AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage’s office is firing back at a group of mayors who expressed disappointment with the governor’s line-item veto to general assistance welfare funding.
The coalition of mayors from Maine’s largest cities released a statement on Wednesday saying that if the vetoes hold up, the municipalities would have to “raise taxes to cover the state’s obligation.”
The mayors came together in March to raise concerns about the governor’s proposed changes to general assistance, which, they argued in their release, “would have shifted millions of dollars in costs from the state to local property taxpayers.”
The group includes Mayors Michael Brennan of Portland, Karen Heck of Waterville, Colleen Hilton of Westbrook, Mark Johnston of Saco, Robert Macdonald of Lewiston, William Stokes of Augusta, Cary Weston of Bangor, Alan Casavant of Biddeford, Patti Smith of South Portland and Jonathan LaBonte of Auburn.
LePage countered on Thursday, releasing a statement that said the state has offered municipalities flexibility in the design of their general assistance programs, and that they could redesign their programs to reduce the burden on local government and taxpayers.
“The mayors’ assertion that the proposed welfare changes will shift millions of dollars in costs from the state to local property taxpayers is a local choice,” LePage said in his statement.
“While general assistance is a state and local partnership, the current path we are on is unaffordable at both levels of government,” LePage wrote, adding that state spending on the program was projected to hit $14.3 million by 2013 — more than double what it cost in 2008.
“I am looking at a way to sustain our welfare programs for Maine’s most needy,” LePage said.
Brennan argued that general assistance is governed by state statute and that municipalities are bound by those statutes, so general assistance isn’t a matter of local control.
“When the governor says these are local decisions, I find that puzzling,” Brennan said in a telephone interview Friday. He said the growth in general assistance needs in Portland and across the state has been driven by the economic struggles of the past five years.
“We do everything we can in Portland to run an effective, well managed and efficient program within state guidelines,” Brennan said.
Macdonald said Friday that he was torn over the general assistance issue.
“As mayor of Lewiston, it’s my duty to do everything I can to keep the taxes down, and this welfare mess is probably really going to hurt us,” Macdonald said.
But as a citizen, he said he is 100 percent behind LePage and recognizes a need for reform of a welfare system that’s “running amok in the state.”
Macdonald and Brennan also questioned a block grant proposal that would allow municipalities to limit or opt out of the general assistance program. They argued that if one community opted out, residents would be driven to surrounding municipalities for aid, compounding the problems of the communities that still have general assistance.
LePage said that during his time as Waterville’s mayor, he was able to lower general assistance costs through efficient management practices and with the understanding that the program was meant to provide immediate, short-term assistance.
Heck, Waterville’s mayor, said conversations with municipal employees revealed that LePage cut costs by reducing general assistance staff hours. She argued that tactic also would have reduced residents’ access to the program.
She said the cuts to general assistance were part of a longstanding “war on poor people.”
Brennan said the mayors support LD 1903, a “bipartisan compromise” that would reduce maximum benefit levels by 10 percent, reduce reimbursement for municipalities with high general assistance burdens from 90 percent to 85 percent, create a pilot project to help general assistance recipients applying for Social Security and disability insurance and implement a study process to develop long-term improvements to the program.
Weston, chairman of the Bangor City Council, did not return a call requesting comment on Friday. The council discussed how to handle the general assistance cuts during a budget workshop Thursday night.
I agree with you Governor, poor folk should just go die. That would be best for those who want to save money. (We should not, of course, bring up either your daughter or your brother-in-law.)
So what the fool behind the door is saying is towns can redesign their own general assistance, the cuts he is making will put a burden on towns/cities, so for it to be less of a burden to them and without raising taxes as this seems to be the number one concern would be to redesign themselves with, more cuts, while LePage is basically saying If you want to help the poor raise your taxes, otherwise have a great day, so the state and the cities at the end of the day make a double cut.
LePage has money now, he has the power to hire his family and help them first, not his obligation to help the state.
