as always is the amazing Amanda Campbell. 

Good morning, Rebecca, and thanks everybody for listening. 

Yes, thank you to all of our listeners. On our last episode, we discussed how the legislature has wrapped up for the year and explained that MMA is holding elections for the legislative policy committee.

The nomination forms have already been sent to key municipal officials and should be in mailboxes now. So, if you're interested in serving on the LPC, please don't delay and reach out to your town official now in order to meet the return deadline of June 4th. If you haven't had a chance to listen to the previous episode, it's available now for your listening pleasure on whichever platform you use for podcasts. And as always, please consider liking and subscribing to our podcast so you never miss one of these episodes. 

Since the new LPC elections are coming up, for this episode we thought it would be helpful to have a few of our current LPC members on the air to discuss their experience while serving on the committee.

Today, we welcome LPC members, Dwayne Young, administrative assistant to the Select Board in Weston, Steve Buck, town manager in Sanford, and Marc Meyers, town manager in Bath. 

We just wanna mention that you don't have to be a council or select board member or a manager in order to be on the LPC. In recent years, we've had assessors, fire and police chiefs, treasurers, and deputy clerks.

As long as you approach your town leader expressing your interest and secure the nomination, your name will appear on the ballot to be voted on by your peers. As a reminder, the LPC is comprised of 70 elected members, two from each of the 35 Senate districts, and they are responsible for setting the platform, which are the bills that the LPC put forward on behalf of Maine towns and cities.

And they also take positions on bills of municipal interest. Every bill that has a municipal impact is put before the LPC for them to decide how advocacy staff will proceed. As mentioned earlier, nomination forms for the LPC are due back in the office by June 4th. 

All right, great. So let's jump right in.

Thank you all for joining us today to share your expertise about serving on the LPC. First, we would love to hear what motivated you to run for the LPC and, has serving on the LPC been what you expected it to be? Let's start with Steve and go from there. 

Yeah, so I, I actually, ran for the LPC mys- for the first time in 2000. There was an opening. I was managing the city of Caribou at the time. I've served continuously for the last 26 years. I was very interested in the process of municipal advocacy, especially in, you know, I, I will say defending Northern Maine. Northern and rural Maine at the time. And I quickly learned that it was, it was not just about defending northern Maine, but it was about, developing strong positions of a statewide significance.

It's been a great experience for me over the years. I truly enjoy the, the LPC, and it's become part of what I do in my annual flow.

Marc, how about you? Yeah, so my, my mentor and former Bath City Manager, Bill Giroux, always talked about the importance of state and regional collaboration and connection. And so, he was a longtime LPC member. You know, when I became city manager, actually, I think I was an alternate as assistant city manager, for Senate District 24, continued to carry that forward because I see value. So much takes place at the state level that has an impact on municipal budgets, municipal operations. It can be very easy for us to get in our municipal and county bubbles and just stay trying to be focused on what's important here, but so much takes place in Augusta that, that really has an effect on it.

Personally, it's been very rewarding work. I appreciate all the engagement, hearing the different perspectives across the state. You know, much like municipal government work, it can be celebrating great successes or pounding your head against the desk depending on how the bills are going. 

We can both attest to that very much.

Dwayne, what about your experience on the LPC? 

Yeah, so kind of like Steve, I, I became interested initially, you know, because I thought that small communities and sometimes forgotten parts of the state needed a voice as well in the process. But again, I learned that it's not necessarily about that small town or that forgotten spot.

Everybody has a role to play and everybody does have a voice. Granted, we all have constituencies that we're there to represent, but we're also one body, one voice. And I found that that was, to me, that was one of the greatest things that I found, the unique viewpoints, some of the approaches that we're taking. It, the wealth of knowledge that's been, that, you know, I have actually picked up on is quite refreshing and sometimes a little humbling.

But what I have found is a little mantra that I've, that I've used a little bit is: conversation equals education, education equals an informed decision, and an informed decision is a better overall outcome. And I think that's what LPC actually brings to that municipal viewpoint, to present to the legislature.

That's some great insights. One thing that staff love about the LPC is the excellent discussions that take place during the meetings and the insights that we gather from those conversations. What is the workload like to prepare for an LPC meeting? Marc, let's start with you this time. 

