Maine Technology Institute President Betsy Biemann has resigned, according to a release put out today by the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development.
Biemann has been president of MTI since 2005. According to the release, Joe Migliaccio, manager of MTI’s Business Innovation Program, will serve as interim president while a search for a new leader is conducted.
“We thank Betsy for her more than seven years of service and wish her the best. We also look forward to working with Joe and the rest of the MTI team in keeping a strong focus on growing Maine companies and helping the private sector commercialize their products and services,” said DECD Commissioner George Gervais.
In recent weeks, as Gov. Paul LePage vetoed several bond proposals, Biemann emerged in media stories on Maine Public Broadcasting and WCSH regarding the governor’s nixing of a $20 million research and development bond. While LePage said too much R&D bond money in the past went to support government and nonprofit jobs, Biemann told several news outlets that state law lets both public and private entities get grants through MTI, determined through a competitive process.
On Monday, DECD spokesman Doug Ray said he would not comment on whether Biemann’s recent statements were at play in the change at MTI, or whether she was asked to resign.
“DECD is supportive of new leadership at MTI,” he said. “We’re not going to get into whether she was asked to resign; it’s as simple and clear cut as that.”
LePage spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett, asked if the R&D bonds issue was a factor in Biemann’s resignation, said, “You’re going to have to ask her.” Asked if Biemann was asked to resign, Bennett answered, “As far as I know, she’s resigned and we’re supportive of a new direction at MTI.”
According to MTI’s website, the president of MTI is recommended by the MTI board of directors, appointed by the governor, confirmed by the Senate and employed by the DECD.
In the release, the department noted that “MTI is critical to the long-term development of Maine’s research, development and commercialization infrastructure.”
“Precious state resources need to be invested with job creation and new revenue as the ultimate goals,” said DECD Commissioner George Gervais.
He added that ongoing R&D investments are an “extremely important” part of growing our future economy.
“These projects are driven by the private sector, the real experts in job creation and the foundation of our economic success,” he said. “If our state is to remain open for business, we need to make sure that our private sector job creators get the access to the capital they need at the most critical time.”
What a shame. Another good worker is lost.
Talented people don’t last in the caveman atmosphere. I wish her the best.
Incredible when folks rally against “special interests”. R&D bonds (among other things…) have been a constant flow of unproductive money, going to special interest organizations. Can anyone show a positive outcome from R&D bonding ? The Governor should be thanked for shutting off the non-productive tax dollar spigot.
Yes, you are right, now we just have wait for those good private sector jobs YESSAAA !!
No gov bonds, or jobs without the private sector jobs/business owners. When has the last time u were paid by a poor person.
Yeah, right Jed. You’re logic fails on every front. The rich don’t hire people simply because they have money and can; they hire people to make more money for them. If people don’t have money, they aren’t buying and if they aren’t buying, businesses aren’t making money. That’s known as Economics 101. My dad had three to four employees yet he never made more than $30K a year because he wanted to keep his business small to be able to give customers his personal attention. Most small businesses function the same way.
So you think the govt giving people money is how small business stays in business, get real, the govt can only spend until they run out of other people’s money, that is also economics 101.
So tell me then when is the last time u got a pay check from someone that is on food stamps?
My guess is you don’t even know what MTI does and neither does our Governor. He just bullies so he can put one of his gangsters in there.
what about all the good that MTI & U-Maine did…?
*dr. daggers bulletproof wood that got a real laugh from defense officials
*composite wind blades that cost too much to produce
*how about ceramic engines that cost millions, but turn out to be a scam
Your composite arguement is a laugh, especially if you go and start looking at every truck service station in Maine. Just start looking at the cab’s and nose’s of these truck’s. They’re almost all COMPOSITE. Where do you think the industry got the idea from, your Great Aunt Maizie who’s been dead for 20 years ? While ‘the jury’ is still out on wind turbine’s, the result’s of turbine blade’s being made out of these composite’s in commercial applications has been ‘in’ for a real long time. It started with fiberglass and just took the next logical step. And for those that might have forgotten, Bombardier makes a large majority of their aircraft from composite’s. Gee, anyone seen the road sign for Brunswick lately ?
You needed to know the scam that had happened-
It cost the taxpayers, and prayed on the hopes of two communities hard hit-
It was backed by a crooked politician and as of today still is lurking around U-Maine.
And these same car and truck bodies, and aircraft bodies, are still being made from the techniques that UMaine and their R&D folk’s established. If the ‘scam’ resulted in job’s, what’s the arguement ? And that ‘scam’ apparently isn’t such a ‘scam’ after all if it’s still producing job’s today. Cessna, Orbital Sciences, Boeing (with their new 777 airliner), Northrup Grumman and North American are all producing aircraft bodies made from composite’s. The only real ‘crime’ here is that they’re not being produced here in Maine due to the lack of trained people to use the technology to MANUFACTURE these product’s. Oh, wait, did I just make the arguement for a TRAINING PROGRAM FOR MAINER’S USING MAINE PRODUCT’S FOR MAINE JOB’S ? Gee, what a little thinking, not reacting, can lead to. Frightening, isin’t it ?
