Its subject was a lone seagull flying fiercely behind an unseen boat. She sat in a small room on the opposite side of the building, studying a painting by Jamie Wyeth that the artist had loaned her. Two days later another protest against pandemic restrictions drew a bigger crowd in front of the Blaine House than the first, and this time the governor was home. “We can’t simply flip a switch,” the governor said, and “do business as usual,” risking an outbreak that could “devastate our entire economy for years to come.” In closing, she called on Maine people not to give up on each other but to “keep talking.”
She also reminded her constituents that tens of thousands of people had died from COVID in states around the Northeast, including 252 in one day that week in Massachusetts, just fifteen miles from Maine’s southern border. She told listeners that she had “thought long and hard” about the potential effects on Maine people and businesses of every action she took and encouraged them to share constructive feedback. She also noted that some Mainers were against relaxing restrictions - she assured both groups that her reopening plan was based on “fact and science.” The plan was also designed to be flexible in case the pandemic eased or worsened. “I’m kind of thick skinned,” she said, adding that the stunt was a “dirtball thing to do, that’s all.” The governor used her weekly radio address, broadcast the next day, to acknowledge critics’ concerns about her management of the pandemic. She insisted that she was never afraid for her safety. That can happen, you know!” Governor Mills would not disclose whether her security protocol was heightened after the segment aired. “Don’t make the cure worse than the problem itself. “Many complaints coming in about Maine,” he wrote. President Trump seemed to acknowledge the incident in a Twitter post, using it to criticize the governor’s pandemic leadership. That night Governor Mills received “thousands of just vulgar, nasty” text and voice messages and had to change her phone number. The live segment aired during the show’s highest-rated quarter - at that time it had become the most watched program in the history of cable news. He echoed his guest’s frustration, calling Governor Mills “the most incompetent, self-involved, dictatorial governor I have seen in a long time.” He then wished the restaurateur “Godspeed, good luck” in his plans to break the law, and smirked while his guest proceeded to announce the governor’s personal cellphone number. The show’s controversial host had strong personal ties to Maine, having spent summers in the state’s western region since he was a child. Sad that people are willing to take reckless risks.” Two days later, a restaurateur named Rick Savage, who owned a large brewpub in western Maine, appeared on the national prime-time Fox News show Tucker Carlson Tonight and accused Governor Mills of acting “rogue on her own” and “not consulting experts.” He added that he planned to defy state law and reopen his establishment the next day. “Of course, no one is happy,” the governor wrote in her journal that night. One week later Maine became the first New England state to announce that restaurants would be allowed to resume dine-in service in just over a month, on June 1, as part of the Mills administration’s four-phase plan to reopen its economy.
The cover of “In Other Words, Leadership." (Courtesy) Book excerpt: 'In Other Words, Leadership'
The pen pal relationship is detailed in journalist Shannon Mullen's book “ In Other Words, Leadership: How a Young Mother’s Weekly Letters to Her Governor Helped Both Women Brave the First Pandemic Year.” It's as much a lesson in civics as it is civility in a time of turmoil.Īll three women join host Robin Young. Recently widowed and isolated alone in her mansion, she was a lightning rod for criticism as she enacted closures and touted vaccines.Īmid the chaos, a mother named Shirah Knapp sent her a letter of support - and continued to do so weekly for more than a year. Janet Mills had been in office only a year when the pandemic struck. Facebook Email From Left to Right: Ashirah Knapp, author Shannon A.
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