Corporate donations pour in to support school consolidation

LEWISTON — Corporations from all over Maine, and some from outside, have rallied around Gov. John Baldacci's school consolidation law, uniting to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to the group seeking to defeat the referendum question to repeal the law.

L.L. Bean, the Unum Group, U.S. Cellular, Maine Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association and Nestle Waters North America Inc. each has donated $25,000 to maintain the law, according to a state campaign finance report filed earlier this month.

Bangor Hydro, TD Bank, Fairchild Semiconductor Corp., MaineHealth, Penn National Gaming Inc., Sunday River Skiway Corp., Coca-Cola Northern New England, The Coca-Cola Co. and First Atlantic Healthcare have each made donations of at least $10,000, according to reports filed with the Maine Ethics Commission.

The group opposing Question 3, which asks Mainers if they would like to repeal the school consolidation law passed in 2007, had raised $340,000 through Oct. 20, according to the latest report filed Friday.

The group seeking to repeal the law has raised about $9,800.

If you're wondering why these corporations have signed big checks supporting the consolidation law, Dana Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and spokesman for the campaign to maintain the law, says the answer is pretty straightforward.

The school consolidation law is expected to save $37 million next year, he said.

"I think that it's always prudent to try to save, to free up dollars, so that you don't have to raise (taxes)," said Connors, who added that the business community supports Maine schools.

"A quality education is first and foremost, perhaps the greatest gift we can give to our young people, as well as our economy," he said. "Where are you going to get the money, short of raising taxes, to put into education? Don't you believe that every organization, public and private, should look within themselves to try and find those dollars by doing things differently?"

Reports of declining state revenue means state officials, including Baldacci, will be forced into making cuts or finding a way to raise revenue in order to balance the budget, Connors said.

So Connors, who is serving as a spokesman for the campaign to maintain the law initiated by Baldacci, has been raising money for the cause, despite the tough times facing businesses.

"It's not as hard a sell as it's made out to be," he said of convincing businesses such as Unum, a Portland company now headquartered in Tennessee, or U.S. Cellular, which is based in Chicago, to donate. "They know there are declining revenue sources in state government and they are totally appreciative of the fact that it takes a quality education in order to compete. They make those connections."

Warren Cook, chief executive officer of Saddleback Maine, said he has been meeting with Connors and a small group of business owners from all over the state since earlier this year, discussing the issue.

Baldacci spokesman David Farmer said the governor has been actively fundraising and campaigning on many referendum questions, including Question 3.

"He has participated in all the campaigns and he's heartened by the business support to keep the educational reforms in place," Farmer said.

Cook said he had spoken with Baldacci about the issue.

"He's been very much a part of the effort," Cook said. "He's taken a strong position on questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 and so he's been a good cheerleader, for sure."

The corporate offices of U.S. Cellular provided a release Friday that said they "support initiatives that play a part in alleviating some of the budget shortfalls that schools face."

Jim DeMartini, spokesman for Bath Iron Works, which contributed $7,500 to maintain the law, said the shipbuilding company supported the consolidation initiative back in 2007, and their position hasn't changed.

"Re-trenching and going back to the way things were doesn't make much sense to us," he said.

rmetzler@sunjournal.com