PORTLAND (AP) – Carol Palesky’s campaign for a property tax cap has gained a prominent supporter in former state Sen. Phil Harriman.

Harriman, who lives in Yarmouth, served in the Senate from 1992 until 2000 and sat on the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee during his final term.

Harriman said he decided to become involved in the campaign after going to a meeting of the Yarmouth Taxpayers Association that was attended by 83 people, nearly every one of whom supported the tax cap proposal.

Harriman said the people were the town’s community leaders when he was growing up. Now they are retired, on fix incomes and are being threatened out of their homes by rapidly rising property taxes, he said.

“I want to speak up and stand up for people who are struggling to pay their property taxes, and I plan to play an active role in promoting the initiative,” he said.

The initiative’s opponents were quick to denounce Harriman as irresponsible. Critics say Palesky’s proposal would cut town budgets in half overnight and devastate essential public services in every town in Maine.

Mark Gray, executive director of the Maine Education Association, said Harriman’s involvement with the tax cap campaign is troubling.

“That would be unfortunate that someone with that kind of background and understanding of public finance would take a position to support a proposal that is as radical and Draconian as the Palesky proposal is,” he said.

Palesky’s initiative would cap property taxes at $10 per $1,000 of assessed value, based on values in 1996-97. It would also limit assessment increases to 2 percent a year while the property’s ownership remains in a family.

State election officials ruled last month that her campaign had collected enough voters’ signatures to force a referendum.

Harriman said he has not met with Palesky and plans to operate independently, although in support of her efforts. Palesky was not immediately available for comment.

Sen. Karl Turner, R-Cumberland, said Harriman will be a formable spokesman for the proposal. “He is smart and thoughtful and articulate, and quite photogenic,” he said.

Turner said many lawmakers have dismissed Palesky’s chances for success because of her controversial background. But he said Harriman changes the equation.

“When a mainstream person like Phil comes out in support of this, it very much could be a wake-up call,” Turner said.

AP-ES-03-08-04 0217EST