Advocates discuss strategy to push new version of TABOR

BANGOR – The Maine Heritage Policy Center held its first local public feedback session Wednesday to discuss its draft revision of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights that was defeated by Maine voters last November.

Eighteen people attended the session at the Husson College Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business, and those who spoke did so in favor of the legislative model. Most commented on how TABOR could have been advertised better, and suggested strategies for promoting the new model, which the Portland-based conservative think tank is calling Tax and Expenditure Limitation, or TEL.

“Let’s take out the most onerous parts of this. You don’t have to get 100 percent of the vote, you only have to get 51 percent,” said Mary Adams of Garland, the leader of last year’s TABOR referendum campaign. No one has stepped forward yet to turn TEL into a bill or voter referendum.

Like TABOR, TEL aims to limit government spending to the rate of inflation and population growth. It also requires voter approval for all tax and fee increases. TABOR required a two-thirds majority vote to approve tax increases, but TEL would require a simple majority.

Some audience members agreed that the two-thirds vote was the most unwelcome part of TABOR, but George Henkel of Brooksville disagreed.

“Two-thirds should go back in there. I think we should do a better job trying to sell it,” Henkel said.

The meeting’s attendees harshly criticized last year’s opponents of TABOR, including fire departments, teachers and the Maine Municipal Association. One audience member called town officials who opposed TABOR “sheep for the municipal leadership of the MMA.”

Waterville Mayor Paul LePage attended the meeting and said state spending is more egregious than local spending.

“Communities are really starting to tighten up, but it’s not happening in Augusta,” LePage said.

Tarren Bragdon, director of health reform initiatives at the Maine Heritage Policy Center, said by creating TEL, the organization hopes to “put forth something that’s effective and meaningful.”

“Opponents – as you can see, they’re not here today – are not interested in a constructive dialogue,” he said.