Gov. John E. Baldacci (D) • Jan. 9
After a year in which a push by Gov. Baldacci to reorganize the education bureaucracy dominated public debate, he used much of his State of the State address to highlight issues such as prison reform and the economy. He did, however, pledge to forge ahead with plans to make early-childhood education a priority. He also announced a privately funded college-grant program that, by 2009, will provide $500 to start a college savings account for every child born in Maine.
