October 22, 2009 A panel of three, distinguished members of Maine's Legislature spoke with and answered questions from credit union representatives at a recent event hosted by the Maine Credit Union League. While the three legislators had differing views on several issues, they all agreed on the importance of credit unions to the state, both on a political and personal level.
The panel consisted of Senator Earle McCormick of West Gardiner, Senator Seth Goodall of Richmond, and Representative Henry Beck of Waterville, and they discussed a wide range of topics including Dirigo health care and the reemergence of TABOR, but spent most of the 90-minute session speaking positively about Maine's credit unions and the important role they play in the lives of more than 600,000 Maine people who use a credit union.
In his remarks, Senator Seth Goodall of Richmond, who serves as chair of the Natural Resources Committee and also is a member of the Legal & Veterans Affairs Committee, told how his local credit union helped he and his brother start their business with a loan. "Without our credit union, we wouldn?t see the success we have today," he said.
As a native of Waterville and who still lives there, Rep. Henry Beck, is a first-term legislator serving on the Insurance & Financial Services Committee, explained that his experience with credit unions is lifelong. "Where I grew up, credit unions were and remain an integral part of our community." He said that the strength of credit unions was also evident in the past legislative session, while dealing with topics that impact credit unions and, most importantly, members."
Commenting on his experience with credit unions, Senator Earle McCormick, the ranking Republican on the Insurance & Financial Services Committee, said, "One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to join a credit union."
In the true spirit of bipartisanship, all three closed the discussion by "thanking credit unions for remaining a positive source of strength for Maine people during an otherwise difficult economic period."
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