| Attorney
General Steve Rowe — Setting
the stage for a concentrated focus on the importance of early childhood development
Rowe confirmed that he is
planning to run for the office of Governor in 2010. “I have dedicated the past
fifteen years of my life to serving the people of Maine. I believe that my service has
made a positive difference. I would like nothing more than to continue to serve the people
of this great state.”
By Ramona du Houx
The Office of the Maine Attorney General has a
myriad of official duties, all of which protect the public interest and public rights of
Maine citizens. The list of operations seems endless.
“We handle a diverse workload, including
general litigation, homicide and drug trafficking prosecution, financial crimes
prosecution, child protection, child support, consumer and antitrust law, education law,
healthcare law, and environmental law. We are the state’s law firm and we advise and
represent all branches of government on legal matters,” said Attorney General Steve
Rowe. “We bring lawsuits on behalf of the state and defend the state and its officers
in state and federal courts.”
If that’s not enough for the AG to do, Rowe has
been accomplishing much more. When he became AG, he reorganized the office with staff
input and streamlined services for efficiency and savings. “We have some of the
smartest, most dedicated public servants I’ve ever met,” said Rowe. He also set
new priorities for the Office of Attorney General.
“Our work is not just about initiating or
defending lawsuits or providing legal services to state agencies. It’s also about
protecting the legal rights of Maine people, particularly when those rights relate to
people’s health, safety and welfare. As Maine’s Attorney General, I have
identified certain priorities for my office. These include protection of children and
seniors, domestic violence prevention, civil rights education and enforcement, consumer
protection, and access to affordable healthcare,” said Rowe. “I firmly believe
that this office has a special duty to protect the public rights of our most vulnerable
citizens — particularly children, seniors, and others who may be targets of abuse,
neglect, or unfair discrimination. When basic rights of health, safety and welfare are not
protected, other rights of Maine citizenship cannot be enjoyed and justice is not
complete.”
Attorney General Rowe holds a law degree from the
University of Maine School of Law, a master’s degree in business administration, and
a bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served
in Maine’s House of Representatives for eight years, serving as Speaker in his final
term. He has chaired the National Association of Attorneys General Committee on
Prescription Drug Pricing. He currently is co-chair of the association’s Underage
Drinking Committee. He has been heralded by other state attorneys general as leading
initiatives that have reduced youth exposure to alcohol marketing.
“Through our actions, as well as those of
allied groups, we have achieved some success in changing industry marketing
practices,” said Rowe. “These actions should help reduce children's interest in
alcohol and hopefully save lives and futures.”
This accomplishment addresses one of the major obstacles society faces, of changing
perceptions of abusive, additive substances. Standing up to these special interests while
managing to work with them is a breakthrough. Rowe has a unique way of getting people to
work together. As speaker he brought coalitions together to channel monies from the
tobacco settlement to health programs.
“When I was speaker in1999, the state received
the first funds under the master tobacco settlement agreement. The Legislature enacted
legislation to protect the funds and dedicate them to a number of health-related areas to
include substance abuse prevention, smoking cessation, childcare, home visiting, and
prescription drugs for seniors. I was pleased that we dedicated that money largely to
prevention,” said Rowe. “One of the primary reasons for our success with the
Fund for a Healthy Maine was the collaboration among various people and agencies both
inside and outside of state government. I am very proud that Maine still leads the nation
in the percentage of tobacco settlement funds used for health purposes. Over the past
eight years we have seen a 60 percent reduction in smoking rates among teens. I believe
that, with additional resources, it is possible to replicate that kind of success with
underage drinking.”
Rowe believes that there are “two great
evils” in Maine. “One is domestic abuse and the other is substance abuse. They
are both devastating to individuals, families, communities, and our state’s economy.
In fact, it is estimated that together domestic abuse and substance abuse costs our state
more than $2 billion each year. This includes remedial health care, education, and
criminal justice costs just to name a few. It also includes lost productivity in the
workplace.”
