Maine's new governor is vowing to restore "unity" after eight years of partisanship under Republican Gov. Paul LePage.
Democrat Janet Mills said Wednesday evening, "we are all in this together."
Without mentioning LePage by name, Mills swore to restore civil discourse in Maine politics. She cited former Gov. Israel Washburn's 1861 inaugural vow to wave "aside petty schemes and unseemly wrangles."
Mills is vowing to fight global warming, expand access to health care, improve education and develop a "world-class workforce."
She vowed to expand Medicaid, as mandated by voters, and embrace clean energy including wind energy. She said solar panels will be installed on the Blaine House.
She also says her administration will create an Office of Innovation and the Future that will dive into major policy challenges and propose workable solutions.
Mills, the first woman to be elected governor in Maine, delivered her address Wednesday evening to state lawmakers, tribal leaders, members of the military and others at the Augusta Civic Center. Her first full day on the job is Thursday.
She said diversity is a virtue and that she'll welcome all, including Maine's newcomers and immigrants, to the conversation about the state's future.
Politics
She said the state must find its "own common ground, expand our horizons and become one Maine again."
She concluded the speech by saying, "Welcome home."