Towns and cities can reduce tax burdens by holding the line on wage increases; cutting positions where possible, and requiring more from employees in contributions for health and other benefits.
Almost every municipality’s budget is 80%+ salaries and benefits. Same for county and school budgets. In general, those salaries and benefits are larger than what a private sector worker could expect to make for a similar position. It’s time for every one of our municipalities, and other government entities, to hold the line on salary and wage increases, and to require more in benefit contributions from all employees.
In this manner, cities and towns can absorb the reductions in General Assistance monies from the state.
Could you please back up your claims with actual facts or I will assume that they are compiled from your usual “fact factory” over at the Maine Heritage Policy Center. Besides, your line of thinking is so linear and out-dated that you never bring anything original to the table in the area of reducing costs. Here’s one, why not axe all of the wonderful tax cuts your boy gave to Maine’s wealthiest citizens and expect them to contribute like everyone else UNTIL the economy improves for everyone, not just a few.
“why not axe allof your tax cuts your boy gave to Maine’s wealthiest citizens”. Typical Liberal using class warfare. Let’s tax the rich the ones who are the job creators. But refuses to realize when you tax one group usually everyone gets hit with taxes. Just as been the way of life under MAINE DEMOCRATS. They would rather have everyone be nailed to the point we all end up being bankrupt and jumping onto the WELFARE WAGON. That way we all can become powerless and dependent on government for everything. It’s funny that Liberals want to tax the job creators . So the stupid inferior goofy President aka the Community Welfare Organizer/Bum (OBAMA) and Maine Democrats can go give more bailouts to Liberal contributors and voting block to buy votes to keep them in power. Just ask Chellie Pingree’s Ultra-Wealthy Multi-Billionaire Wall Street Hedegefund Hubby Donnie Sussman how much he loves his Hundreds of Millions in taxpayer funded Wall Street Bailouts he got. Democrats show why they have so much hate by Working Folks here in Maine and across America. If you don’t go and support lock stock and barrel their agenda you are hateful, mean and are against who continue to live off of our tax dollars.
I am sick of hearing Lemmings who can’t think for themselves, repeating this absurdity. In the last forty years the bottom 80% of wage earners have lost real income inflation adjusted. In that same period the top 1% has quadrupled their income. All during that period your so-called job creators destroyed millions of jobs. You are peddling lies except for the class warfare, but it is not poor people who are waging it, but the 1%.
It is comical how Naran and her minions can blindly accept raised property taxes and try to deflect this anathema to their belief system by saying Municipalities are carrying too much weight in employee wages and benefits. Her lame attempts at deflection are just that, lame. So pay no mind to her as she just does as she’s told like a good little troll.
You are forgetting that Naran resides in Kennebunk. The place is just seething with economically challenged unfortunates. I’m surprised she just simply hasn’t said “let them eat cake.”
You are wrong. Public sector workers make less than the private sector whrn you look at each job compared to similiar jobs in the private sector. This has been proven in study after study.
I happen to know for a fact that quite a few small town clerks and employees (I used to work with many Maine town clerks personally) make at or near minimum wae with no or little benefits. They also pay a higher percentage of their income for their retirement than do private sector employees already.
Really what study is that the Socialist Maine Center for Economic Policy which also claims Welfare as economic growth in Maine. Because most State Workers are doing better than Private Sector workers. Most of the private sector workers we have had to take pay cuts, schedule changes to keep our jobs going. While those who work in Augusta just started having their pay frozen after decades of huge pay increases. They are barking because the free lunch is over that common sense has arrived. Liberals think we can continue down this path of unlimited spending, zero checks and balances, no accountability in Augusta while everyone else has no pay increases that Augusta should be exempt.
There are multiple studies that prove that public sector workers earn less then their private sector counterparts.
Find me one study that says the opposite. Oh, and provide a link please.
Private sector compensation is still higher than public sector, but the way things are going sooner or later they, just like labor before them, will be giving back money to their overlords until they also will be below a living wage. Who wants a race to the bottom?
