AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage is proposing legislation to close a loophole in ethics laws that has allowed high-level state officials not to report millions in state payments to organizations run by themselves or their spouses.
The governor’s legal counsel said the bill was prompted by a Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting story last week that revealed that between 2003 and 2010 the state paid almost $235 million to such organizations.
Dan Billings, who drafted the legislation, said, “This is a reasonable problem that has a reasonable solution. Particularly in the legislative branch where you have a citizens’ Legislature, you’re going to have people who have these conflicts, but everybody should know about it and then people can act properly and make sure everybody acts properly and makes decisions accordingly.”
Billings added, “But if you don’t have the information, you can’t do that.”
LePage’s bill, whose lead legislative sponsor is Senate President Kevin Raye, R-Perry, would require legislators, executive branch officials and constitutional officers such as the attorney general and secretary of state to disclose if organizations they or family members are affiliated with — as owners or management-level employees — are paid more than $1,000 annually by the state.
Current law only requires that legislators or high-level state employees report state purchases of goods or services worth more than $1,000 directly from the individual legislator or family member, not from a corporation or entity for which the legislator or family member works.
“We’re going to give the Legislature an opportunity to correct this,” said Raye. “I’d be very surprised if this doesn’t pass. What would be the rationale?”
Arn Pearson, vice president for programs at Common Cause in Washington, D.C., called the bill “a good step forward, a huge improvement.” But he also said the legislation should be strengthened to require the disclosure of how much state money had gone to personal interests.
“It would be nice if they would take it one step further and disclose the amount and the purpose,” said Pearson. “I think people would want to know that, if you saw this listed on a disclosure form the first question would be, ‘How much and for what?’”
Raye said the bill only would apply to managerial level employees or owners of companies that got state funding or contracts.
“If you’re the janitor at Company X, it doesn’t include you,” he said.
Among those lawmakers whose organizations received millions of dollars in public funding was Sen. Joseph Brannigan, D-Portland, who was chairman of the Appropriations and Health and Human Services committees during the period when $98 million in public funding went to Shalom House, where Brannigan was executive director.
Brannigan said Thursday that he backed the governor’s proposal to close the disclosure loophole.
“I fully support the effort to look at and update our disclosure laws,” Brannigan said. “The more transparency the better.”
And the state Senate’s No. 2 Democratic leader, Justin Alfond of Portland, said Thursday that he also agreed with the move to tighten the loophole.
“Maine is fortunate to attract many working professionals to serve in our part-time, citizens Legislature. These lawmakers often run successful businesses and nonprofits that sometimes assist Maine people and government,” said Alfond. “Transparency and accountability are paramount in these relationships. I fully support an easy legislative fix as it’s critical to earn and keep the public’s trust.”
LePage’s proposed legislation closes an additional loophole, also documented in the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting story, that has allowed departing legislators and officials to ignore the requirement to file financial disclosures each year if the filing deadline falls after they have left office or state employment. That’s created a situation where prominent lawmakers and regulators, such as former Public Utilities Commission head Kurt Adams, did not have to file a financial disclosure for their last year (or portion of a year) in state government.
The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service based in Hallowell that provides its stories as public service. Email: mainecenter@gmail.com. Web: pinetreewatchdog.org.
“…to close a loophole in ethics laws that has allowed high-level state officials not to report millions in state payments to organizations run by themselves or their spouses.”
I sure hope this extends to include those situations where the person or spouse doesn’t outright “own” the business but profits as a partner in the business ….such as Rep. Jon Hinck voting for every possible pro big wind developer legislation (and against any proposed bill that would try to reign in the free pass these developers are getting in Maine) while his wife Juliet Browne is the lead counsel for virtually all the wind developers in Maine as a partner in Verrill-Dana law firm and as such is raking in millions in fees for her firm.
I do not see the conflict. The said people you rail against are no different than you or I. People are self serving and you can utilize the system in perfectly legal ways to meet your needs. It would seem the information has been disclosed about the people you report above. Now it will be reported again so you will know more? is something illegal or immoral. Once again, I see no conflict.
If there’s “no problem” they won’t have an issue with making the disclosures.
Nobody’s saying they can’t serve in office – but the public deserves to know if a legislator or state official (and/or their spouse) is making more than $1,000 from a given entity in a calendar year.
“””Gov. Paul LePage speaks at a news conference, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011,
at the State House in Augusta, Maine. He said that he’s proposing the
cuts to Medicaid because the state is not taking in enough tax revenues
to continue to support the program.”””
That’s as far as i got in this story.. He has the nerve to say that but he wont raise taxes on the one percent…
Maybe you should read the entire story before you pass judgement on something you haven’t read or understand. Just saying……..
Please tell us who the 1% are and how much you would like to see their taxes raised.
Chellie Pingree and Donald $ussman would make a nice start.
