By Nicholas White

Libby Mitchell, current Senate president of Maine and candidate for governor of Maine, spent some time on a rainy Friday afternoon to speak to the residents of Kittery Estates senior living complex. Libby had stopped by Kittery Estates hospitality booth at the Eliot Festival earlier that day and was asked to come and speak with the residents. She gladly obliged and a few hours later she stood in front of about 35, myself included, and shared some of her experiences and upcoming political plans. Mitchell has lived in Vasselboro, Maine since 1971 and has seen the current economic recession cause thousands of Maine residents to lose their jobs. In a time where jobs are scarce and costs are high, the current Senate president of Maine suggests investing in alternative energy sources such as off-shore wind and tidal power.

According to Mitchell almost every single home in Maine uses oil as the primary source of heating. She believes that if the state can harness the immense amount of off-shore wind energy in the Gulf of Maine, not only can energy costs across the state be diminished but the excess energy could be sold south to Boston and New York. One professor from the University of Maine at Orno has called the Gulf of Maine the “Saudi Arabia of Maine.” A newly invented composite material which is stronger than steel, is being tested to make the blades for deep-sea wind turbines. The current Senate president was very adamant about her desire to increase the use of alternative energy in the state and it was clear that the members of Kittery Estates supported her views.