“While those who work in Augusta just started having their pay frozen after decades of huge pay increases.”
You’re wrong about decades of huge pay increases for State employees. From 1982 until today, there have never been increases that exceeded 3% per year and in many of those years there were smaller or no pay increases.
If you’re so wrong about this issue, I wonder what else you’re wrong about.
The towns give money to charities! This is tax payer money and is to be used for running the town not for welfare. I have helped out friends many times the way Mainers always have. But by CHOICE. Taking for those who work and GIVING to those who do not is wrong. Please tell me where in Maine poor folks are dying? I knwo of no Mainers who woudl allow a neighbor to die without helping any way they can.
So you actually have to be DYING before fellow Mainers will HELP OUT. How about just hungry? Homeless? Sick? Victim(s) of domestic abuse?
I have helped people with all four of you listing before any of my taxes was taking out. You got anymore examples?
Good for you but voluntary contributions are not enough to help all the people that need help, especially when the economy is a bad as it is now.
There are people who suffer from mental illness, have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, have been stricken with tragedy and illness, etc. You are obviously from the crowd that does not understand a thing about the complex nature of society and humanity, and wants to go back to the days of breadlines, orphanages, and the world of Oliver Twist. If you call yourself a Christian, you have just said things in your post that would make Jesus Christ sick to his stomach. But then again that is par for the course for right wingers who talk about loving god and Jesus and then spend every waking moment saying and doing things that would make Jesus Christ throw up forever. PS: General Assistance is provided by MAINE LAW. And don’t worry, your unholy buddy LeBUFFOON and the TeaFOOL party are going to take a serious beating at the voting booth come November. Bank on it.
First off I am a jew..
That said I will tell you how one cares for the sick or those that need it. Just like I did. My father getting up in years was told by doctors where he was he needed to be in assisted living I got a mobile home had a spot prepared on my property and went to his place down south rented a truck and moved him and all his stuff here. I used no federal funding no welfare and the fed and Maine gov was not involved in any way. Yes it can be done. When I was still running my trucking business I donated the transportation costs for about 60 loads a year of donated food and household items. You do not know me nor what I do or have done. So before you start spouting your “Christian” values remember the one that says you shoudl not judge others!
People help others. It is not the governments role to do so even less so with taxpayer monies.
Aww, c’mon. “Come to blows,” still means a fistfight no matter how badly used the language has become.
Don’t worry Mayors, help is on the way come November when we return the legislature, by large margins, to the Democrats who will return reason and Maine values to Maine government and will overturn every sleazy rotten veto LeBUFFOON tries to issue. The guy is a world class jerk, and he will go down in history as the worst excuse for a governor this state has ever had. He hires his own daughter and brother in law for state jobs and then attacks the poorest among us. LePage is a sleazebag. Plain and simple.
The politicians can fight among themselves until the cows come home. This fight won’t be setteled until as you correctly point out, November when the voters nail every GOP/Tea Party member up for re-election hides to the door. Perhaps a better place hang em up would be in the Labor Department where the people’s mural used to be. Won’t that make Paulie happy for the next two years!
You and Tinserblic should enroll in our party.
Well, the good news is, he is one term governor!!!!!!!!!!!!!
… and will be a complete lame duck who can’t implement anything in just a few months.
He will even ln veto such thoughts:)
.. and because the Republicans have recently acted in such extreme bad faith in our legislature (like secret anonymous polls to decide not to perform their constitutional duties!), the Democrats may well end up with a veto proof majority so that they can override any veto and make changes to laws without the governor’s signature.
We need to stop subsidizing the welfare of the big cities. It is hard enough for the rural areas of the state to survive financially with out supporting the charitable giveaways the big cities of the state offer with their generous handouts. This is exactly what is being done. The rural areas of the state are subsidizing the welfare of the big cities. Time for the cities to pay for their own, and not depend on places like Pembroke, Meddybemps, Carroll, Ashland, Coburn Gore, to support the welfare of the large cities in Maine.