I would Eliot Cutler to the list too.
For crying out loud. Let’s start with a provisional income test for “wealthy people”. Let’s say that to fall into that category you have net earnings of $1 million per year. It doesn’t matter how you earn it. It can be net dividends on all investments, wages, bonuses, and does not include those of a transitory nature such as a wife who inherits the family farm where her inheritance might be considered “income” because for tax purposes his share going into her possession has for years wrongly been considered income.
Do you appreciate that I finally defined a ball park test for wealth. Having wealth is not necessarily the same thing as having a high income. For some, they have unspeakable wealth, the value of their assets is going down, and they are living on the principal or reverse amortization of assets. Everybody I’ve seen get into this question always talks about “income” as if they even know how “income” is defined.
Anyway Hoorah for you!! You can now say that by rich people we mean millionaires who are receiving income through whatever means, of a million dollars per year or more
I would like to see their taxes raised to$50% of their net income. I understand that the majority of Maine millionaires who openly express their opinions on the matter agree with this standard, 50%.
I would start earning …oh, ballpark…maybe 992,0000. Take or take.
Amen, BigwindBigscam. This has been an outrageous manipulation of the system. Look at the millions of tax dollars that have gone to private pocket books with no accountability. Grr-rr.
I think most people would be very happy with this proposal by the Governor.
most people that make more than 50 thousand a year, other than that, He is not being pragmatic at all…..he knows that what he has said , and done, has upset people. What he doesn’t understand that the majority of the House and Senate …depends upon what he thinks, and they aren’t playing well. If I were Kevin Raye, I’d ask for a divorce.
Yes, I’m happy with it and I’m not a LePage fan.
Now how about an ethics bill that would require any elected official to resign for not paying child support, now or in the past?
You dont have to be a fan of someone, just be able to admit that they are doing something right when you see them doing it. Lots of people cant do that.
While I agree child support is an important issue I would have to say passing such bills opens up the door for lots of others like it. Should you have to resign as an elected official for failing to pay your car registration, making tax errors on your returns. What if these things happened over twenty years ago? I may be incorrect but it was not until recently that failure to pay child support had any legal penalties attatched to it I believe.
I can see you got your foot stuck in the honey. “What if these things happened over 20 years ago?” Well, that depends on your political platform. A reasonable person would say that, if just say for example you were caught soliciting a prostitute, not that I know this fact about you, that was a long time ago. The LePage Administration and the Tea Partiers would absolutely cut no slack and would try to take it a whole ball field further. Do you know how to make license plates?
Labels and Generalizations are a tricky thing. I voted for LePage and agree with some of the Tea Party proposals. I however think that there are few among us who have not committed some mistake or done something that we are ashamed of. Understanding, using reason and being forgiving are things we should all be able to do.
George W Bush was got an OUI in Kennebunkport in the Seventies. Most of us only know this or ever came to know about it as it was revealed during his presidential campaign in 2000. Im fairly certain that democrat supporting media or individuals assisted in making that information public.
Once again Gov. LePage provides the great leadership of a non-career politician. He has the common sense and foresight to problem solve much more effectively than previous ME governors.
No, this is not “great leadership”, this is an overlooked maintainence issue that is finally being addressed. If he had the “foresight to problem solve”, the Governor would have addressed it in his campaign two years ago. Then, he would have won by a wider margin.
“this is an overlooked maintainence issue that is finally being addressed”, Key Words = “finally being addressed” ! What do you expect, some kind of miracle ?!?! “Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat !!!
What you are witnessing here is called ” a Prioritasation Matrix.” The Governator II so far is dealing with issues that have been *Discussed,* *Studied* and pretty much been *Colonoscopically Examined* to Death !!!
So, give the guy credit for… read carefully now and don’t be distracted from a very important observation…. *Doing The Job which He Was Elected to Do !!!*
I’m quite sure that when you *attempt* to accomplish a task at home, you do what you determine is the most pressing issue first then re-prioritise as you complets other such tasks, all the while realising that others are watching you and hopefully will *Appreciate* what you have accomplished !
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,”
Have a Great and Wonderful day !!! Peace & Love ;<) 357
Even a blind squirel finds a nut once in a while!
And speaking of nuts, tell me again how we ended up with one for a governor.
a nut? better than a governor without Testicles!aka cutler, and mitchell! well, she probably has some.
Baldacci didn’t find that nut in eight years.
I support the Baldacci’s but I’m biased. I think my bias is justified however because they are good people in that they’ve always treated me very well and the same for everyone I’ve talked to them about.
Having said that I was disappointed with accommodations John E. Baldacci gave to knuckle dragging mouth breathers like you. Because he wanted to reduce the incentive to try to pass bills designed to de-fund the government he lowered taxes, and took funding away from health insurance and wages for Maine State Employees.
