Our next governor and Legislature will be the beneficiary of a new set of recommendations designed to reinvent the business of governing in Maine.

Following up on the widely read Brookings Report "Charting Maine's Future," GrowSmart Maine has commissioned its former president and founder, Alan Caron, to complete the second phase of its vision: A set of recommendations to overhaul government's role in achieving long-term prosperity for our citizens.

Caron's Web site outlines the work that will be released by the end of April. The recommendations will address the largest cost-centers of government, how they relate to one another and what needs to change to make them sustainable.

• State Government

• County Government

• Local Government

• K-12 Education

• Higher Education

• Transportation

• Health Care

• Deferred Obligations

• The Legislature

Ultimately, the report will provide a framework for practical changes and a few bold moves to adapt government to the reality of limited resources. This is work the alliance supports as it is consistent with its mission to improve the economic opportunities for Maine people by electing and supporting a bipartisan majority of state legislators who support a strong private sector and an efficient and affordable public sector.

Stay tuned and prepare to make your own decisions about the direction in which you expect Maine to move. Most importantly, ask your candidates for state, county and local office what they think and what they are prepared to do.

Tony Payne is the executive director of the Alliance for Maine’s Future, He may be reached at tpayne@allianceformaine.org