I believe most rural residents with actual jobs work in the “big cities” in Maine. How else would you explain Bangor traffic in a town of just about 30,000 people?
Coming from a rural area myself, I think we would regret any decision to have the state stop “subsidizing” one place with tax money from another place. I think most of the time rural areas get more money than they pay in. We definitely wouldn’t be able to operate our schools completely on our own.
Why don’t you bring a law suit agence the state than ?
that’s crazy. The cities subsidize the rural areas of this state. Do you have kids? In school? What’s the cost to educate your two kids – 21K a year? Do you pay that in property taxes to your town? Hm…i bet most of the cost comes from teh state. And where does the state get it? Mostly from the cities and immediate suburbs.
And beyond that, where do your poor/drug-addicted/homeless go? They leave your town and go to wehre the services are…so be careful what you wish for.
Schoonerdog, I encourage you to build everything you need in your rural communities. Until then, you wreck our roads every time you drive into town and my tax dollars fix them for you. Your children attend some of our public schools and definitely attend our colleges and universities.
And if you want to get technical, the high wage earners in the cities and their suburbs often subsidize your school districts. Try getting by without revenue sharing, enjoy your sixty-kid classrooms.
Mayor Heck is right, it’s a war against poor people. It was “class warfare” long before the poor started fighting back.
Until free trade is reformed into fair trade Americas debt will continue to climb poverty will become more common than sliced bread. Thus increasing the crime levels to a point where it probably won’t be safe to leave your home. Home invasions will become a normal event,and the rich will become the main target of criminals. America needs to put Americans back to work ASAP or become a country like Somalia with pirates on the land and the sea. The U.S. government has turned this once great country into a land of people living in desperation to which will only create ruthless criminals.
Lepage’s focus on those programs which would help the poor and needy among us reminds me of Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol”.
‘Are there no prisons?”
‘Plenty of prisons,’ said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.
‘And the Union workhouses.’ demanded Scrooge. ‘Are they still in operation?’
‘Both very busy, sir.’
‘Oh. I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course,’ said Scrooge. ‘I’m very glad to hear it.’ …. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned-they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there.’
‘Many can’t go there; and many would rather die.’
‘If they would rather die,’ said Scrooge, ‘they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
Heck, Waterville mayor said the war on the poor, that’s not true it the” war on the lazy”. The way it is now why work when the state will take care of me. Maine has lost it’s pride….
typical crap on comments , bashing Lepage … I don’t care for him, but here is what I see as a landlord close to the city of Portland. I have 3 good sized apartments (2000sq-ft) 4 bedrooms ,3 floors in Biddeford Maine . The welfare system is bloated as it has become a housing system. and here are my 2 eye openers.
1. the city of Portland contacted me in October in response to an ad I had placed to look for renters. they wanted my 3rd floor for a family of 11 Somalians who were new to the country and knew little English. They offered to double my security deposit as their history wasn’t re-searchable and said they also had a section 8 voucher, public assistance and tanif. All their income was from the state , utilities would be paid, while they acclimated to our country and learned English and become citizens . the city set it all up. Its a form of income for them (portland), they get to tax the landlord, absorb the moneys paid to these people locally, local businesses make money, and after these people get educated and get jobs..guess what ? the city has a new taxpayer. So ya the big cities squeal like a pig when the monies are threatened. the Only reason they called me was I had a unit that was barely big enough for this family. I did not take the offer as I could not put 11 people over 2 of my best tenants.
