NEWS: It took a crisis for Mainers to finally pay attention to county government

'With a high degree of Maine’s political power delegated to towns and cities, even Mainers who pay attention to local or state politics are unlikely to keep close tabs on what York County Commissioner Justin Chenette, a former Democratic lawmaker from Saco, called a “lost level” of government. He said that even as a state representative, county government was “out of sight, out of mind” for him. For years, few saw the limited scrutiny on counties as a major problem. But Chenette said that in a place like York, where county spending has not caused a major controversy, getting people interested can still be difficult. He cited 4:30 p.m. meetings that begin earlier than ones in most cities and towns.'

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