Bull
Gee, do biomass power generation and heating count ? How about composite’s manufacturing and application’s. When the IQ of the questioner, and their agenda, is finally seen for what it is, well, the rest of it speaks for itself !
what about composite manufacturing…?
*dr. daggers bulletproof wood that got a real laugh from defense officials
*composite wind blades that cost too much to produce
*how about ceramic engines that cost millions, but turn out to be scams
Look above and engage brain before putting mouth in gear !
Really,,,,
How many jobs have been created for the mega-millions spent, and that biomass technology isnt that great
Biomass is in it’s beginning stage’s. UMFK just installed it’s 1st biomass plant this last April and it’s going to take time to get the figures to make the money arguement, either way, work. That’s what R&D is all about, taking the 1st step and working the solution’s until you find one that works FOR EVERYBODY, not just the whiner’s and cryer’s. The refusal to take that 1st step is what’s killing Maine’s R&D effort. Now with Betsy gone, we can all say goodbye for a VERY LONG TIME to any advancement in Maine’s future simply because we have a Governor that doesn’t have the gut’s to take that 1st step. No, he’d rather hide and whine in the past. So much for leadership when it’s clearly called for.
No more tax and spend BS-
The money spent is in no way resulting in the jobs they projected,,, not even close-
There needs to be a time limit on how long a company, R&D or otherwise, can compete for public grants such as the money this bond would have generated. Some companies have had their face in the public trough for way too long, over a decade, without creating jobs or even a viable product. Follow the money and look at the list of recipients. Many are annual applicants looking to live off the public dole without making a contribution to the economic well being of our state.
Obviously you didn’t read the Old Town story. MTI supported that project. Look up TexTec in Monmouth, Me. I could go on and on, but that would not change your attitude. You remind me of what Thomas Paine worte, “To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.” You and Lepage, two peas in a pod.
By-by to another liberal.
Bully politics strikes again.
Only 947 days until we send the LePage regime home to Florida.
Gov LePage believes that government cannot create jobs and he’s doing his best to prove his case. Even if that means refusing to allow the R & D bonds that would do just that go forward. It’s the kind of shoot yourself in the foot mentality that the Tea Party has brought to Republican politics. They would rather stifle job creation to prove their point than to do what they claim to have been elected for. It’s a perverse kind of logic only the Mad Hatter could understand.
The amazing thing that by attempting to stifle job creation to prove their ideological point, they are succeeding in proving that TeaPublicans are the worst thing for a country’s economy.
Non-profit don’t create jobs? Mr LePage, not only they do but they also form people to run an organization on minimal resources, no lobbying, no bail out, know how run an organization this way? Bet you don’t.
Looks like a possible lawsuit.
I just love the way this administration uses terms like “the real experts in job creation” and “job creators”. If these “real experts in job creation” are such “job creators” where in hell are all the jobs that “these real experts in job creation” have created?
How many more months of slash-and-burn tactics will we see on talented persons, before “job creation” actually occurs?
Liz, this wasn’t slash and burn. It’s a simple, vindictive slash-and-trash and Bennett did all of it at Daddy’s direction. I hope Betsy gets a better position with at least neutral backing instead of the back stabbing she got here from Paulie and Company. With no Bond money, that the voter’s already approved, she wasn’t able to do her job. And her job was developing newer and more effective technology’s here in Maine for the benefit of Maine. Now did I miss the exit or did someone take the ‘Business Common Sense’ sign down ? That this whole thing happened, and with no one wanting to say anything, this tells me this whole thing was nothing short of a shotgun resignation at best. And with Betsy being ‘shotgunned’ out the door, in case anyone hasn’t noticed, this sends a terrible message to the PRIVATE SECTOR that any innovation and support from Maine is gonna be subjected to a ‘My way or the highway’ attitude, regardless of it’s benefit’s to both Maine, and, the commercial application’s job’s possibility’s.
It also shows the private sector that Maine’s not the most stable place to be investing, operating or expanding right now since the State is run by a child having a temper tantrum that needs his ‘short’s dropped’ and a serious whooping of his 4th point of contact done to teach him some respect. Losing Betsy Beimman is gonna hurt Maine for a VERY long time, and in more ways that Mainer’s think or realize. Courtesy of this ‘shotgunning’, Paulie has again done nothing less than demonstrate, and reinforce the commonly held belief, to the whole Country that Maine is governed and managed by a bunch of beer-faced, drunken hunters and fisherman who can’t put a shoe on without screwing it up. Now can anyone show me where any responsible business is gonna want to do business in a State governed by a Governor and Legislature that have the eyesight of a mole when it comes to R&D, product innovation and manufacturing ? If there was ever a time for the Legislature to come together, ‘cinch up’ whatever moxie they got, like they did with the State Budget, and show Paulie that he has gone too far, and give him a sneak preview of the cost’s to his action’s, now would be the time. And in case anyone has forgotten, DECD has the Bombardier project on-going. Don’t think for 1 minute that they don’t see this also. They know the value of R&D and the people behind it. Paulie and Company may have screwed the pooch on this one too, and all in the name of Smaller Gov’t. B-O-H-I-C-A folks !
