Municipal Officials Statewide Come Out for 1B

Say MMA proposal will cause state fiscal crisis

AUGUSTA, Maine (October 29, 2003) - A group of elected municipal and county officials from across the state came out against the Maine Municipal Association's 1A initiative on the Nov. 4 ballot, saying the proposal is a "gun pointed at the head of the Maine economy and the state budget."

George N. Campbell, Jr., former Mayor of Portland, and other leaders made the announcement at a press conference Wednesday morning in Augusta. The group, joined by representatives of Mainers for Real and Responsible Property Tax Relief, urged a Yes vote on 1B.

Campbell said, "1B is a demonstration of the way we expect municipal and state leaders to work together to address the burden of high property taxes. Question 1A is a gun pointed at the head of the Maine economy, forcing the Legislature to immediately come up with $246 million in one year after already reducing state expenditures in that same year by $600 million. 1A is irresponsible and not what we should expect from elected municipal leaders who must work with elected state officials, not with threats but with proposed solutions. 1A isn't a solution, it's a threat."

William Dowling, Mayor of Augusta, said he is supporting 1B "as the fiscally prudent answer to increasing state support for local education. As the city that hosts state government, it is not in my city's interest to force the state into fiscal calamity. State government is Augusta's largest employer. Imagine the headlines if another city's largest employer was facing a similar fiscal challenge. State government isn't going to close its doors and move to foreign shores where labor is cheaper, but if the Governor and the Legislature are forced to immediately come up with $246 million in reduced state services in just one fiscal year, Augusta residents are going to lose their jobs. As Mayor, that concerns me greatly. Our area newspaper, the Kennebec Journal, has endorsed 1B, calling it the best option. I agree and will be voting for 1B."

Wesley Kieltyka, representing the Kennebec County Commissioners, said, "As a county commissioner, I am always mindful of the burden county governments place on local property taxes to support county programs and services. If the state cannot increase its support of county jails, as just one example that is very real, that burden on the property tax is only going to increase. Question 1A will absorb every vital penny of state revenues, leaving nothing to help us address the other very real challenges the state faces. Question 1B will increase aid to education AND provide some hope that other demands facing the property tax can also be addressed."

Dan Tremble, a city councilor from Bangor, represented the Bangor City Council, which recently voted 7-2 to support Question 1B. Tremble referred to the endorsement of Question 1B by the Bangor Daily News, saying, "The Bangor Daily News has endorsed Question 1B and calls it a better plan that 1A. Seven of my colleagues on the Bangor council agree and will be supporting 1B as a demonstration of the commitment elected municipal leaders have to working with elected state leaders together to tackle the issues that confront the public we all represent and serve."

Also, Brian Rines, Mayor of Gardiner, reiterated his earlier public support of 1B, saying, "I continue to view Question 1B as the preferred fiscal policy, preferred education policy, and preferred tax relief policy."

James Long, Chairman of the Old Orchard Beach Town Council, said that "arguing for property tax relief NOW, as the proponents of 1A are doing, ignores the fiscal dilemma that will face municipalities such as Old Orchard Beach if the state must raise the sales tax to provide for that property tax relief. The property tax will become more burdensome in Old Orchard Beach if people's livelihoods are threatened because of a volatile and increasing state sales tax. Funding for K-12 education is an important area of state and local cooperation, but it's not the only function of state government that affects the challenges I face as an elected official in a municipality. Let's not lose sight of the fact that a state fiscal crisis will affect us all."

Al Barth, a selectman in Bethel, also supports 1B. "1B is a form of spending constraint on the state by committing what is estimated to be 60 percent of normally occurring growth in state revenue in future years to K-12 education. It's a statement by the Governor and the Legislature that K-12 education is their highest priority. As a former legislator, I applaud that commitment and prioritization."

Jeff Porter, Chairman of the Cumberland Town Council, joined the other municipal officials in supporting 1B. "In 1B we've got a nearly unanimous Legislature and a strongly supportive Governor joined in the goal of increasing the state share of education to 55 percent," Porter said. "That is a victory for municipalities and I strongly support it as proof that the state and municipalities will achieve more by working together than by working against each other."

Pam Hatch, a council member from Skowhegan, reminded voters that "1B contains real property tax relief for the taxpayers who need it the most. 1B doubles funding for the circuit breaker program, a program that even at its current level of funding has made the difference for people in Skowhegan in being able to keep their homes and pay their property taxes. While increasing state aid to education MAY result in lower property taxes, the circuit breaker is the best form of real property tax relief the state offers, and doubling its appropriation is meaningful."

Dana Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and chairman of Mainers for Real and Responsible Property Tax Relief, the bi-partisan campaign committee which advocates for a Yes vote on 1B, said the support of municipal leaders shows that the 1A proposal is seriously flawed and pits municipal officials against state officials.

Endorsements for Question 1B to date include:

- Maine Hospital Association
- Maine Healthcare Association
- Maine State Board of Education
- Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education
- Maine Tourism Association
- Maine Merchants Association
- Maine Restaurant Association
- Maine Children's Alliance
- Maine State Chamber of Commerce
- Maine Substance Abuse Providers
- Maine Chiropractors Association
- Maine Women's Lobby
- Maine Council of Churches
- Maine State Nurses Association
- Maine Peoples Alliance
- Maine Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers
- Maine Pulp and Paper Association
- Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce
- Associated Constructors of Maine
- Maine Motor Transport Association
- Maine Council of Senior Citizens
- Maine Association of Mental Health Services
- Consumers for Affordable Health Care
- Maine Association of REALTORS
- Bangor City Council

The Maine Senate also passed the underlying legislation that supports Question 1B by a vote of 31-0 and the House by a vote of 112-22.

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