For the past six and a half years, Rowe has been
focusing on ways to stop domestic abuse and substance abuse from occurring, using the
office as a platform to inform communities on these issues. He’s brought diverse
people from across the state together to work on preventive measures. “We use our
office to raise awareness about problems and lead the way to find solutions. Creating
partnerships is not just a good idea; it is critical in order to effect meaningful change
in difficult areas such as domestic abuse and substance abuse,” said Rowe.
Last year with Attorney General Rowe, substance
abuse treatment and prevention specialists, district attorneys, police chiefs, school
administrators, teachers, parents, students, retailers, and other concerned citizens
participated in 28 community forums across the state. Alcohol is associated with the top
three causes of death among adolescents: motor vehicle accidents, homicides, and suicides.
“Community members came together to discuss underage drinking and to develop a plan
of action to change the social norms around the issue and reduce youth demand for and
access to alcohol,” said Rowe. “The adolescent brain is different from that of
an adult. The regions of the brain that allow brakes to be put on impulse and motivation
are not fully developed during the teenage years. Thus, teenagers are more likely than
adults to engage in impulsive behaviors that put them at risk of serious injury to
themselves or others.”
Underage drinking can result in irreversible brain
damage. “Most people don’t appreciate the cumulative damage that alcohol can
cause to an adolescent brain. Alcohol use by teenagers can and often does have a serious
destructive effect on brain functioning. Sadly, in some cases, the damage is irreversible.
I know young people with outgoing personalities who made the honor roll in middle school;
yet a few years later they were socially withdrawn and failing academically. The reason
for this change was, in almost all cases, regular alcohol use,” said Rowe who
emphasized that the earlier a person starts drinking, the greater the risk of dependence.
“Statistics tell us that a person who starts drinking at age 15 is four times more
likely to become dependent on alcohol than a person who waits until he or she is 21 to
start drinking.”
Tobacco and alcohol compliance checks are ongoing.
Public service ads warning parents not to serve alcohol to youth have been produced and
broadcasted. The root causes of these addictive tendencies were also broached in different
ways, being a part of larger issues. A breakthrough forum to engage men in discussions
about violence against women was held. And a new campaign to help victims of domestic
abuse was launched.
The Call to Men conference brought 85 men from
across the state together to examine the root causes of men’s violence against women.
The men were selected by domestic violence projects and sexual assault centers.
Participants took away from the successful all-day conference new ideas to integrate into
their communities. “Unfortunately, many young boys in Maine do not always see healthy
adult relationships in their homes. They need positive adult role models and we need more
men to step up and assume mentoring roles,” said Rowe.
The Cut Out Domestic Violence campaign involved
providing hair salon professionals with resource and referral information so that they
might assist clients who are victims of domestic violence. Often women talk more freely
about abuse with their hair stylist, so the AG’s office, working with the Maine
Coalition Against Domestic Violence and local projects, held trainings for salon
professionals and provided them with flyers and nail files with resource and referral
information.
These are just a few measures that have been
introduced since Rowe became AG that address the core reasons why the state deals largely
in remediation. Rowe has shown that interaction with communities focusing on these
problems can reduce them. He believes that prevention and early intervention measures are
keys to help build a healthier society and a healthier economy.
The Attorney General is passionate about the rights
of all Maine citizens and has put a special emphasis on the rights of children. He
understands that the early years of life are critical in shaping a child’s future
learning and development.
“Government cannot guarantee that every child
will succeed, but it can and should guarantee that every child has the opportunity to
succeed. The key to that opportunity is a healthy start,” said Rowe. “Ninety
percent of structural brain development occurs before age five. This means that the
foundation for a person’s cognitive, emotional, and social development is largely set
by kindergarten. To maximize healthy development, young children need nurturing, stable
relationships with supportive and responsive adults. They also need positive stimulation,
low stress and a sense of safety and security.”