I think he assumed best intentions and couldn’t imagine your depravity. He was trying to let the tiger eat his left foot so it would leave him alone. If his mother were still alive I’m sure she’d have snapped him out of it, but alas we are all here for but a season.
You do know what we do with tigers that are trying to eat us?
At least LePage did something about it. And it didn’t take that long. When he saw the problem he acted. Baldacci on the other hand was in office 8 years and did nothing about it either because he was oblivious to it, which means he was incompetent. Or he didn’t see it as a problem which means he was incompetent AND corrupt.
Did you hear about the worm that fell in love with his other end in Dead Earnest? Please limit yourself to one screen name per post. One thing I can guarantee you will be unable to do is outsmart us.
Outsmarting you is no problem at all. Out numbering you is a problem. You’re like lice in Einstein’s hair.
You’ve got a chip on your shoulder. Everyone can see it but you, even your most ardent supporters. “Lice in Einstein’s hair”. This is my own work. I do a lot of that, not trying to scare anybody, While you are cleary focused on outnumbering us we are only focused on moving Maine forward and benefit the people of Maine who’s resources are being stolen through legislation pushed forward by LeTarde.
What if the loop hole provides jobs to Maine citizens. Should you not run for office if you have state contracts? Can it be proven there is a connection? Are people just angry they do not have or understand state contracts? Any concern about the person who reports to be concerned about ethics.
It requires disclosure of those activities to allow the public to see everything, it doesn’t eliminate them. Sheesh… Do people even read the articles before they comment?
Crony Capitalists often get sole source conferences and facilities improvement grants, WINDY HILL FARM has thrived on it’s green reputation, paid for by Baldacci-crats.
Umm, there’s only one ethics violator in the Me. State house, and that would be a republican from York County……And what has ever made you think that he is not above ethics……he lied to people. Ethical my @!!!……he is doing what he does best, saying nothing and making it seem like it’s something. And if Le Page wants to close the loop hole about former members …..then he is not honoring his agreement when he ran about open government. Quite frankly, it’s not up to Le Page, or any governor, what a state rep or state senator can say……after, during, prior to or anything…..he does not get it…..
There are plenty of Dems who use their position on the Legislature to solve the concerns of their legal clients first and bring biz. into their law firm second, and lucky be the citizen who wants them to do something without a retainer fee.
I think we need a five year flush-out of all lawyers in the legislature!
That’s for sure. The former administration would have created a study group, and then a year from now (and $50K later), a committee, which would have deliberated for six months on ways to address the issue.
The LePage administration just gets the job done.
While he is at it he should add Lobbyists groups such as Alec and The Maine Heritage Center to the list of {Legislators} who own buisness interests that are on the recieving end of State Money
But he wont , I am sure!
Those two places receive state money?
No.
I don’t think so. I know that corporations such as the billionaire brothers Koch Industries, and Exxon/Mobil fund ALEC. 98% of it’s money is from corporations and industry; a group that claims that it is the largest membership organization of state legislators. The Maine Heritage gets money from the Libertarian think tank CATO, which makes me quite ill just thinking about it.
Please be more specific. Has Alec and The Maine Heritage Center received any state money or are you just making this up?
How cunning you sound. All over America a Tea Party (GOP Nuevo) underground funding tunnel was created. Relatively many of the GOP criminal politicians involved in this have been or are being prosecuted for campaign finance fraud. That’s not going to stop. Nobody is making this up. Ongoing investigations could be compromised and lives put at risk if we give you further disclosure. But quit making a problem of yourself. I don’t want to remember your name, address, and all that crap when this is over.
You sound like an angry person (” I don’t want to remember your name…”). If so, let go your anger. It can only blur your mind.
Also BIG LABOR or the Unions since there is a law that makes it illegal to work for the State of Maine and not pay union dues. Illegal!! How ignorant is that?
The workers have every right to de certify the Union if so desired.
The union is there because of the majority that voted for it. The minority has to follow the Majority the same as in any democracy that elects representatives to enact laws that we ALL have to follow!
I don’t like some of the laws on the books but I do have to follow them as to do not would be (
(ILLEGAL!)
Get It?
Ya know, that REASONABLE thinking seemed to escape a few legislators in Wisconsin a few months back. Wonder why???
Oh but of course THAT was a different story. It always is. I’m not a fan of PUBLIC unions but as you said, the majority has spoken soooo…
Enough with the left/right nonsense, there’s PLENTY of blame to go around, anyone who believes ONE party is responsible for our country’s problems please don’t vote, you are the problem, not the solution.
I’m talking to what appeared to be a well educated mid twenties young lady that right off the bat compared Dick Chaney to Darth Vader. I asked her why and she couldn’t tell me. She knew very little about the man. Trust me, i’m no fan of Chaney but WHAT THE HECK PEOPLE????? Is this who I want to elect our officials??? Once again, if you can’t see the forest for the trees, please stay home,.