LePage the great spoiler. He hates good. He needs to go back to Mardens and deal with furniture but they won’t have him.
Where is the transparency we were promised? There is more to this story. Senior people don’t just quit. She was pushed out and DECD owes everyone a clear explanation.
Check out “New UM Technology Center opens in Old Town …” in today’s BDN. This illustrates how public – private research and development operates. The basic science is done on campus, process development and demonstration is done in Old Town and becomes available to private companies wanting to take the technology to large-scale production. Most of the new jobs are at the far end, but wouldn’t be created without the initial research and development. MTI is charged with funding new technology that has the potential to create jobs; its grants should go to whoever has the best ideas and the ability to develop them into something practical, whether public, private or collaborative.
LePage is undermining confidence in his own leadership abilities by such apparent actions.
It’s not just confidence in his leadership that’s being called into question but Maine’s ability to be a place where business’s can operate. Paulie went too far and now the ‘bill’ is gonna come due when Maine doesn’t need it the most. Betsy demonstrated progress into the future. Paulie’s demonstrating Temper Tantrum 101 and retreating because he’s afraid of the future. Time, folk’s march’s on no matter who’s in Blaine House. But hey, Paulie doesn’t have to worry. He’s got all of us to lay it off on ! There, now don’t we all feel better !
Great Job Governor – another government worker addicted to wasting the people’s money is no more. Finally, a grown up is in the room.
Year after year after year the same people got grants and produced nothing but a job for themselves…
Lets spend the money wisely please…
Nice to see there will be new leadership coming in….
the beaches are littered with junk dumped out there from 30/40 yrs of democrtic leadership. It takes a while to pick up all trash when it keeps on floating in.
Betsey made the unforgivable error of clarifying the fact that MTI funds are available to both public and private projects. One never should try to correct the King. She was one of the best and brightest employees in state government, but notice that no one is coming to her defense from DECD’s ranks. I wonder why. Its “go along to get along” 24-7 with this crew.
And as we have all seen prior, the ‘herd’ mentailty is what gets everyone to go off the cliff together. With Betsy gone it’s now inevitable that the rest of the MTI core is gonna be going in probably 6 months or less.And with Paulie hovering over everybody like an Angel of Death, it’s not only inevitable but going to be a slow and painful process as well. It’s also gonna make re-building MTI impossible until Paulie gets ‘the boot’ in 2014 and Maine can get back to R&D and the manufacturing job’s that come out of it. So so long Maine R&D, Maine manufacturing and Maine job’s, unless you count burger flipping as a career. That or flagging.
See Dewil’s reference to today’s paper and the story of the new Old Town project. Those who think that govt. doesn’t create jobs–and good jobs–have no grasp of American history. They live in a fantasy land in which “liberals” and the “liberal media” are scapegoats for all of America’s problems. Pathetic.
Its wrong to gloat over Betsey’s departure, but rather a big thanks to our Governor.
Betsey was a liberal professional, that had many good liberal contacts, but the economic engine of MTI needed tax dollars to survive, and the taxpayers want something for the money. If the mega-millions that had been funneled into MTI, EMDC & U-Maine over the past years had actually produced real, sustainable manufacturing jobs for Maine, then Governor LePage would have found a way to support it.
I think if Betsey moves to MA, CT or NY, she may find the liberal tax & spend environment that will feed her future.
MTI has been stuffed with University of Maine staff, both on the board of directors and on every one of the technology boards. Betsey has been instrumental to helping back door the funding to U of M. Private companies who want to do R&D and don’t want to use U of M for the work, don’t get funded. Someone said it earlier, follow the money.
I don’t care whether you are liberal or conservative, unless you are one of the ones that have been living off of these funds while producing no successful product, it doesn’t take a wind mill scientist to see that some new direction is needed.
Regarding the governor’s involvement, remember that the position is appointed by the governor and one needs to remember who brought you to the dance.
I think we may know the same people
I am proud to be a liberal. Liberalism is what moves us into the future and changes things in a positive way. it seems conservatives want to stay in the present and are afraid of change.
Another recent trait on the conservative side is a disdain for science. Investing in research brings opportunities that would otherwise not happen. Massachusetts and North Carolina have strong research and development programs that help to create well paying jobs. Maine has one of the lowest R&D budgets in the US and we complain of our youth leaving for better jobs elsewhere.
Thanks Gov for the great job you talk about doing.
Doesn’t take a genius to figure out the reason(s) behind this. How much more bs is LePew going to spread through this state before we demand that HE resign?
Can someone define job creator?
How do you measure the success of a job creator?
In Mr. Lepage’s world: Walmart