Maine’s Millionaires for Tax Cuts rolled into Portland earlier this week to show their mock support for national tax activist Grover Norquist. Norquist was the featured speaker at a tax conference at the Holiday Inn by the Bay.

Piling out of a white limo, inscribed “Red Ink Express,” were nattily attired members of Dirigo Alliance, a coalition of progressive advocacy groups.

The group, decked out in tails and top hats, gowns and fur coats, unfurled a gold-flecked banner that read: “Leave no billionaire behind.” Speaking with Thurston Howell III inflections, they mingled at the sidewalk, praising President Bush’s tax cuts and voicing the need for further reductions.

“You know darling, we need more tax cuts. We got $352 billion last year. That’s just not enough,” complained one tiara-topped woman.

“I don’t know about you, but I worked hard to inherit my income,” said another costumed woman, a.k.a. Amy Thompson.

When the group entered the hotel in search of Norquist, they were confronted by Roy Lenardson, senior policy analyst at Maine Heritage Policy Center, the conservative think tank that hosted the conference.

“Sorry, I can’t arrange that for you,” he told them. He asked if their presidential candidate was millionaire Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.

“No,” answered Dirigo executive director George Christie, who was toting a cigar. “We’ve already bought our president.”

Place your bets

At the tax summit in Portland, a panel of experts compared forecasts of the future tax climate in Maine.

Most said taxes are likely to go up to pay for local property tax relief, and said a sales tax hike would be the easiest way to raise the money.

Asked whether a Maine Municipal Association ballot question that would require the state to pay 55 percent of local education costs would pass, panel members gave their predictions.

On a scale of 1 to 10:

• Chris Hall of Maine State Chamber of Commerce: 7 or 8.

• Jim Clair, former fiscal adviser to the Legislature: 6.

• Philip Harriman, former Yarmouth state senator: 5.

• State economist Laurie Lachance: 4.

Familiar names

An e-mail arrived last week indicating there is serious money and professional staff behind the property tax cap referendum initiated by Topsham grandmother and tax activist Carol Palesky.

The e-mail was from Jennifer Webber letting reporters know she’d be handling media for Phil Harriman and Eric Cianchette. The two are working for passage of the referendum through a campaign not affiliated with Palesky.

Harriman is a former state senator, Eric Cianchette is a cousin of former GOP gubernatorial candidate Peter Cianchette. Webber knows how campaigns work. During Peter Cianchette’s recent gubernatorial campaign, she was his press secretary. There will soon be a Web site promoting passage of the tax cap.

Bush-Cheney office

On Monday the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign opened its first office in Maine. The president wasn’t at the office opening. Speaking for the campaign was former Republican Maine gubernatorial candidate Peter Cianchette and Jim Tobin, New England regional chairman for the Bush campaign.

Both Tobin and Cianchette spoke, thanking the crowd of 65 for their support. “The real theme (of the day) was, it was 220 days out from the election and the president has a campaign office fully staffed and opened,” said Maine campaign spokeswoman Jamie Loftus.

Bangor was chosen as the first office because it’s accessible. Another Bush-Cheney office will open soon in Portland. The new office is located at 16 Penn Plaza; the number is 1-855-2874.

– By staff writers Christopher Williams and Bonnie Washuk