You missed the point. I doubt that it is even constitutional to require an employee to pay union dues in order to work at a particular job. Yet the democrats gave that to the unions for all of the campaign contributions and campaign ads and political support over the years. You can defend it all you want but it still smells.
still smells? who you kidding? it outright fr—-in stinks to the heavens!
How’d you get sucked into this. State employees are NOT required to belong to the union or to pay union dues. They never were and never will be.
How’d you get sucked into this. State employees are NOT required to belong to the union or to pay union dues. They never were and never will be.
And I’m ashamed of you. You’re smart enough to know you’re perpetuating a lie.
There is a national trend to pass right to work laws and end involuntary union membership and having the government collect dues out of a paycheck. I think Maine is going to join these states.
i thought had already.
Why would a pen full of pigs decertify their trough?
just same as obama would not dis own his so called minister, pastor, jeremiah wright! right??! remeber that??
How’d you get sucked into this. State employees are NOT required to belong to the union or to pay union dues. They never were and never will be.
Well, I gotta tell ya Pilgrim, that is as ignorant as I’ve seen. Deliberately misleading people to work them into a froth?? Who does that? Hmmm. Crooks like you.
ALEC is a national association classified as a 501 (C) (3) nonprofit. ALEC currently has more than 2,000 legislative members representing all 50 states, as well as more than 85 members of Congress and 14 sitting or former Governors who are considered alumni.
There are hundreds of similar organizations representing all political viewpoints. If you want to be fair, you’d have to include all of them, and any group that invites legislators to attend ‘free’, i.e. the progressive/liberal thinktanks like the ASPEN INSTITUTE have many corporate non-profit sponsors who provide ‘scholarships’.
There are many husb-wife-partner conflicts among Augusta’s in-crowd; the Governor’s bill is just a start to reducing corporate influence on policy decisions where money is being spent on crony capitalists like Angus King & son; or Totman or???
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alec Read this, you are not pulling any wool over our eyes. And neither is ALEC.
Here’s what your hero is really about. No kidding. I wondered the first time he opened his mouth after he was sworn in if he had a brain tumor or fly larvae eating his frontal lobe. If this is what you want us to know about you, you just go ahead and make it public. You should look at the links first, but only if you are over 18, want to know the truth, and understand that you chose to look at these things. I didn’t make you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5ZvQsP48pQ&feature=related
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/budget/index.shtml
http://pslstrive.org/news
Hero worship is usually the result of blind faith. His supporters are not exactly known for their IQs. I can’t wait ’til they buy the bridge I have for sale in Brooklyn.
Absolutely!
“Your comment must be approved by a moderator before appearing here.
I put together a whole post and this is all I got. When will I learn to copy this stuff from a notepad? They never post your post once they send you this notice.”
You better edit out the first video since it is a devastating critique of Liberal politics…’we have to disregard the Constitution, because it is the nice thing to do’ …thanks for the chuckle.
Around the country most websites have been ripping down this link in blogs and sanctioning those that post it. The best I can do is reiterate that I put a warning in the post directly before the link. The site will not allow me to edit this post. I’ve tried. I was going to delete the link because it would be the nice thing to do.
Keep in mind that he did nothing to address it until it made news headlines across the state. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad it’s being addressed and even feel it should be extended to state employees in a position to influence government spending/purchasing decisions. But I don’t think it required a great deal of common sense and it wasn’t foresight prompting him but instead hindsight which for most people is 20-20….
Yet in 8 years the failed Baldacci regime never addressed it. They must have been too busy keeping an eye on the Maine Turnpike Authori…
Oh, never mind.
non career politician. Thank god, Because he’s going to need a career in a couple of years. This bill is reactionary, and there have been other bills addressing the issue.
Foresight?, if he had foresight then he wouldn’t have had to wait until the article came out. Try to be correct when you post the same thing over and over again.
I’d like to make a report – I know of a high ranking State official who used taxpayer money to hire an immediate family member for a job in his office, despite a complete lack of qualifications or experience. It’s difficult to imagine that a politician who engages in nepotism is going to pretend to worry about ethics.
Good one!
ummm, a 40,000 dollar a year job to his daughter ?!?!
Yes! I remember that too! That dang John F. Kennedy!! Who voted for that guy anyway???
One was a President, the other is a governor, huge difference. The President’s brother had a Harvard Law Degree, he was qualified, and he went after union bosses and organized crime he had experience.
What is good about going after Union Bosses? I’m a Union Boss. I feel totally trashed by almost everybody, and all I’m trying to do is preserve good American jobs with benefits. When did that stop being as American as apple pie? If you guys want to rid America of good jobs with good benefits knock yourselves out. When you’re done none of you will have jobs anyway. Who do you think pays for you? Duh.There won’t be liberal media because there will only be the state media. You will only be given information on a need to know basis, and you will never be deemed to need to know the truth. How fast are you at cleaning a hotel room? Sign Off, over and out.
