AUGUSTA – The state ethics commission had a busy 2010, and some of those actions have prompted the staff to recommend law changes.
In a memo to the five-member ethics panel, Executive Director Jonathan Wayne proposed changes that include:
• Broadening the state’s definition of confidential “investigative working papers” to include “requests for documents, information or testimony, and documents responding to such requests.” Wayne said Freedom of Access Act requests from news organizations last year made it difficult for commission staff to conduct investigations.
• Increasing the fine for failing to include a disclaimer on campaign communications from a maximum of $200 to a maximum of $5,000. Cases last year showed that thousands of voters could be reached with information that did not include the proper disclaimer, such as The Cutler Files website and last-minute phone calls from a GOP operative — an indication that the $200 fine doesn’t seem high enough, Wayne wrote.
• A prohibition against allowing legislative candidates to use Clean Election money to buy computers, computer tablets or smartphones. Although these devices are routinely used in campaigns, Wayne wrote candidates should buy them with their own money and then temporarily use them for campaigns.
• Allowing the ethics commission to initiate investigations of possible violations of legislative ethics on its own, even if no complaint is filed.
The commission has until February to decide on the recommendations before forwarding them to the Legislature.
SNOWE, COLLINS MOST POPULAR DELEGATION
U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are the most popular Senate delegation in their home state, according to Public Policy Polling.
About 56 percent of Mainers approve of Snowe’s performance versus about 34 percent who disapprove of her, the firm’s polling director, Tom Jensen, wrote in a recent blog post. For Collins, who was re-elected in 2008, the numbers are 53 percent approval and 36 percent disapproval.
Despite her apparent statewide popularity, Snowe — who is up for re-election in 2012 — is one of the top five senators being targeted by a national tea party group, the Tea Party Nation.
“Snowe votes like the liberal she is,” said Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation, a national tea party group. He pointed to her committee vote in favor of health care reform and her floor votes for the New START treaty, the stimulus package and repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
“In fact, it is hard to find a conservative bill she supported or a liberal one she did not,” he said. “The good news, her polling numbers do not look good and almost 60 percent of Maine voters say they would welcome a conservative challenger against Snowe.”
Phillips’ poll numbers apparently refer to a PPP poll taken last September, that showed about 63 percent of Maine Republicans said they would support a more conservative alternative compared with about 29 percent who said they would vote for Snowe in spite of a conservative challenge.
Gov.-elect Paul LePage, a Republican and tea party favorite, has pledged his support for Snowe’s re-election.
SCARCELLI IN POLITICO
Rosa Scarcelli, a Democrat who finished third in a four-way gubernatorial primary, is quoted in Politico talking about Sen. Olympia Snowe’s run for re-election in 2012.
Will Scarcelli challenge her?
It depends whether Snowe faces a primary opponent and how she votes over the next year, Scarcelli told Politico’s David Catanese.
“Olympia Snowe in my mind is a wonderful moderate senator,” she said. “The issue we’ll have to face is, will she have a primary opponent and what will that mean?” Scarcelli asked, suggesting a GOP opponent could push Snowe to the right.
“I think it is important we watch the votes, we watch the primary opponents. I think that our two senators have unique roles in the Senate, and if Olympia has to compromise that, that will be a concern for people.”
FISH TO SPEAK FOR SENATE LEADER
Scott Fish, creator of conservative Web forum As Maine Goes, was recently hired in the Senate President’s Office as communications director.
“Senator (Kevin) Raye and I have known each other close to 20 years,” he wrote on the site. “I was surprised and honored by his offer. It is a great opportunity.”
In 2009, Fish was the spokesperson for the Yes on 1 campaign that advocated for overturning the state’s gay-marriage law.
He also has previous experience in the House Republican Office.
FORBES ON LEPAGE
As we reported here a few weeks ago, Forbes magazine was working on a profile of Gov.-elect Paul LePage.
The story is now available online at: http://bit.ly/i7te3B
The article touches on LePage’s rags-to-riches story and his intention to make Maine a more business-friendly state.
“Now it’s up to LePage, a businessman and political outsider, to salvage Maine’s economy from the convoluted regulatory system, poor infrastructure and high taxes that led FORBES to rank it as the worst state for business in an October survey,” wrote Steven Bertoni.
MaineToday Media State House Writer Susan M. Cover can be contacted at 620-7015 or at:
scover@mainetoday.com
MaineToday Media State House Writer Rebekah Metzler can be contacted 620-7016 or at:
rmetzler@mainetoday.com
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