Wide support for Senate proposal

Last week, the Maine Senate passed a state budget that is good for Maine, good for Maine taxpayers, and good for the people who depend upon state government. Before the ink was dry, the Governor responded with name-calling and misrepresentation of the facts. Unfortunately, the Bangor Daily News took his criticisms as fact and in a March 31 editorial “Budgets of Old” repeated the Governor’s claims almost verbatim. We the undersigned 31 members of the Maine Senate wish to set the record straight.

The centerpiece of the governor’s attack on the Senate budget is that it was put together by two people with ambitions to run for Congress in the 2nd District. This is simply not true. The Senate budget is the work product of the Democratic and Republican Caucuses, working at first separately, and then together. Both caucuses were motivated by problems with the Committee budget. Rank and file members of the Senate openly expressed these concerns. What is different this year, as opposed to years past, is that instead of browbeating the rank and file into voting for something that did not represent the Senate as a whole, the leadership worked with the membership to create a more representative document.

As our two caucuses worked individually it became apparent that we shared many of the same goals. Contrary to the simplistic characterizations in your editorial, Democrats were not anxious to raise taxes and there were funding issues of deep concern to Republicans, such as a cost of living adjustment for nursing homes.

The budget produced by this bipartisan effort is a good budget. It did not take $110 million from the Rainy Day Fund as the governor charged. It left the state with a smaller structural gap than the budget enacted two years ago. Most importantly, it met some important needs that were overlooked in the Committee budget. It addressed the needs of the nursing homes and the low paid workers who care for our frail elderly. It provided time to make a move from state liquor stores to a system that is driven by agency stores. It restored revenue sharing lost to municipalities when the sales tax was cut.

It helped the school districts, mostly in the Bangor Daily News readership area, which were at risk because of declining enrollment. It restored money to children’s programs in the “Fund for a Healthy Maine.” It provided tax fairness for retired military personnel who chose to make their home in Maine after retirement. It did all these things without raiding the retirement system as the governor’s original budget proposed. And it did all these things without raising taxes.

The Governor says it is not “raining” in Maine, yet. That is why he does not want to use funds from the Rainy Day Fund. Instead he wants to raise taxes. Whether you think it’s raining or just plain overcast, it is clear is that there are storm clouds over the national economy. Maine certainly will be impacted by these problems. Nationally, Congress is preparing to lower taxes. In light of this how can anyone believe that raising taxes in Maine is good medicine for our economy? At some point there may be no choice, but the Senate budget proves there is a choice now.

We do not maintain that our budget is perfect, or that there is no room for improvement. We developed this budget by listening to all senators and for the past few days we have been listening to the concerns of our colleagues in the House. As a result, we are going to amend our budget so that no money will be taken from the Rainy Day Fund: not one cent more or less than the budget passed by the House. We are going to amend our proposal so that there is actually more money left for new initiatives than provided by the House budget. And we will do those things without passing Governor King’s taxes or turning our backs on the real needs of the people of Maine.

The Maine Senate has demonstrated over the last six years that we are very anxious to work closely with this Chief Executive, but ultimately we are responsible not to one man, but to over 1 million men, women and children who pay the taxes and depend upon the programs of state government. That duty prompted us to develop this bipartisan budget, and it will govern our efforts to find common ground with our counterparts in the House.

This commentary was signed by the following state senators: Michael Michaud, Richard Bennett, Beverly Daggett, Mary Small, Sharon Treat, Paul Davis, John Martin, Richard Kneeland, Kevin Shorey, Edward Youngblood, W. Tom Sawyer, Betty Lou Mitchell, Susan Longley, Christine Savage, Kenneth Gagon, Marge Kilkelly, Chandler Woodcock, John Nutting, Peggy Rotundo, Neria Douglass, Beth Edmonds, Karl Turner, Joel Abromson, Anne Rand, Bill O’Gara, Lynn Bromley, Peggy Pendleton, Lloyd LaFountain, David Carpenter, Mike McAlevey and Ken Lemont.