Brian Duff quoted in Press Herald story on labor mural controversy

Brian Duff, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, was quoted in a March 26, 2011 Portland Press Herald story on whether Maine Gov. Paul LePage's decision to remove a mural depicting the history of Maine's labor movement from the state's Labor Department headquarters in Augusta would affect Maine's tourism industry. The governor decided to remove the mural "based on his belief that the decor of the agency must not give an impression of bias" favoring labor over business. Commenting on a California family's decision not to visit Maine this year because of LePage's actions, Duff said it is too early to tell how much fallout the decision might generate.

"Maine is going to become a lightning rod for certain debates about the role of government," Duff said. "What is really unique is we have a governor that comes at these things from an unusual way." The story also appeared in the Kennebec Journal (Augusta) and the Morning Sentinel (Waterville).

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