2. My Sanford units had the pleasure of getting assistance for a single mom setting up a new address.. Sanford assistance paid most of her first months rent (1050.00) and she then got section 8 housing to cover her rental expenses, the had a funded debit card for food and was receiving monies to feed and house her 2 kids. I was glad to have her on board she seemed like a great person and needed a chance to have a nice place and start over, 3 bed/2 baths . once the dust settled and she was stable, about 3 months in I noticed another car in the yard, new with Maine Medical sticker on window. when I called to inquire about the extra car there, to make sure she didn’t sub-let the apt without prior approval- I was informed that it was the kids father and he was living there. I got his name and info for background check (standard for all living there) and He comes back with excellent credit and he works in the hospital(NOT a janitor!) and made over 43000 a year. seriously Maine, why are we supporting these people. they play the game and I do my best but I can’t do your job for you. they are no longer there , if they were I wouldn’t be writing this. probably find a way to sue me for something.
now I know people hate Lepage, and make it their life to see him go..how about putting some of that energy toward stopping this kind of abuse, It’s not all lies..I see it everyday. I try to put a stop to it and have done whatever possible to make sure it doesn’t happen in any of my units as far as the law allows. but EVERYONE , should do their part. towns and cities have a limited resource, US TAXPAYERS, and a seemingly unlimited demand for that resource. the mayors cry foul, need to raise taxes blah blah..no they don’t they just need to use what they have more wisely to help people ,not themselves.
I’m on a iPhone so punctuation/spelling police…stick it!!
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Some of us see welfare abuse when we shop at Walmart. I see a workforce that is grossly underpaid and compenated. Poor and middle class people working full time for wages that can’t support a family.We will get more of the same with LePage the next few years. He wants everyone working but at oversea wages that continue to make them eligible for public assistance. He is a sick man and couldn’t live a day on the wages a full time Walmart employee makes a week. He’s living high off the hog and was even living good back in the days when he couldn’t get any of his family to work, ya off the backbone of taxpayers. He ain’t got the brains that God gave a knat!!
LePage is right on this issue as he has been on others, like MPBN. Read this…http://wot7.com/?p=14.
Welfare should be administered on the municipal level, all of it. Read this…http://wot7.com/?p=121.
Administered maybe, funded no. We are all in this together. These are our families and friends we are talking about. We can not allow Maine to become Alabama or Arkansas.
The problem with that my friend is that people gravitate to where the services are. If they become homeless in Lincoln, the go to Bangor. In fact, from Greenville to Macwahoc, and Bucksport to the Allagash all go to Bangor for Assistance. In southern Maine the same holds true. From Rockland to Kittery to Windham end up in Portland, from Denmark to Augusta end up in Lewiston. The major population centers absorb the GA of other communities because there is no work, no options, no possibilities. Think big K.H., not micro.
Just imagine if the “poor people” have to go to work and actually do something besides sit behind a computer and spew their venom.
Who do you think pays the bills when the State is paying ?? Why would some small rural town want to contribute to the low-lifers in Bangor ?? Nope, we’ll take care of our own. You do likewise.
Please show some respect for our Governor. I think we are very fortunate to have someone work as hard as he does to straighten out this mess !! Keep up the good work, Gov. LePage … We appreciate you !!
LOL, your comment is absolutely the most delusional one I’ve read so far. I can see you now outside looking up waiting for it to snow so you can kick a snowflake.
I am from Maine. I love Maine. God blessed Maine. Some people are trying to change Maine. Make it a place of spite, hate, and greed. They bring a river of change. But Maine has an ocean of history. A good history of kindness, love, and generosity. We have always taken care of our own. We always will. We choose to. While always poor, we have never been poor in spirit. The river flows to the ocean, and then the river is no more.
Very nice Tom. Very nice. “The superior man is the providence of the inferior. He is eyes for the
blind, strength for the weak, and a shield for the defenseless. He
stands erect by bending above the fallen. He rises by lifting others.”
Robert Green Ingersoll
Exactly so. I try to live by that. I have been blessed with many gifts, and I have no trouble using those gifts to help those who through no fault of their own were not blessed the way I was.
Nice!
What happened to the poor farm that used to be on lower Main St?
I love it when the connies use the phrase “job creators”…..are you kidding me…..get off the juice and pull your head out of it….with unemployment up….where are all the jobs???? Stop with the shop talk and start looking are what is really happening…..jump ship before it goes to the bottom….the rats are usually the ones to go first anyway