Uh Hey, wait a minute! You aren’t suggesting the governor’s daughter ain’t purdy as the driven snow, and innocent to boot is yer? Let’s be respectful as Festus and let the woman respond on her own two feet. No Bennetfits or any of that nonesense. I can’t begin to imagine she grew up being raised by this bully without growing some stones. She should take him down with those stones, but probably won’t because she doesn’t want to get involved and can’t be bought.
This will take all the fun out of it…….
how about a law prohibiting you from giving your daughter with no experience a job at taxpayer’s expense when, among 1.3 million other mainers, there has to be someone with more experience
No violation of civil service regulations…change the law if you don’t like it; on the other hand is the scandal of Jack Cashman hiring a relative with zero experience or the union guy whose job with John Richardson(Baldacci hire) was tomake sure the union got a cut out of every economic development project.
Finally, crony capitalism and union corruption is going bye bye!
It is still crooked
We may be going bye bye, but we’ll make danm sure you go first honey. We’re hard working Americans paying our taxes and being um, tax paying hard taxers who sometimes even pay more taxes, I think. Hmmm I give up.
You sound like a surrender monkey with marble mouth…”tax paying hard taxers…” even New Jersey under Gov. Christie would return you.
Great Finally…
I can not see a problem with this, but the bill to keep his shopping list and etc. at the Blaine house secret should not pass. This man is a very sad and desperate individual who will stop at nothing to gain his political agenda, please dont be fooled.
“This man is a very sad and desperate individual who will stop at nothing to gain his political agenda, please dont be fooled.”
*****************************************************************************************
Paul LePage
John Baldacci
Barak Obama
George Bush (1&2)
Yup I think that statement belongs to any politician.
So, two D’s are for this proposal $98,000,000. plus, after the fact. Now, it makes them look good? I don’t think so, anymore that it does Joe Bruno!
Wow, Gov, that sounds too good to be true. And you know what that means. Someone is trying to blow smoke up our ….
How anyone can use the words “Ethics” and “LePage” in the same sentence is incomprehensible.
not for nothing, but you just did…..
If the bill passes, can we go back seven years for the reports?
Sunshine!
The only way the Guv can restore consumer confidence in Hackorama is by eliminating
the current model of Government and start from scratch going back to the original Town Hall Model
where real people generate legislation in real time in the Town Hall taking advantage of the Internet Age.
see
http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2011/10/31/the-american-political-parties-are-breaking-down/
Here’s what your hero is really about. No kidding. I wondered the first time he opened his mouth after he was sworn in if he had a brain tumor or fly larvae eating his frontal lobe. If this is what you want us to know about you, you just go ahead and make it public. You should look at the links first, but only if you are over 18, want to know the truth, and understand that you chose to look at these things. I didn’t make you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/budg…
http://pslstrive.org/news
Yo Mo:
Still using those bath salts suppositories?
What Whisper Stream did you pick up I am a friend of the Guv?
While he is at it he should add Lobbyists groups such as Alec to the list of {Legislators} who own buisness interests that are on the recieving end of State Money!
Gee whiz how come this did not come from MPHC or AFP and instead had to come from an independent like the Maine Center for Public Interest? Guess you better increase your circle of special interest groups Paul. By the way I am very glad this has seen the light of day and seems to include both parties, it looks bad, it smells worse and it’s perception is of padding your own nest.
It’s actually an old COMMON CAUSE campaign; and never got anywhere when the Dem’s ran the State other than discussion groups. I guess it takes Republicans to do what Democrats only talk about.
For far too long, those in powerful positions across this
state have had the ability to create and implement policies which would
directly impact their own pocketbooks.
It’s time to close gaping loopholes like this one in our ethics laws.
Mentioned in the story is Kurt Adams. In August of 2010, while Gov. Baldacci was
still in office, I wrote the following letter to Maine’s Senators before Adams’
confirmation hearing. Adams was confirmed and is currently a Trustee
of our University System.
“Dear Senator;
“It has come to my attention that the Governor has nominated
Kurt Adams of Yarmouth for appointment to the University of Maine System’s
Board of Trustees. Mr. Adams was
formerly Governor Baldacci’s chief counsel, and then served as chairman of
Maine’s Public Utilities Commission.
While still serving in that role, Mr. Adams agreed to take a position as
Vice President of First Wind, an
Industrial Wind Developer trying to get a foot-hold in Maine. Mr. Adams received stock options from First
Wind while still employed by the PUC.
“Although those options were deemed to have no value at the
time; and while First Wind, after being taken to task on the indiscretion
changed their story to say that the dates were wrong (a ‘clerical error’) on
papers filed with the SEC; and while the Attorney General’s Office has accepted
those excuses and decided not to investigate further, I believe that there are
sufficient questions regarding Mr. Adams’ behavior during those months to
preclude him from being considered for a spot on the Board of Directors for
this State’s University system.
