As with many Mainers, fall is my favorite time of year. The arrival of Labor Day marks the return of my children to school, a more structured work schedule and football games on all levels. The nights become cooler, the foliage arrives and, yes, the Red Sox usually begin their yearly swoon in the standings.

Fall also is my favorite time of year because it marks the beginning of the political season. Labor Day has the tradition of kicking off the election cycle for American politics.

The election season has begun in earnest in our state. In just 43 days, Maine Voters will have a potpourri of issues to decide on the Election Day ballot.

Competing referendum measures dealing with property tax relief, casino gambling, racetrack slot machines, and three bond issues await the voters’ decision.

In addition, Maine Democrats are beginning the process of sifting through the resumes of 10 potential candidates for the Democratic nomination for President. Several of the candidates, such as former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, have already established field operations with full-time paid staff in their states.

Unfortunately, Maine is not considered an early important battleground during the primary/caucus nominating process, as it has been in the past, such as the 1980, 1984, and 1988 caucuses.

After a two-election experiment with a presidential primary, Maine Democrats will return to the caucus system of making their choice for nominee for president.

Names of potential candidates for the Republican nominee for Maine’s Second Congressional seat now held by freshman Democrat, Mike Michaud, are beginning to emerge. The most prominent names mentioned are former Senate President Rick Bennett and former defeated Republican congressional primary candidate, Tim Woodcock.

At this time, it does not appear that a Republican challenger has emerged to attempt to unseat popular four-term incumbent, First District Congressman Tom Allen.

Both of Maine’s major political parties have already aggressively started the candidate recruitment process for the 2004 legislative elections. The effects of term limits will continue to decimate the membership ranks which makes early candidate recruitment essential. Republicans are anxious to fill their state with Republican state senate candidates to overcome the present, slim 18-17 Democratic majority. The leadership positions of President of the Senate and Speaker of the House will become vacant with the term limiting of its presiding officers, Sen. Beverly Dagget and Rep. Patrick Colwell.

Most of the political focus of Maine from now until Nov. 4 will be directed to the six ballot questions.

The first question on the ballot to be considered is the Maine Municipal Association (MMA) sponsored citizen initiative and the competing measure supported by Gov. Baldacci and legislative leaders dealing with bolstering the state’s share of public school funding from 42 to 55 percent. The thing espoused by the MMA is that local property taxes would decrease as the result of increase in state funding shares. In August, meeting in special session, the Legislature, after much debate, crafted a competing measure for the ballot which would spread out the 13 percent increase over five years instead of one year with no increase during the first year.

Legislators such as House Chair of the Taxation Committee, Rep. David Lemoine, argue that the MMA’s plan would force the state to make up $245.5 million in new spending immediately which could have immediate and “devastating effect on the state economy.”

The competing plan defers most of the increased education payment to the end of the six-year period.

The MMA supported a lobbying group known as Citizens to Reduce Local Property Taxes Statewide. The group has aggressively opposed this approach and has begun to air radio commercials strongly defending their citizen initiative.

The MMA’s plan will get the first billing on the Nov. 4 ballot as Question 1A, while the Baldacci backed plan is Question 1B. Voters may also choose 1C, “Neither of the above.” A majority of voters will be required for either measure to become a law.

Only recently has there been any organized effort to support the “neither of the above” position, although critics have claimed that neither plan addresses fundamental flaws in the state’s tax structure. You can bet that Gov. Baldacci will be vocal this fall in his opposition to the MMA plan. He has signed onto the competing measure and has staked some of his political credibility on Question 1B.

Maine law requires that if either proposal does not get at least 50 percent, the leading option provided it wins by at least a third of the voters the issue will go back on the ballot in the spring.

Besides Citizens Initiative 2 (allowing slot machines at certain commercial house racing tracks) and Question 3 (allowing a casino to be run by the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation) which will be discussed in detail in my next column, there are also three Bond issues totaling $89,400,000 to be considered by Maine Voters on November 4.

Question 4 asks the voters whether they favor a $6,950,000 bond issue for a myriad of purposes regarding pollution control.

Question 5 requests approval of $19 million on spending to make repairs, upgrades and other facility improvements and various campuses of the University of Maine System, the Maine Maritime Academy, and the Maine Community College System. The question also requests grants to construct and renovate public libraries.

Question 6 asks the voters to bond $63,450,000 in a vast list of infrastructure expenditures that makes the state eligible for $217,000,000 in matching federal funds.

A higher than usual voter turnout is expected on Nov. 4, given the significant public policy and expenditure issues facing Maine voters. For those who are awaiting the season’s change, this fall promises to bring as much variety to the Maine political landscape as the anticipated burst of fall foliage.

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