Faced with an ongoing recession, looming budget cuts and a politically divided populace, the winners of Tuesday’s elections could no doubt use some advice.

So below we offer some tips on how Maine’s newly elected legislators, councilors, selectmen, school board members and, of course, governor should handle the first few months of office.

Governor

Unite: Paul LePage won the race for the Blaine House with something far short of a public mandate. It has been a hard and sometimes ugly campaign. The new governor’s first address should be one of consolation. It should center on how the most demanding challenges of the day – the budget shortfall, Maine’s business climate, educational funding – will be solved with ideas from both sides of the aisle. It’s cliche?d, but it’s necessary. And residents would be able to tell a lot about how the message is delivered, and received.

Unite II: Outgoing Gov. John Baldacci took some considerable missteps while trying to make Maine more efficient through consolidation and regionalization. But he was on the right track, policy-wise. Maine, with just 1.3 million people spread across 400-plus municipalities in 16 counties, has to re-think how to deliver services. It’s already started, but more could be done to collaborate on matters such as municipal and school administration, road maintenance and public safety.

Unite III: Also, Maine needs to be on the forefront of distance learning, which uses technology to teach the same subject at the same time to students in different areas. As communication technology continues to advance, distance learning holds great potential in both creating savings and increasing course offerings.

Legislature

Take a look at yourselves: There has been a lot of talk about reducing the size of the Legislature, but the savings would be negligible and the benefits less than astounding. Instead, the length of terms should be expanded. Four-year terms, with at least three terms before limits kick in, would help legislators spend more time learning the state agencies and legislative system – then applying that knowledge – than worrying about re-election.

Take a look at yourselves II: The number of bills introduced each session could also be reduced. The Envision Maine report, “Reinventing Maine Government,” suggests a reduction to 100 total legislators, each with a limit of five bills a session. That may or may not be the correct number, but it is the right idea. Leadership could then help form priorities, and the legislators could spend real time on issues that matter. Maine has a citizen Legislature, and its focus should be narrowed. New legislators also should look at what has been introduced through the last few sessions so as not to repeat mistakes – both political and logistical – that have been made before.

Local boards

Elect a solid leader: A local board or council is only as good as the person who holds the gavel. A chairman or chairwoman who correctly prioritizes the matters at hand, allows fellow officials and the public sufficient time to comment and always keeps comment on point is the key to making a local elected body work the right way. They keep the issues and the process foremost in mind, and help ensure decisions are made in the right frame of mind.

Ben Bragdon is the managing editor of Current Publishing. He can be reached at bbragdon@keepmecurrent.com or followed at www.twitter.com/benbragdon.