SILENCE IS HELPFUL

Maine enters the final weeks of the campaign season on high fire alert, with a combustible combination of intense political races, a special legislative session, a soon-to-be vacant governor’s seat and a large structural gap to close in the next budget. That’s plenty of dry tinder, and enough reason for the current governor to make his final official decisions in office with extreme care.

For the last couple of weeks, Gov. King has been quietly looking for a way to come out with a constructive endorsement of one of the four gubernatorial candidates. Good for him for going slowly and recognizing the risk such an endorsement carries. The fact that he has not yet made an announcement suggests he has yet to find a helpful way to do it. That is likely because there is no such way – he would do best to rethink this idea and choose to stay away from the gubernatorial race.

Gov. King should not try to influence the outcome of the race out of respect for the difficulty of the Legislature’s current work and the work that is coming. Were he a member of one of the parties, his endorsement of a fellow party member would not be remarkable. But the fact that he is an independent would add weight to his words and increase the considerable tension between Republicans and Democrats.

Closing the current shortfall, the larger projected shortfall for the next biennium and enacting badly needed tax reform will take extraordinary cooperation between the parties, not more politics. And even in unexpected areas, for instance, where the sitting governor writes the current services budget for the next governor, provide an opportunity for politics or even the appearance of politics to intrude on governing.

Angus King is an astute observer of those politics, and without doubt it would be more difficult for him to remain quiet on this race than take a position. But as a major party returns to the Blaine House, he can best help with that transition by remaining neutral. The governor should not make one of his final acts in office an announcement that enflames the capital.