DIXFIELD – State Rep. Randy Hotham, R-Dixfield, was on the hot seat Monday night at SAD 21’s Consolidated School Board meeting.

He didn’t pull any punches nor did Hotham duck any of the board’s many questions about the Palesky tax-cap referendum.

“Two years ago, I was knocking on doors for votes and hearing that property taxes were the burning issue,” Hotham said.

“Now I hear as a legislator, Well, what did you do?’ For the collective Legislature, the answer is nothing. We have precipitated this situation.”

Superintendent Thomas Ward began the discussion saying that despite what some people are saying, schools would be affected by the tax-cap proposal should it pass.

“One of my biggest fears is that people are going to vote for it to send a message to the Legislature and the government. These are angry people,” Ward said.

“They want relief from property taxes and see this as the vehicle to do it. Well, this is not the way to send that message. This is a very dangerous way to send that message.”

If voters approve the tax cap, regardless of whether 80 percent of it is unconstitutional, Ward said that it’s going to be a problem and school boards would have to deal with it.

The Consolidated School Board, which consists of members from Canton, Carthage, Dixfield and Peru, faces a twofold problem. Not only does it have to worry about what budget cuts would be allowed under Palesky, but directors are tasked with creating the first ever budget for the merged district after the referendum.

Athletics would be gone, as would some teachers, creating “class sizes that have never been seen before in a number of areas. But unless (the tax cap) really happens, we don’t really know where we will have to make the cuts,” Ward said.

Hotham predicted that if the tax cap vote is based on emotion, it would pass.

“If it’s rational, it will fail,” he said.

Ward then questioned Hotham about state government.

“One of my pet peeves is that we elected a governor to lead us. Where is the governor?” Ward asked.

Hotham said he was disappointed so far about the role that Gov. John Baldacci has played.

“For an administration to put together a proposal like Dirigo Health, which was desperately needed in Maine, I would have hoped that the total picture of property taxes and tax reform would have been part of the honeymoon,” he said.

“If they can do Dirigo Health, why can’t they do tax reform?”