AUGUSTA – Tax-cap proponents are being outspent by a ratio of nearly 4-to-1, and opponents lead them in fund-raising by a similar amount, campaign finance reports show.

As of Sept. 30, Tax Cap Yes! had raised $183,661 and spent $154,509. Citizens United to Protect Public Safety, Schools and Communities has raised $829,449 and spent $549,180.

Among the largest contributors to defeat the tax cap were the National Education Association, which donated $300,000, and the Maine Municipal Association, which gave $85,000.

Tuesday’s reports raised questions about whether Tax Cap Yes! will run television ads, and if so, how many. Citizens United has been airing television ads for weeks. Tax Cap Yes! has yet to air any.

Money doesn’t buy an election, “especially an idea whose time has come,” said political science Professor James Melcher at the University of Maine at Farmington. But not having many or any television ads makes it tougher to win, he said. In a referendum campaign ads, can be more important than in an ordinary campaign, because people don’t have political party cues they normally have, “and wind up being influenced by ads,” Melcher said.

Tax Cap Yes! spokesman Tom McBrierty said the campaign has some money and plans to air one ad, maybe two, before the election. “I can’t tell you when. It’s being worked on right now,” McBrierty said.

Tax Cap Yes! continued to question Tuesday whether some of the money to defeat the tax cap is coming from taxpayers, referring to the $85,000 from the Maine Municipal Association.

The MMA is largely a taxpayer-funded organization. It gets most of its money from cities and towns, McBrierty said. “I don’t know how it’s not taxpayer money.”

McBrierty said that when he was the commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development under Gov. Angus King, when it came to government’s role in elections, “I was taught, Educate, yes; advocate, no.’ What MMA is doing is clearly advocating.”

MMA Executive Director Christopher Lockwood said the $85,000 came from a reserve account the executive committee had set aside. “They had anticipated we may be involved in this campaign” if the question got on the ballot, he said.

About 16 or 17 percent of MMA’s revenue comes from towns and cities; the rest comes from a variety of sources including administrative fees for providing municipal health coverage plans. MMA’s core mission is to promote local self-government, which it is doing in this campaign, Lockwood said. “It’s one of the key reasons this organization was founded.”

The Tax Cap Yes! spokesman said the group wasn’t surprised to learn how much it was being outspent, and said Citizens United has received large donations from not only from the national teachers organization, but others. Among the contributions to Citizens United were $10,000 from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield; $82,833 from the Service Employees International Union in Washington; $100,000 from Leon Gorman, L.L. Bean’s chairman of the board; and $50,000 from Maine’s famous fiction author Stephen King.

Donations to Tax Cap Yes! included many from retirees, including $100 from Ronald Chicoine of Lewiston and $500 from W.R. Jackson of Yarmouth. Other contributions include $100 from Lloyd Cutler, a pilot from Carrabassett Valley; and $2,000 from the owners of Barber Foods in Portland.

“They have special interest groups, we’re representing the taxpayers,” McBrierty said. “It’s going to go right down to the wire. There’s still a few weeks to go.” He said his side is out speaking, but it’s mostly a group of volunteers “without deep pockets like the other side has,” he said.

Dennis Bailey, spokesman for Citizens United, said his campaign has been fortunate in that it has raised money from individuals, labor groups and businesses who realize the tax cap “is not good policy.”

“Some who gave would gain under Question 1, but have taken the long view in what’s in the best interest of the state,” Bailey said.

Bailey said he’s surprised by the small amount the tax-cap campaign has raised. “Where is all this anger and frustration? It’s not showing up in terms of donations and support,” he said. “Say what you will about campaign donations, but they are an indication of support,” Bailey said. “It doesn’t appear they have the support.”

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