“We must avoid all appearance of wrong-doing and conflict of
interest. In addition, I feel that
having an executive from a high-powered industrial wind company on our
University system’s Board of Trustees creates an unfair and biased slant to a
Board which should be just the opposite—fair and impartial to everything but
what is best for the University system and the students it will be
educating. As the Governor
has indicated that he would like to teach in the university system after
leaving office, and he has said he would also like to work in the “renewable
energy” field, I believe this, too, creates a serious conflict of interest if
Mr. Adams gets appointed to the Board.
“Kurt Adams’ nomination to the Board of Trustees should not
be confirmed. I ask that you
vote to deny this nomination. There are
many citizens better qualified for this position who can assume the
responsibility without question of bias or past wrong-doing. Thank you.”
For more
than a year Maine citizens have been asking questions about the stranglehold
the wind industry appears to have on our Legislature. Two of the members of the Energy, Utilities
and Technology Committee (Senator Bartlett and Representative Fitts) were on
the Governor’s Wind Task Force. These
gentlemen also took it upon themselves to interfere without justification or
invitation into the LURC permitting process of Angus King’s Highland project. Rep. Fitts also works for an engineering firm,
Kleinschmidt, which brags on its website, that “we have been very active in the development
of state regulations in Maine, where one of Kleinschmidt’s engineers is a member
of the Governor’s Ocean Energy Task Force.”
Also on
the EUT Committee is Rep. John Hinck, whose wife, Juliet Browne of Verrill Dana,
was on Governor Baldacci’s Wind Task Force, as well. Ms. Browne is the state’s leading attorney
representing numerous wind developers in Maine including Trans-Canada and First
Wind.
An
employee of the Truman National Security Project which espouses the belief that
climate change is a national security threat; EUT Committee member Rep. Cornell
du Houx spends his time on the Committee paying scant attention to the business
at hand.
Often—in fact, every time I’ve been in the EUT Committee room–the
young man can be observed with his eyes fixed to his laptop as he takes cues
from others outside the room instead of respectfully giving his attention to the
other Committee members or citizens who traveled to Augusta to testify. Mr. Du Houx also
serves as Campaign Director of Operation
Free—which lists as its motivational principal to
“get America running on clean energy”. Operation Free’s logo features industrial wind turbines.
Four men on that one
committee appear to have conflicts of interest.
Certainly, Mr. Fitts and Mr. Hinck benefit directly and financially when
wind energy has pride of place in Maine’s energy policy. No, they aren’t receiving state funds—but they
ARE making state policy. Perhaps those ethics laws and rules should
also be revamped, and loopholes tightened.
This new bill is a good
start, and I’m glad Governor LePage is proposing this legislation. Surely, no member of the Legislature can find
fault with this bill.
Respectfully,
Karen Pease
Lexington Twp., ME
If you want to know what your hero LePage is really about and who his friends are you should visit all of these links. But remember that I didn’t make you, you guarantee you are 18 years of age or older, and that you won’t blame me in anyway for making the links to this information available to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5ZvQsP48pQ&feature=related
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/budget/index.shtml
http://pslstrive.org/news
boring……..
Partisan crap from either party isn’t really of any use.
“Partisan crap from either party isn’t really of any use.”
I have to agree with you. The contentious environment and gridlock that result are a colossal waste of time, energy, and money and result in more stress, distrust, and a reduced quality of life for everyone.
The youtube video was the thing that finally made it clear to me what’s happening and the age of horror and human suffering we are entering in America. Of course I’ve read a lot and watched other videos, so it’s not a magic bullet, but for me it was the last straw.
“Surely, no member of the Legislature can find fault with this bill.”
Stacey Fitts might.
Great letter, btw. Spot on.
absolutely, and kooky!!
Karen thanks for posting this and pulling the covers off these moonbats including shuck and jive LePage.
He has more moves than Mr Bojangles.
Please dig deeper into Angus ” Sulpher Stench” King another former Maine Guv
who continues to practice proctology on Maine voters and taxpayers without a medical license.
He is another one of the Wind Farm people trying to cash in on climate change and global warming
which I believe is real I just don’t support the Wind Farm idea when we have a tremendous resource of Tidal Power sitting along our shoreline.
More importantly I would like to see Maine taxpayers build the Tidal Energy facilities
and export energy to other states and use the income to pay off the cost of building the facility
while providing cheap energy to Maine taxpayers.see http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/f-d-r-s-brief-dip-into-tidal-energy/
Climate Change and Peak Oil is real. We needed to deal with the problem in 1973
not 2012. Watch the documentary film about Peak Oil called END OF SUBURBIA and visit the website of Ross Gelbspan, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter who is posting the catastrophic events connected to Global Warming on a daily basis at http://www.heatisonline.org
Ethics? really? And he has a suitcase full of what? I don’t think that he should be propositioning ethics……..that’s almost funny.
