by PATRICK LEJTENYI

Under most circumstances, Maine—small, poor and relatively isolated—doesn’t register very high on the vice meter. But as the countdown to November’s mid-term elections continues, Barbara Merrill, an independent candidate for governor, wants to lighten things up a bit.

One of the main planks in Merrill’s platform is increasing rail transport between the New England state and Canada, especially to Montreal, the closest big Canadian city. Maine, she says, is very poorly served by the current rail system, and that is hurting the local economy. She wants a vast improvement to Maine’s train system, and to get an onboard casino—the “Maine to Montreal High Roller,” she calls it—to pay for it.

Under Merrill’s plan, two casino cars would be tacked on to an eventual Portland-to-Montreal train. Reaping in the proceeds of a rolling casino, she thinks, would help offset the enormous capital layout required to build a new rail line. Maine only has one gambling establishment, the “Racino,” a horse track with some slot machines in Bangor. To avoid stepping on Loto-Québec’s toes, gambling activity would cease at the Quebec-Maine border.

“The central theme of my campaign is connectivity to Canada,” says Merrill in a phone interview. “We need to be connected to Canada so Canadians can easily travel to Maine. In terms of a globalized economy, that’s just vital to understanding international trade.”

One problem is cost. Merrill doesn’t have any figures available, but some estimates put the cost of building new tracks, or upgrading old ones, at up to $1-million (U.S.) per mile. With over 350 miles (560 kilometres) separating Montreal and Portland, Maine’s biggest city—pop. 64,000—that’s a hefty chunk of change.

Still, it’s not getting a laugh-out-loud reception. Messages posted to boards discussing the idea are generally positive, at least in theory, although some Maine anti-gambling advocates expressed skepticism. The incumbent governor, Democrat John Baldacci, also has rail on the mind, although he wants to focus on expanding the network to interior and coastal communities, rather than increasing connectivity to Canada.

The odds of Merrill winning, however, are slim, says Ken Palmer, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Maine. He predicts a comfortable re-election for Baldacci, noting that no sitting governor has been defeated since 1966. Mainers have elected independent governors twice, in 1974 and 1994, but both those elections had no incumbent. And while relations with Canada are always important for a border state like Maine, outstanding issues are usually dealt with on a case-by-case basis, without any overarching policy, he says. Chandler Woodcock, the Republican candidate, won’t be able to mobilize enough votes to carry him into the governor’s mansion, Palmer predicts.

Merrill, a former Democrat who left the party out of frustration at petty partisan concerns, also thinks that culturally, “Mainers are in some ways closer to Canadians than we are to many parts of the United States.” Having grown up in Waterville, ME, a city with a large number of French-Canadian descendants (indeed, just last weekend they held their annual Franco-American Festival, complete with bean supper, tourtiere contest and “Honorary Memere and Pepere”), Merrill says she’s seen more and more Mainers take an interest in Canada, and Montreal in particular, thanks in part to their heritage.