Governor’s from across the nation will meet in Portland on Wednesday for the semi-annual meeting of the National Governor’s Association.  The meeting, which was last held in Maine in 1983, bring together executives from the 55 states, territories, and commonwealths that make up the United States.

The idea behind the meeting is to find bipartisanship in some of the less divisive issues in the U.S right now, like education and healthcare. The official agenda for the meeting focuses on computer science education, cybersecurity, the post-pandemic recovery of travel and tourism, infrastructure, and youth mental health care.

Governor Janet Mills told the Portland Press Herald that “while this is an election year in many states and while things seem to be polarized in Congress, at the same time I think we have a lot more in common than sets us apart. It’s because of the NGA that I can pick up the phone and call (Republican Gov.) Asa Hutchinson about an issue and about what they are doing in Arkansas or call (Democratic Gov.) Gavin Newsom in California and ask his advice.”

She added that the NGA is a resource for her to see which governor’s are getting involved in which issues. “If I want to know what other states are doing on school lunch programs and the federal administration of them, or what other states are doing about safer schools, or on cybersecurity, I can quickly look online at NGA’s research and find out what governors are most active in those areas  and contact them.”

The NGA is known for its bipartisan goals and work that often leads to lobbying efforts that inevitably result in legislation.  In 2012, then-governor Paul LePage made disparaging comments about the organization, saying “I get no value out of those meetings; they are too politically correct, and everybody is lovey-dovey, and no decisions are ever made.”  He then proceeded to pull Maine out of the organization.

Former Governor John Baldacci, who served from 2003-2011, said that “I always felt you could work together and get more things done through the NGA than any other organization.  It’s one of the few places where the two sides would sit down and work together; and governors confide in one another because we aren’t competing directly with each other.  You find out what works and what doesn’t and why.”

The meeting will last from Wednesday to Friday and be hosted at the Westin Portland Harborview.