Jim Fossel

Gardiner

Columnist at The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram

Citizen. Freedom-lover. Boston fan. @PressHerald columnist. Eaglebrook ‘98, Hebron ‘01, Dickinson ‘05. #Phish. I stand with Ukraine and Israel. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇳🇴

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Articles

Janet Mills, Democrats prepare to unleash tax tsunami on Maine | Jim Fossel

1 week ago | pressherald.com | Jim Fossel

Do you remember when Gov. Janet Mills promised not to raise taxes if reelected to a second term as governor? I sure do. If you do, too, good for you. The governor, apparently, does not. Mills first admitted that was a lie when she supported the paid family leave bill. She claimed it was a tough decision, but we all know that’s not true. It’s simply that, having gotten reelected, she now knew that she didn’t have to worry about the consequences of her decision.
Janet Mills, Democrats prepare to unleash tax tsunami on Maine | Jim Fossel

1 week ago | centralmaine.com | Jim Fossel

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Jim Fossel: The long slog toward the Blaine House is officially underway

2 weeks ago | pressherald.com | Jim Fossel

With snow still barely clinging to the ground on a soggy, chilly day as I write this, the 2026 Maine gubernatorial election is officially underway. We have more than 15 months until the primaries, and another five until the general, but Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has become the first serious candidate to make it official. Former Senate President Troy Jackson has formed an exploratory committee, and some guy named Kenneth Forrest Pinet has also filed on the Democratic side.
Jim Fossel: The long slog toward the Blaine House is officially underway

2 weeks ago | centralmaine.com | Jim Fossel

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Jim Fossel: Republicans in Augusta need to gum up the works

3 weeks ago | pressherald.com | Jim Fossel

Unfortunately, there was absolutely nothing Republicans in the Legislature could do to stop the Democrats from employing a ridiculous procedural gimmick to force through a reckless budget on a party-line vote yet again. To review: Democrats passed a majority budget, then adjourned the Legislature with a huge amount of work left undone, only to have the governor call them back for a special session to allow them to finish doing their jobs.
Jim Fossel: Budget season yields its own version of March madness

1 month ago | pressherald.com | Jim Fossel

Well, it’s been a stunning few weeks for budget news, in both Washington and Augusta — with sharp reversals reminiscent of Trump’s actions on tariffs. Here in Maine, it appeared that Republicans would acquiesce to a supplemental budget, as it initially cleared the Appropriations Committee unanimously. That was disappointing, as it dropped even modest reforms that Gov. Janet Mills herself had requested. It was heartening to see that deal later collapsed.
Jim Fossel: Budget season yields its own version of March madness

1 month ago | centralmaine.com | Jim Fossel

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BREAKING: Maine Democrats pass baseline budget in committee

1 month ago | jimfossel.substack.com | Jim Fossel

According to House Republican Leader Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor), Maine Democrats have passed a ‘baseline’ budget out of the Appropriations Committee that keeps the spending high, despite a decline in revenue - by not paying for MaineCare (Maine’s version of Medicaid) in the second year. They’ve passed an $11.3 billion dollar budget on $11.2 billion in revenues out of committee and they plan to vote on the budget on the floor on Thursday - this is all according to the video Rep.
Jim Fossel: Trump’s trade policy isn’t a complete trainwreck

1 month ago | pressherald.com | Jim Fossel

OK, folks, it’s time to talk tariffs. Trump’s on-again, off-again trade war with Canada and Mexico is a complex topic, but here we go. I support free trade and largely oppose tariffs. However, there are aspects of Trump’s approach to trade policy that make sense. Getting tougher on the People’s Republic of China, a rising power that is in direct competition with the United States on a global stage, is a good move.
Are protests performative, or productive?

1 month ago | jimfossel.substack.com | Jim Fossel

Over a month ago, I wrote in the Portland Press Herald about the anti-Trump protests held in downtown Portland. In short, they were a lot of sound and fury, accomplishing nothing. They were speaking to a largely sympathetic audience in a city that Democrats always, consistently, carry in every election in Maine. Sure, they might have gotten their message on to the evening news or in the papers, but it’s unlikely they swayed many minds.