The old show tune “Getting to Know You” could have been the theme for Paul LePage’s week.

Ever since the Republican candidate for governor’s big win in the June primary — and his leap to the top in early polls, surpassing experienced rivals such as Libby Mitchell and Eliot Cutler – curiosity has been growing.

What is LePage really like? His only political post of note is mayor of Waterville, a small city, and no one has been in this position – the leading candidate for Maine’s top executive office – with so little experience in two generations.

Of recent governors, John McKernan and John Baldacci had been elected to multiple terms in Congress, Angus King was a prominent businessman and political talk show host and Joe Brennan was attorney general. Even Jim Longley, the first independent to be elected governor during the 20th century in any state, had achieved prominence as head of a state cost-cutting commission.

LePage’s campaign has sketched out an inspiring story of a candidate who grew up on the streets of Lewiston and worked his way up the business ladder, achieving success before turning to politics. But such stories – from Abe Lincoln the rail-splitter to Bill Clinton, the Man from Hope – leave out important details. Voters want to know more about how a candidate will conduct himself in office and what kind of leadership he will provide.

That education took a new turn on Monday.

LePage had scheduled news conferences in Bangor, Augusta and Portland – in Maine, the full media swing – to announce his economic program, the presumed centerpiece of his campaign.

The previous Friday, however, the Kennebec Journal had reported that Ann LePage, the candidate’s wife, filed for a property tax homestead exemption in both Maine and Florida, something not allowed in either state. The Bangor Daily News published its own story on Saturday, and LePage must have known he would be asked about it on Monday, given his lack of clear answers and a campaign aide’s odd characterization of the matter as a “clerical problem.”

The candidate had a number of options. He could have prepared a statement detailing his family’s tax dealings in the two states, asked reporters for their questions until he answered them all, then moved on to his economic plan.

Instead, he started the day in Bangor by dismissing his questioners with the comment, “That’s been asked and answered. Let’s move on.”

In Augusta, things got testier, with LePage asserting that his name had never been on the deed of the Waterville residence he purchased in 1995 – even though it had been, as the deed in question showed. He later left his own press conference, with camera crews trailing him down the hall, in a video immediately posted on You Tube.

In Portland, LePage responded angrily to a question about whether his children had qualified for subsidized in-state tuition at Florida State University, using a profanity [“bullshit”] in his answer. Yet he later had to acknowledge, in an unscheduled return visit to Augusta, that the tuition story was true, as well as his joint ownership of the Waterville property for six months.

By the end of what must have been a very long day for LePage, the following outline could be pieced together:

In late 2007, Ann LePage decided to shift her residence to Florida, withdrawing from the voter rolls in Waterville. The following year, she purchased a house there – Paul LePage said it was cheaper than to rent – and signed up for in-state tuition for two of her children. In 2009, she registered for a homestead exemption, which LePage said she forgot she already had in Maine. Since then, Ann LePage has begun a return to Maine, and now has a driver’s license here, though she’s not yet registered to vote.

The line in politics between private and public is often unclear, yet when a candidate’s family applies for public tax and tuition advantages in another state, it’s hard to say it’s not relevant.

LePage could have said he made a mistake, offered to repay the tax and tuition advantages, and legitimately asserted that it was time to move on. Instead, he made the issue more prominent with a lack of clear answers, an apparent willingness to double-dip, and by blaming political opponents for the controversy.

LePage will have other opportunities to counter the faux pas that crop up in every campaign. Unless he takes a different approach than he did this week, the volume and the heat will continue to rise.