by Will Tuell

After months of intense campaigning, the 186 men and women of Maine’s 131st Legislature were sworn into office last week. The constitutionally prescribed ceremony, set for the first Wednesday in December, proved heavy on pomp, pageantry – and politics – as policymakers also deliberated on the merits of Gov. Janet Mills's (D-Farmington) nearly half billion supplemental budget designed to offer relief for those struggling with soaring energy costs.