It can certainly be significant. I think I recall, and maybe Rebecca and Amanda, you can correct me. You know, at one point, Kate Dufour said there was up to 900 bills or somewhere close in the last legislative session with municipal impacts. So certainly it can be a lot of work to get prepared, especially from those early initial meetings.

I think the biggest challenge for me is actually being able to be nimble, when the MMA advocacy team needs a response for us or feedback for us. So, the you know, the legislature can be at a crawl and then it can sprint into action and we're expected to try to keep up with our level of support.

And I, I find for me that sometimes keeping with that pace can be the most challenging thing because that's when it's most important to stay on top of it. I certainly wanna give a shout out to, to the great advocacy and communications team at MMA who supports the LPC and it certainly does the hard work at Augusta and the committee rooms, to try to make sure that we're still kept in the conversations.

We certainly do our best to try to keep everyone in the conversations. Dwayne, how about you? 

Yeah, I, I echo the same sentiment. I mean, when you first get those first initial packets, I mean, you may glance at it. It may take an hour or so just to glance through it, and then you realize, okay, that was just the surface. We need to start digging a little deeper onto this. And again the, the summaries that are provided from the, from the MMA staff on some of the bills are extremely helpful. And there are, there are certain bills that you may feel a little more strongly about that, you know, you dig into a little bit deeper as well. But it is a, it is a significant workload and it's not something to be taken lightly. 

Steve? 

The workload has changed over the years. I mean, again, I go back to the days initially when we were mailed packets the week before. The packets were a couple of inches thick, several hundred pages in a packet because there was time for that part of the process to take place.

Things moved in a more parliamentarian manner, more slowly back then. I, I commend the staff for the efficiency that we are at currently, not that we weren't efficient then, but the efficiency now, because especially over the last eight years, there's been so much change in how the legislature is conducting their business. How they're choosing, you know, I, I'll politely say they're, they're moving more rapidly or, politely, more free flowing or perhaps just without respect to the parliamentarian process being violated on a constant basis. So as a committee, we've had to move more rapidly with that. A lot flows through the emails now.

Again, I think the packets are very efficient. You know, I've been in, been in this so long that it doesn't take long for me to go through the information and, and come to speed to it anymore. The topics aren't changing that dramatically. You know, there's been some new ones around housing and, and some, you know, tax reform that's been forever.

But so many of the topics are just regurgitated. And I'll listen to brand new members on the LPC, all afire with, we're gonna do this, this, and this. I'm like, "Oh gosh, no, that's been tried six ways to Sunday." So, you know, when you're getting into that workflow, it's not that heavy a lift anymore to, to come to speed to be able to contribute to the conversations when they're taking place.

And having long-term members on the LPC is actually really helpful for those new members so you can relay that information that has been tried six ways to Sunday. 

It is refreshing though to hear new perspectives from the younger membership. I really listen in and lean diligently when they're speaking because there's, there's always something to be learned there.

I really appreciate the diversity of the conversations that take place at the LPC. You know, you're there to contribute, but you're there to learn as well, and my perspectives can change rapidly depending upon the conversation that's happening on the floor. 

For sure. In preparation for meetings, do you also reach out to other municipal officials in your district to discuss the bills coming before the LPC, or are you contacted by other municipal officials in your district? Dwayne, let's start with you this time. 

Typically, I don't reach out unless there's a, a bill that looks like it may be a little contentious for my district. Particularly if it may pit one neighbor against, like, the other because we do have some larger communities versus some very small communities.

And I have had, on occasion, I have had some other, other municipal officials reach out to me, just to get my viewpoint or to share their viewpoint, which I think is, is really important. I mean, we need to know how everybody's thinking, and I'm, it's not like I'm the representative and it's only my voice.

Again, I'm the representative for the entire district. So if there is something that is really s- really jumps out and I'm hearing a lot of stuff about, then usually I, yeah, I will talk to somebody else and find out their take on it. And I'm willing to listen to what other people have to say because I may be looking at it from a completely different viewpoint than they are because, again, one size doesn't fit all, and unfortunately that seems to have been the trend here in the last couple of years. Being able to talk to each other does make a difference but it doesn't always happen. 