When the lives of children with developmental
disabilities are traced back to their earliest years, domestic abuse or substance abuse or
both are often found to be present in the home. Parents who were abused often become
abusers.
“We would like to think that we live in a
society where all children have the opportunity to go as far and as high as their talents
and their willingness to work hard will take them. However, for some children —
particularly those who did not get a healthy start in life — that is just a hollow
dream. These children lack a sturdy cognitive, social and emotional foundation from which
to launch. A little boy who watches his dad abuse his mom is three times more likely to
abuse his spouse when he grows up. Eighty percent of violent offenders in prisons across
the country grew up in homes with domestic abuse,” said Rowe citing national
statistics.
Identifying the problems associated with the lack of
early childhood development, investigating the issue thoroughly with a lawyer’s
insight, asking questions of psychologists, DHS caseworkers, physicians, and other experts
in the field, over the years Rowe has built up in-depth knowledge of the problem.
The Attorney General believes that societal
attitudes about the value of early childhood development must be changed. He travels
around the state talking about the importance of investing in quality early care and
education programs.
On November 29–30 Governor Baldacci will be
hosting the first state economic summit on early childhood development. Tying Maine’s
economy to early childhood development is something Maine’s AG explains like a man on
a mission.
“Taking care of our children is not just the
right thing to do from a social and moral perspective. It is absolutely essential from an
economic perspective. In fact, investing in quality early care and development for
children birth to five is one of the very best economic investments we can make. The
result is a healthier, more highly educated and more productive workforce. The result is
also lower remedial spending and lower taxes.
“Ninety percent of structural brain development
occurs before the age of five. Yet, ninety percent of our education spending occurs after
age five. Something about that just seems wrong,” said Rowe. “It also seems
wrong that, while only about 5 percent of babies are born with impairments that result in
learning disorders, more than 15 percent of our students in K-12 have learning disorders
that qualify them for special education services. Why the disparity? What is happening on
the way to kindergarten? We must ensure that parents have the tools they need to provide
healthy homes for newborns and toddlers. We must also ensure that parents have access to
quality, affordable childcare.
“As a society, we spend far too much time and
money attempting to repair problems that should not have occurred. I often say that our
government is invested heavily in the remediation business. I believe that we should shift
more of our resources into prevention, most particularly into early childhood development.
If we do, we will, in short order, see a reduction in the need for remedial spending. We
will also see a healthier, more highly educated and more productive citizenry and a more
vibrant economy.”
 The AG has worked extensively
on issues ranging from the elderly to the environment as well as consumer awareness and
protection. These issues deserve special attention in future interviews. The depth of
accomplishments that Rowe has achieved for the state is a reflection of his commitment to
keep Maine as one community, and his principles.
“A community is more than a group of people who
live in the same geographic area. A community is a group of people who care about one
another and who support one another. Maine is really one large community. Certainly, our
state is a special place because of its natural beauty and distinctive seasons. But the
people are what really make our state special. I have lived in other places and I can tell
you that there is no place quite like Maine. Maine people are honest, hardworking, caring,
and supportive. It doesn’t get any better than that,” said Rowe. “The
fundamental purposes of government as set forth in our state Constitution are to protect
the health, safety, and welfare of our people and to educate our people. That is what
guides me in my service to the state. As a Democrat I believe strongly in the principles
of social and economic justice, equality, fairness, and compassion. I believe that the
success of our society should be measured, not by how well the most prosperous among us
are doing, but rather by how well the least among us are doing. After all, we are all part
of the same community.
“It’s often said about Democrats that we
are the best hope for many and the only hope for some. I believe that to be true.”
Rowe confirmed that he is
planning to run for the office of Governor in 2010. “I have dedicated the past
fifteen years of my life to serving the people of Maine. I believe that my service has
made a positive difference. I would like nothing more than to continue to serve the people
of this great state.”
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