I can…..make a list. But the damned thing is, it’s ongoing!
I’ve decided to peruse post as to whether they are worth reading. Nope, nothing here. Booring
People receiving Food Stamps go a step further and sign release forms.
Because, it is already a given that they are receiving the Food Stamps when after they complete the disclosure form(s).
In that way, the program attempts to track the distribution of payments so that the respective household is receiving only the allotted nutritional supplement the program is designed to provide.
If state government followed through and created a system for reporting the distribution of state funds to the earnest interest of state officials.
Then, it would be much simpler to work through the budgeting process as we have all seen so aptly demonstrated this week.
Justin Alfond of Portland states that “Maine is fortunate to attract many working professionals to serve in our part time legislature”… that is nice, but why did all those well qualified reps allow the “expedited wind law” to pass under the hammer without serious discussion or at least doing their homework before letting the scurrilous wind industry write their own laws to destroy the state? Will the nat. gas and nuke industries be allowed the same privilege? How they can continue to sit back and watch our state be blasted and clearcut is beyond me. All wind turbines do is keep coal burning power plants in operation by supplying them REC s so they do not have to reduce emissions. I guess that is OK with the NRCM and Env. Maine too. Meanwhile Maine’s air gets worse and we get trans lines we don’t need and carbon sequestering trees hacked down and not allowed to regenerate. Save our State!!
Would this legislation also prevent you from hiring your own daughter?
Why doesn’t he close the loophole that allows hiring family members?
Guess how much Karen Baldacci and Jack Baldacci got paid by the State?
Wrong is wrong. It should be fixed. Don’t see that the governor’s office really needed a Marden’s cashier, but then maybe it makes the governor more comfortable bullying everyone in sight.
Lepage and ethics are mutually exclusive terms
First report: Justify having your daughter on the state payroll.
(what do you bet he exempts his own office?)
Now Lepage is promoting ethics? Isn’t this the same guy who hired his daughter?
Yes, his college graduate daughter who could have had a lucrative job instead was forced at gun point to accept a $41,000 annual salary. Let’s see, how much does a plumber or electrician make? Roughly about twice that much. LePage needs to treat his own children better than that.
That would be the daughter with zero experience, who got hired into the $41K “entry-level” job, and gets a state vehicle, and meals and lodging and laundry service too, right? Funny, I don’t remember any entry-level job I or anyone I know personally ever got that came with much more than minimum wage and an angry boss.
How much does a bartender make? How much does the Sect. of State make after moved out from behind the bar?
As the governor’s daughter, she is eligible to live in the governor’s mansion. It makes no difference who she works for. Therefore some of the benefits she gets are not part of her job package.
Zero experience you say? Think again. She worked several months for her father’s successful campaign organization, and not as an ashtray cleaner. All in all, not counting the benefits she gets for being the governor’s daughter, she gets no more than our welfare recipients in Maine do for not earning their keep.
Before I forget, she travels statewide as a spokesperson. Maybe that is the reason of the vehicle.
Some liberals will find any reason to malign conservatives, flimsy or not. No wonder government in general is so lousy!
“Several months” experience that early in my work career got me — let’s see — exactly the same salary I had when I started. I got my first raise about a year after I started, and it sure as blazes wasn’t up to 40K.
Show me a welfare recipient who gets over 40K in benefits.
I agree, oh i will be his spokesperson too-i want 41,000 a year, plus get to drive all over Maine and not have to pay gas, and get food/lodging allowance.. wahwell you are right our government in general is so lousy,,,zero-accountability–with benefits like that I want a state job-oy yeah hiring freeze in affect-unless you are a family member or have a special relationship with???
Be thoughtful and brief responding to jemt13 as she has just had a brain tumor removed and will not remember any of this in a few days.
From all reports she’s doing a pretty good job….got any dirt on her yet? still looking eh?
You sound mentally deficient. Did Democrats force you to become mentally deficient or did you cause yourself to be mentally deficient by smoking too many of the spices in your mother’s spice cabinet to see what they would do?
Nepotism is a LePage Family Value.
But at least he is not paying his daughter under the table with taxpayer dollars….
yessah
Hey Penguin, you should be the first one to report that you gave your daughter a job on the state dole.
Go laPage! I am pretty sure that is the first time I have said that.
We should all be grateful to Naomi Schalit, John Christie, Dan Billings and Gov. LePage!
This represents a good start.
Now, how can we prevent wind developers from approaching our state reps, offering to lease some otherwise useless land they own for “planned” materials staging, parking or whatever. Those are huge lease payments that are directly tied to having the wind project successfully permitted. Sometimes the land is never even used for the project! Just a 20 year stream of payments. And in Maine, it’s perfectly legal!!
