The governor of a state should never blackmail the people of one small town. But that’s exactly what Gov. Paul LePage is doing to my town of Millinocket. It has become a high-stakes game of chicken that must end.
Last year, the state agreed to acquire the Dolby landfill as part of an effort to revive two closed mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket. For those of us who live here, we see first-hand how the landfill is a liability. Without state intervention, our towns would have had very difficult time finding a new buyer for the mills.
To his credit, Gov. LePage did the right thing by the people of our towns. His administration agreed to purchase the landfill, giving us a real shot at new economic development. It was a difficult choice. But bringing good jobs back to this region was critical — and it was the right role for the state.
Now all of that goodwill — and promise of economic development — is in jeopardy.
As part of the deal for the state to purchase the landfill, the two towns agreed to make a one-time $50,000 payment to the state and to offer in-kind services to maintain the landfill, while the state would contribute $150,000 per year.
The governor says the town agreed to make the payments each year. We disagree.
Now, he’s withholding $216,000 in economic aid slated for Millinocket schools. Without that money, our schools will face tough choices. We could lose our teachers and then our accreditation.
The governor’s high-stakes game of chicken comes at the expense of our schoolchildren. Holding education hostage in the hopes of getting our town to cough up money we don’t have — and never promised — won’t help any. We should be working toward a solution and the governor should release Millinocket’s money.
Some say it’s a misunderstanding over a handshake agreement; others have had harsher words. We can play the blame game, but that’s not going to solve any problems or put anybody back to work.
The fact is the landfill and the school funding are two completely separate issues. Withholding the money is illegal. The money is supposed to be given to municipalities that suffer severe tax valuation losses, such as those caused by the devaluation of the two towns’ paper mills. The devaluation and the state assumption of ownership of the landfill last spring were key to the sale of the two mills and the restart of the East Millinocket mill, which restored hundreds of jobs.
After everything the town of Millinocket has been through, and after the governor was instrumental in negotiating the purchase of the mills, we never expected to be thrown over a barrel by Augusta.
What’s happening to us is simply wrong. All of the cities and towns in our state should take notice and be warned.
This may only be happening in Millinocket now, but who can guarantee it won’t happen in any other small town in our state? We depend on the state and our residents pay their fair share in taxes to Augusta.
I’m working with local officials to find another avenue of funding. I sponsored a bill that would provide $250,000 starting July 1 for the operation of the landfill. The bill passed its first legislative hurdle last month, receiving bipartisan support from both the Senate and the House. Now we need the Appropriations Committee to approve the funding when the Legislature is scheduled to reconvene in May.
If the governor wants to restore the goodwill he first gained from helping to save the mills, he can begin to do that by supporting this bill.
For the people of Millinocket and East Millinocket, let’s just hope he doesn’t up the ante with a veto.
Herb Clark, D-Millinocket, represents District 10 in the Maine House of Representatives.
LePage is an awful governor. Not necessarily due to party affiliation or policy, but his personality. LePage needs to learn that negotiation isn’t just pass my budget or agree to what I say otherwise I will shut down the schools or other agencies. That is not how you govern that is how a 5 year gets a toy back from another 5 year old. LePage needs to realize that his “style” is less political maverick and more poor governorship. Saying what you want without filters is great with a circle of friends, but not when a state or town’s budget/livelihood hangs in the balance. I’m surprised he didn’t close the state borders until the “open for business” sign was returned.
As Alice of Wonderland tea party fame said, things are getting, “curiouser and curiouser”.
As if he were U.S. President and Millinocket was an enemy nation like Iran or Syria, Mr. LePage threatens one of the towns he swore to serve with sanctions. Money appropriated for this town’s children will be impounded, he says, unless Millinocket voters decide to change their ways and do what he wants.
Aside from the questionable legality of such sanctions, I wonder, is this a governor or a Mad Hatter?
