In her State of the State address earlier this month, Governor Janet Mills announced her commitment to convening a Silver Cabinet, which will mobilize Maine’s government to ensure every Mainer has the opportunity to age comfortably and affordably. The announcement is just the most recent example of Mills fighting for older Mainers, a group whose needs were repeatedly ignored under her predecessor, Paul LePage.

When LePage was Governor, his treatment of aging Mainers was called out by the editorial boards of the state’s two major papers for “creating unnecessary suffering for today’s seniors.” LePage received this criticism because while poverty among older adults rose by 6 percent during his tenure and the number of Mainers over 60 without enough food rose by 3 percent, he still:

  • Turned back millions of dollars in federal funding for programs to help aging Maine people, including $2.5 million to promote health screenings, $1 million for dementia programming, and $300,000 for Maine Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers.

  • Vetoed or refused to sign a number of bills meant to help older Mainers and their caregivers, including bills to help build affordable housing, pay caregivers more, and improve outreach programs.

  • Proposed cuts to a number programs that provide life-saving services to older Mainers such as Drugs for the Elderly, Meals on Wheels, and residential care.

  • Blocked $15 million in voter-approved bonds for senior housing.

“Despite being Governor of the oldest state in the country, Paul LePage was relentless in pursuing policies that hurt older Mainers and did what he could to make their lives harder and more expensive,” said Drew Gattine, Chair of the Maine Democratic Party. “Since taking over from LePage, Governor Mills has fought to ensure older adults have the resources they need to live comfortably and affordably. We can’t let LePage drag us back to a time when the Blaine House left aging Mainers out in the cold.”

In addition to her Silver Cabinet commitment, Governor Mills has worked with Democrats in the legislature to champion aging Mainers by:

  • Creating the state’s first plan to combat elder abuse.

  • Releasing the $15 million in senior housing bonds blocked by LePage.

  • Providing property tax relief to help older Mainers stay in their homes.

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