LePage: Group biased

WATERVILLE -- Mayor Paul R. LePage is not happy with the Maine Municipal Association.

LePage, in a letter to the association's Director of State & Federal Relations Geoff Herman dated Sept. 26, attacks the organization as being "one-sided and self-indulgent" on the taxpayer bill or rights, commonly known as TABOR.

(Maine Municipal Association is funded by and provides services to cities and towns across the state.)

He wrote the letter, LePage said Thursday, after receiving in invitation from Herman to attend Maine Municipal Association's upcoming informational meeting on TABOR, one designed for municipal, school and county officials.

But LePage said his anger toward the association is really about what he considers the organization's unbalanced advocacy in opposition to TABOR, an initiative aimed at putting controls on local municipal and education spending.

"The fact is MMA is using dues from our communities, which is nothing more than property tax dollars, and only touting one side of the equation (on TABOR)," he said, "and I think that is unethical and despicable, because I think they are forgetting who the stake holder is and that is property tax payers across the state."

In the letter, LePage writes: "Your sarcastic comment referencing the so-called 'Taxpayer Bill of Rights' was offensive and unnecessary. As a special interest organization that depends on community dues paid by property taxpayers, I would expect a bit more moderation."

Herman could not be reached for comment Thursday, but Jeffrey Austin, a lobbyist with Maine Municipal Association, said Herman simply meant to be informational, not sarcastic, when he used the term "so-called 'Taxpayer Bill of Rights'" in the invitation.

"We have received his letter," Austin said. "We do see his reference (to the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights).

"We are not sure what he is talking about. If it is about this informational meeting invitation, we think he misunderstood the use of the term."

Austin also said he sees nothing unethical about Maine Municipal Association taking positions on issues that affect communities in the state.

The association's position on issues, he said, is determined by a committee consisting of municipal officials from the state's 35 senate districts.

"Maine Municipal Association is advocating on behalf of a policy committee, which adopted the positions," he said.

LePage, who said he is not advocating for or against TABOR, said he might accept the association taking a position on key issues if they included a fair, objective evaluation of both sides of those issues.

"They are demonstrating government by special interest," he said, "and I take offense to that, especially when it is our tax dollars that they are using."

LePage said he received about 30 e-mails about his letter the day after he sent the document. He said every e-mail praised him for his position.

On Thursday, LePage said he was beginning to dig through his latest pile of e-mail messages in reference to his letter. So far, he said, the senders all backed his viewpoint.

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