What about you, Steve? 

I'll agree with Dwayne. I don't specifically reach out to other municipalities on specific issues because generally I'm, I'm to speed with what's going on in the area.

You know, we have monthly managers conferences, so , I'm getting feedback that way. Get a tremendous amount of feedback from my department managers and such as the police chiefs through the chief's association, fire chiefs, the same thing. Yet again, we have a number of regional meetings here in York County, talking on items such as general assistance.

We, we discussed preservation of home rule authority, zoning, housing, homelessness, and now, the push towards some level of taxation reform. So, from all of that, you know, the city that I represent also participates in the Mayor's Coalition. I get on the periphery of the Service Center Coalition.

So that's, that's kind of my means of collecting all of the information that I can carry forward on a representative basis. 

That's great. And Marc, how about you? 

So, I reach out and engage our department head team. I do think, and I think this may have been mentioned early on, by Rebecca or Amanda when talking about new member, new future members for the LPC.

To me, the profession specific feedback is invaluable at the LPC. You know, in Senate District 24 the other representative is Justin Hennessy, who's the Topsham assessor. Certainly Kerry Leichtman, anytime any assessing things come up, Camden- Rockport is always looked to as a resource. You know, I think every time fire and EMS bills come forward, everybody's turning around looking to Sanford Fire Chief Scott Susi to get his take.

It's important to have that sense from those areas. Much like Steve, the Sagadahoc County Managers Group, we discuss bills, discuss legislation, you know, even though Sagadahoc's the smallest county by area, we're kind of a microcosm for the state. So, we've got our coastal islands and peninsulas, and then to the north, we have some more rural farmland.

So it brings some perspectives in areas that I don't necessarily deal with here at the city. We do have a robust committee structure here in Bath, so our Climate Action Commission and Solid Waste Advisory Committee are often bringing bills to my attention to make sure they're on the radar, through staff or through that.

So that's another source of engagement as well. But I do think it presents a challenge. I, I, I think it's good to stay connected and engage with different groups, managers groups, your department heads to have an understanding of what's important and what's on the radar, but I do think it's, it's a challenge in the review to go out and say, "Hey, these 900 bills that I don't know how I'm gonna review in this time period, you all take a look at these and give me your feedback."

I think just trying to get what perspective you can, especially if there's a bill you're uncertain on, has been important to me, at least in the past. 

And what about any increased interactions with legislators? Has that occurred as having served on the LPC? Do you hear from legislators, or do you contact your legislators, your local folks about things that are happening on the LPC?

I will certainly contact my local legislators, State Representative David Sinclair and State Senator Denise Tepler, to, to let them know what's going on at the LPC, what bills are concerning, expressing my concerns. I think it's important to them to get the focus of the Bath and Sagadahoc County perspective in front of them.

So sometimes, LPC might not get the response that when I say, "Here's what this means in Bath. Here's what this means in Sagadahoc County." That's what I think, from my perspective, that's what the engagement has been. I think it's also can be a challenge once legislators are in session to be able to get those interactions when you need them the most. 

Yeah. 

Dwayne, what about you? Any legislators up in your area? 

Well, I have had some, I've had some productive conversations with my local representative. Occasionally they will actually stop by my office, you know, and we've chatted a little bit. Most of my interaction has been in submitting written testimony in either support of or opposition or whatever to bills. Because I also serve on the legislative policy committee for the Maine Town and City Clerks Association.

And as immediate past president of that, we also did some legislative work. So, a lot of written testimony that's gone in on certain bills and support of, of testimony that's gone in. That's, that's kind of where mine is. A lot of it is informal, you know, just maybe an email back and forth or, you know, somebody drops by, run into them at the grocery store, quick conversation.

Steve, what about you? 

Oh, def- definitely. A tremendous amount of interaction with the, with our legislators here in the area. You know, you, you put working in, at the LPC, you become extremely informed. There's, you know, you get the positions established and such, you communicate those forward, and I like to hold our legislators accountable.

Not to their party but hold them accountable for what's in the best interest and needs of, of our region, of our city. So, the LPC helps with informing me and, and giving me a better platform to do that. And as Dwayne said, spent quite a bit of time writing testimony on various bills, actually going to Augusta and testifying on some of the most critical ones as well.

