As I alluded to in our inaugural post , GrowSmart Maine is contemplating two “sequel” reports to “Charting Maine’s Future,” our 2006 collaboration with the Brookings Institution.
One, "Governing Maine in the 21st Century," aims to craft a long-term plan for modernizing Maine's governments, at all levels. Instead of responding to shortfalls with meat-cleaver cuts, this report will aim to create a productive, farsighted plan that actually makes government

There’s a lot of good news about the new economic opportunities that rural areas are enjoying thanks to renewable energy development – especially wind power. Unfortunately, most of the news articles I link to below come from out West. But soon enough, Maine will have more stories like these of its own.

First up: an article in Monday’s New York Times profiles Ainsworth, Nebraska, a town with a population 1,800 that describes itself as “The Middle of Nowhere.”

When it comes to innovative thinking in local government, we’re big fans of what the cities of Lewiston and Auburn have already accomplished – and the two City Halls on either side of the Androscoggin River are still pushing the envelope on new and creative ways to provide city services. As GrowSmart Maine moves forward with our “Governing Maine in the 21st Century” project, we expect

Thanks for reading our new "Innovacationland" blog from GrowSmart Maine . We'll be using this space to highlight some of the state's best new ideas — cutting-edge new businesses and industries, initiatives to modernize public services, revitalization efforts in Maine's historic downtown areas, and other projects that will help grow the state's economy while enhancing its world-renowned "quality of place."