Maine is getting a new governor today. Janet Mills is the first woman ever elected governor of Maine, the first (as she likes to point out) from Franklin County, and the first newly-elected Maine governor in 52 years to win with more than 50 percent of the vote, since Ken Curtis defeated incumbent John Reed in 1966.
Congrats on all that, but let's get on to the point of this post. There's is one aspect about being governor in which Mills should emulate her predecessors -- with the notable exception of the one who just left office. She should not, as Paul LePage did several times, threaten violence against the news media.
LePage usually would say he had been joking, and sometimes even apologized, but such "jokes" are not befitting of the position. Just as average citizens are not allowed to make "jokes" about violence when getting screened by security personnel at courthouses or airports, the governor should know that her words are taken seriously, and that whatever sarcasm may be present in the statement likely won't translate when it gets published or broadcast.
Violence against the media is real, after all, and hearing such words from an elected leader can be the catalyst that turns thoughts of violence into tragedy.
Whoever lives in the Blaine House should be held to a high standard -- and usually is -- when making comments in public. Undoubtedly, at some point she will get frustrated with the media and will want to keep them in check and to control her own narrative. And at times there will be times when a news report is inaccurate or misleading, and criticism of it will be entirely appropriate.
But anyone who serves as governor needs to have a thick skin. Lashing out and threatening violence, whether or not she has a smile on her face, would continue to sidetrack the task of governing and undermine the office, the broader system of government transparency and accountability, and the public's confidence in it. Whether a voter is a Democrat, and Republican, or an independent, overall confidence in the system is a vital component of the broader social contract that enables us to live among each other, even when we disagree.
No governor has to be cozy with or like the media, but the antidote to unfavorable coverage is not to make Mainers distrust the information they get on a daily basis. Openness, accessibility and, when needed, specific criticism of media reports make for a much better approach.
Let's all hope Mills understands that. And enough with the "jokes."
