Shortly after he took office, Gov. Paul LePage put a sign on I-95 in Kittery declaring Maine “Open for Business.”

The blue-and-white sign was both a statement of purpose for his administration and a bit of public relations for a state that has struggled to attract employers. It was unveiled to much fanfare. It was praised as a literal sign of a break from past attitudes, and it was criticized as an empty statement. It was eventually stolen, then replaced by a group of supporters.

Now, LePage wants to stake a similar sign in each Maine city and town, through his “Certified Business Friendly Community” program. Nineteen communities, including Biddeford, Gorham, Saco, Sanford and South Portland, have submitted applications for the first round of certification.

A seven-member panel will judge the eight-page applications on criteria related to job creation, including customer service, business involvement and collaboration, input from the public, and licensing and permitting. Successful communities will be recognized by the governor and listed on the website of the Department of Economic and Community Development. They will be allowed to promote themselves as “certified business friendly,” and, yes, they will receive an “Open for Business” sign.

Originally, LePage suggested that state revenue sharing be reduced for municipalities that did not fall in line with his program, but that idea was scrapped. Instead, communities that receive the designation may be rewarded with extra points when applying for competitive Community Development Block Grants, a federal program administered by the state.

“What a business looks for is stability, reliability and consistency. That’s what we need to bring to the forefront,” LePage said in a press release announcing the program. “Businesses face many obstacles. They do not need nor should they be focusing on dealing with local, state and federal government.”

To his credit, LePage has improved the way state officials guide businesses through the permitting process. This program could prod communities to make similar changes by forcing them to review and update local ordinances so that they are clear and modern, and thus more predictable and attractive for potential employers.

But LePage also has shown a disdain for regulation of any kind, and a willingness to stretch the truth to fit his agenda. His policy is often informed by the slightest of anecdotal evidence, so that the smallest of complaints from business owners are portrayed as a call to strip the law bare. It is reasonable to think that the members of the panel reviewing the applications share his philosophy.

It is clear, however, that Maine residents want balanced development and a strong voice in how their communities are built. They wish to retain the right to approve of certain businesses while rejecting others, in accordance with a democratically decided vision. If LePage, through this program, seeks to deem communities with a vision that differs from his own as unfriendly to business – and withhold funding from a wide-ranging federal program not solely related to job creation – he will be doing the state a disservice, and those “Open for Business” signs will be nothing more than hollow, shallow symbolism.

Ben Bragdon, managing editor