The subpoenas will compel the two staffers – chief legal counsel Cynthia Montgomery and senior policy adviser Aaron Chadbourne – to appear before the committee to answer its questions. The move was necessary because, so far, the duo has refused to participate in the Legislature’s legitimate investigation into potential wrongdoing by the governor, who has admitted to using state funds to pressure Good Will-Hinckley to fire its new president, House Speaker Mark Eves, who the governor opposed for political reasons.
The governor’s actions, whereby he meddled in the affairs of a private institution over which he has no legal authority, were undoubtedly wrong. The question remains whether it was illegal. That’s why the fact-finding mandate of the Government Oversight Committee is so important, and why the serious decision to issue subpoenas was the right one to make.
The elected representatives of the Maine people must have access to anyone with information about the chain of events that led to Speaker Eves’ firing. The executive branch cannot be allowed to withhold information or testimony necessary to the committee’s investigation.
I write today to make crystal clear that those of us elected to serve you in Augusta have heard your concerns loud and clear. I’ve heard from many members of our communities who are outraged that the governor would use his office to enact retribution against a political rival. You demand that we hold Gov. LePage accountable, and that’s what we’re doing.
We also heard the dozens of people who took valuable time out of their day to come to Augusta, to urge the committee not to give in to the governor’s attempts to stonewall the investigation. You cried out for lawmakers to hold the governor responsible for his actions. Some called him a dictator or a tyrant. Others asked for his impeachment or resignation.
Any action by the Legislature must come after a full airing of the facts. That’s why the committee’s work is so important. But the bipartisan decision to issue subpoenas is not just a victory for the ongoing inquiry into the scandal regarding the governor’s abuse of state funds designated for Good Will-Hinckley. It’s also a critical reminder to the governor that he must respect the separation of powers and the checks and balances that form the cornerstone of our Constitution.
The legislative and executive branches of government, as well as our system of courts and judges, are distinct and equal. But Lepage has made clear his disdain for the Legislature.
This year, he promised to veto all legislation regardless of merit. He recently pledged not to work with the Legislature at all in the upcoming session. He’s ignored his Constitutional obligation to make appointments to bodies such as the Board of Corrections. He’s refused to issue voter-approved funds for Land for Maine’s Future, and issued a secret executive order to investigate the Human Rights Commission after that independent agency refused to bend to his whim.
No one expects a governor and a Legislature to agree all the time. Heated debate, and give-and-take between elected officials is a necessary function of effective government.
But Gov. LePage’s actions demonstrate a complete disregard for the spirit of our Constitution, which envisions the equal branches of government working together for the common good – not a chief executive that sabotages the people’s government at every turn.
That’s why we take your concerns, and the actions of the governor, so seriously. That’s we cannot allow the governor or his staff to stand in the way of the Government Oversight Committee’s investigation.
You’ve made your voices clear on this issue, and we have listened. I only hope the governor is listening too.
— Sen. Linda Valentino of Saco, represents Senate District 31.
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