It’s easy to look at the wind permit applications and see who the land-lessors are. The an online check of the deeds will show exactly who owns the property and when they bought it.
So where’s the list that you have obviously researched, and the links to the documents that prove what you say?
Koch bros, Contribute to Alec, and HeritageFoundation callin them Non Profit Non Partisan — Alec writes model Legislation for Legislators,— Koch Bros own G.P. —- G.P. cuts deal with State of Maine to take landfill liability–State tells Tax Payers that they are saving Jobs,
G.P. goes Bankrupt,, Koch Bros Sell machinery –layoff Workers– Takes the Money and Run.
Koch Bros have just
Privatised Profits —Socialised Losses
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2012/01/11/politics/taxpayers-spending-millions-on-old-town-mill-that-keeps-on-polluting/
Bangor daily
Your a joke. I don’t care who you vote for. Please don’t vote.
While we’re on the subject of ethics, and in the interest of disclosure, why not post LePage’s
‘Secret Bankers’ and major PAC contributors ?
Just for fun, read the full Portland Phoenix article from last January:
***
Drug Industry $760K
For Profit Social Services Companies and Consultants ie Medicaid/Health Reform etc 143K
The Prison Firm 25K
Military Contractors 201K
The Bottled Drinks Association 104k
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce (???) 225K
Everyone Else Chipped in $361,000
A couple dozen more companies, big and small, also donated to the PAC, including the Arkansas nursing-care company GGNSC ADMINISTRATIVE PARTNERS ($5000), COMCAST ($50,000), and offshore oil-services firm ALLIANCE MARINE SERVICES of Galliano, Louisiana ($25,000).
Will these firms get what they want from the LePage administration and the Republican legislature? Time will tell. But if they don’t, some of them may not be so generous the next time around.
Read more: http://portland.thephoenix.com/news/114354-lepages-secret-bankers/#ixzz1jM0Ofjhd
Did you read it :
“Their industry association —PHRMA — has since maintained a squad of lobbyists in Augusta, led by former Democratic Party chairman (and Baldacci cousin) Jim Mitchell, who collected $19,000 in lobbying fees from them last year alone”
“Like PhRMA, Tennessee-based CCA has for years retained the services of corporate lobbyist Jim Mitchell, paying him $23,000 in 2009 to influence the state’s biannual corrections budget
OH REALLY!…..MMM ….MMM….MMMMM
I most certainly did, did you?
I’m not sure what your point is, however, f you’re waiting for me defend pharmaceutical industry lobbyists, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.
Read on. Medicaid/Health Care/Medical Insurance Reform is big business and the people profiting are from out of state, by and large.
Everybody’s doing it…
… except Mainers!
Another proposal from our Governor which makes complete sense. He has done more to help us than any governor since Longley. Go get ’em Gov!
Lots of lackies gonna be upset at this one.
YOU JUST PULLED A RESPONSE THAT HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING QUESTIONABLE. THE WAY YOU RUN THIS SITE IS SO RANDOM, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE THINKING YOU APPEAR TO BE A GROUP BEHIND THE TIMES, HALF WITS, THAT CAN’T GET ANY FURTHER UP THE LADDER THEN A POSITION WITH A MEDIOCRE, SELF IMPORTANT PAPER LIKE THE BDN. ARE YOU AWARE THAT BRAGGING RIGHTS TO THE SECOND BIGGEST PAPER IN A STATE OF A MILLION, IN A COUNTRY OF OVER THREE HUNDRED MILLION IS KINDA LIKE HAVING THE SECOND BIGGEST COOL AID STAND IN LAMOINE. GO BACK TO YOUR JOBS AT THE STAR HERALD AND REPUBLICAN
Here’s an ethics bill…How about NO business between lawmakers and their families (and hidden representatives) and the state because it is a CONFLICT OF INTEREST???
What do you think the whole article was about?
Something is terribly wrong when there is the need to legislate ethical behavior from our lawmakers….Crazy….
Is Mistah Speakah on board with this one?
“LePage ethics…” Never thought I’d see those two words in the same headline. Is BDN trying to create the most fitting oxymoron of the year?
Ironic, Ethics from LePage? He is the most unethical person in Maine. Lies just Lies, where are the JOBS you Promised, LePage.
Wise move by the governor, even if it took some prodding. Hardly a reason for deification, though.
Name calling again? Got anything else to amuse yourself?
And who put together DIRIGO for Baldacci? Mathematica and Boston University’s school of public health. If you were smarter and better educated, he would have hired you???
A few years ago someone tracked $32m in contracts went to out of state companies; and they noted kickbacks into Dem. campaign funds….
There’s a method to this madness….and it’s how the DEM’s and a few R’s get their campaigns funded. Check the out of state transfers in campaign finance reports. Where do you think this money came from?