Paul LePage is a good governor, a world better than the last two crooks. The problem with some is that they see Paul’s unpolished mannerisms and rough exterior as a “bad” attribute. The fact is, the years of liberal law making has left our state the worst place in the country to do business. The election of Governor LePage was actually a knee jerk reaction to the years of liberal laws and regulations that made it impossible to do anything, and are a direct cause of the mass corporate exodus out of Maine.
That said, even with the afore mentioned comment, I think the world of Herbie, but I think he is doing nothing but hurting Millinocket by putting out such a opinion piece. If Herbie really had the best interest of the town in mind, he would be working to mend fences and not fueling the fire of economic despair.
When Millinocket goes broke u could always SEND YOUR KIDS TO EAST MILLINOCKET!!!!
You are kidding, there school board won’t even let the Chair to the Selectmen speak. Your Supt. and School Board Chairman have things locked up tighter than a drum I think. Why do you want our students to pull you out of the 3.2 – 7 million you need to fix Schenck?
Don’t forget, when schools lose LePage wins. Weakening public schools and the perception thereof is one of the tactical moves that underpins the assault on our foundational institutions. If Millinocket schools suffer, his plans for diverting money to private and religious schools gains credence. We must remain focused and vigilant. The objective is clear, privatize everything and make no allowances for accountability. Profit is the motive behind all of this. Hostage taking is just a tactic. The distraction his comments cause shields the dismantling of the commons and the attack on workers rights and paychecks.
I think we should all laugh the next time this blowhard says “we must put students first”.
Either Clark or LePage is lying. Did the two towns agree to paying $50,000 per year towards the landfill? This is not a lot of money, especially for the towns to dump their problem on the state for a one time payment. I spoke with East Millinocket officials who say they are obligated. Who is lying?
That jives with what I was told by a Millinocket resident. They knew they were supposed to pay.
Last month East Millinocket came out in the BDN supporting Millinocket, stating that they understood it / agreed to a one time payment.
Thanks then why did the East make a second payment?
Because,as you well assume, they knew they owed it.
An East Mill selectman told me, yes, the agreement was for yearly payments. Conlogue, I believe, is trying to demonize LePage. Remember, this is the Katahdin region’s problem and LePage was trying to help restart the mills. Next time state officials may tell Millinocket to fly a kite.
Thanks. Thought so.
I thought according to what Scally said in the BDN there was no agreement to pay $50,000 each year?
I did not have any conversation with Mark Scally
It is my understanding that East Millinocket made the same agreement and is fulfilling its obligation. Can anyone tell me if this is accurate or not?
“who can guarantee it won’t happen in any other small town in our state?”
Some people will understand what this means, and others won’t. LePage depends on his supporters being unable to imagine that he will ever wrong THEM. They figure it will always just be other people who suffer. And of course other people’s suffering doesn’t matter to them.
So, why doesn’t the BDN send a reporter (or even a journalist if they don’t have a reporter available) up to East Millinocket to ask them what the deal was? Or make a phone call, if the BDN’s management is too cheap….
BDN politicizes news today hoping to sell more papers. The truth is irrelevant.
Shocking!
yawn
Search the articles on East Millinocket and you will see what they said.
How often do the representatives (and voters) of towns such as Millinocket complain and whine when appropriations, perceived by them to be too liberal, going to cities such as Lewiston, Bangor and Portland? Herb (Millinocket ), pay your ‘matching’ funds for your town’s acceptance of a state handout and get on with managing Millinocket out of its spiral into oblivion.
Usually this stuff gets written down into AN AGREEMENT.
That way, there’s no dispute about what was AGREED upon.
duh
you are so smart—————-east millinocket should have hired you and they would not have made the second year’s payment which millinocket is crying about and refusing to pay. figure it out.
I think that Millinocket’s council meetings are taped by the local cable access tv station. If that is correct then the council meeting about this agreement between Lepage and the town council should be varifiable !
Anything to get the screaming liberal crackpot – Clark’s name in the paper. What a waste of good food.
The retirees of Millinocket sure know what it means when the Town of Millinocket gives its word. That was mroe than simply wrong.
It is going to be more interesting when all of it comes out on the sudden and sever impact money. The town keeps stirring the pot.