STRONG – Town officials from across greater Franklin County have joined together to explore opportunities to bring businesses and jobs here.

A forum on the shifting economy in northern Franklin County will be a topic from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 27, at the Forster Memorial Building.

Evan Richert, former director of the Maine State Planning Office during former Gov. King’s administration and now on the faculty of the Muskie School of Public Service, and Les Stevens, executive director of the Maine Partnership of the Eastern Maine Development Corp., will share their views on the region’s shifting economy and lay out some potential routes to a more stable economy in the future.

Richert will describe how the concept of regionalism can work for the communities in Maine, according to Deb Burd, executive director of Western Mountain Alliance.

Stevens, who is currently part of Gov. Baldacci’s Pine Tree Zones economic development team, will provide insight into how the innovative program would work in Franklin County if adapted by the Maine Legislature.

Strong selectmen’s Chairman Perry Ellsworth, whose town has been hit heavily with job losses, plans to talk about business closings in multiple towns and the fact that people have joined together to bring business back to Franklin County. He also will mention the region’s workers who are “energetic and ready to go,” he said.

He’ll touch on Baldacci’s economic development initiative and the work done so far to try to get one of the zones in the greater Franklin County area, if approved by legislators.

“We have talented people just waiting for the opportunity to do whatever needs to be done to promote businesses and opportunities for people to have meaningful work,” Ellsworth said. “All the local boards of selectmen are fully engaged in making this happen.”

dperry@sunjournal.com