And again, the LPC really informs and, and prepares me to do that. 

Great. And so finally, we're wondering from each of you, in terms of advice, what type of advice would you give to someone who is thinking about running for the LPC? And Dwayne, we'll start with you. 

Well, first, there, there is a time commitment. So you, you need to consider the time commitment. You need to consider whether your municipality is going to support you or not, because that time commitment may take some time away from what you're normally doing. But the other thing is, don't feel like you have nothing to say. Your voice is important, and don't be afraid to speak up. A lot of times, that's the only way that change is made. Again, back to that little mantra, conversation is education. So, it has to take place. So don't be afraid to reach out and try it. That's, that's how I did. I put my name out there. At that point in time, I don't think half the ... Well, I'll say probably the majority of the people in the area had no clue who I was. That has changed. 

Steve, what about you? Any advice? 

I would inform people that they need to be interested in all matters that impact municipalities, not, not a one or two matter aspect when they start out the LPC. I wanna echo Dwayne's voice that you need to speak up at the LPC. You need to voice your interest. That's what you're there for. You're serving your, your district, so your voice is important, and it is the collective process that really brings forward a best position. It's not a small town. It's not a large town. It's not just one region. It's the entire state coming together to formulate an opinion that matters on these bills.

I really enjoy the diversity of the dialogues there. You know, I, I step back when we're talking about clam flats and harbor masters. I've never managed an area that had those, so I defer, I defer on those type of topics, but it's really enjoyable to hear the other members , and how it's developed.

And then our - advocacy team can truly have positive impacts for municipalities advocating at the legislative level before the various committees and such into that. So it's a very good process that I've truly enjoyed over the years, and I would encourage anybody that, that has this level of interest to, seek out running for and being elected to the LPC.

Great. Marc, any words of advice? 

Great responses by, by Steve and Dwayne, certainly hop on board with those comments as well. You know, I'd encourage anybody who's interested in the LPC to, to get involved with it. Even if it's just starting to go through and make sure you actually read the legislative bulletins and get a sense of what's been taking place in the legislature going forward, because really those documents are, and that's what I steer my council to as well, to get a sense of what's going on at the state level and the work that the legislative policy committee is doing. I think Justin Poirier mentioned it in his letter from seeking nominations that some of the discussions that take place at the legislative policy committee are some of the best policy discussions I've ever been a part of.

It's so interesting to hear the unique perspectives from folks and to have that level of engagement. And we may not all be on the same page as individuals, but helping to, fine-tune feedback for the advocacy team to take forward to the legislature on certain bills, or just to start having a sense from a state perspective how we feel about how we're gonna navigate certain things in the future.

The continuing concerns of the diminishing of home rule and the losing of revenue and the increasing in state mandates, these are going into next year, five years, 10 years down the road. These are important things that are gonna make big difference at the municipal level.

I think the, the only other bit of advice, and I think Steve touched upon it a little bit, the ... It's all ... It's important for us to bring our unique perspectives, but I think there ... You should bring the ability to wear a municipal government hat into this. This isn't personal political feelings or your individual sentiments. In the end, we're looking for, as a legislative policy committee for all of Maine Municipal Association, all of Maine's municipalities. And there's an importance to being able to keep that focus in the work we're doing. 

That's all great. And I can echo every one of those sentiments as having sat on both sides of the LPC table. When I was a town manager I loved, absolutely loved, being on the LPC. So, I echo every one of those comments and personally encourage folks to, seek the nomination if you're interested. So, come join us. 

Absolutely. 

Well, this will do it for this episode of Potholes & Politics. Thank you to our guests for sharing with our listeners their experience in serving on the LPC.

Don't forget to look for the new laws article that will be published in an upcoming issue of the Maine Town and City Magazine, and as always, feel free to reach out to any of us on the team with any questions or comments. 

Yes, we are always happy to hear from our members about any topic, including what you might like to hear more about. We're always open to suggestions for content. 

And most of all, we hope you have found this information helpful. Thanks so much for listening. We appreciate you all and thank you again to all of our guests. 

Thanks again, everyone. Have a great week. 

Thank you. 

Thank you. 

Thank you.

MMA’s LPC Handbook