Look who just jumped out of the latest political jack-in-the-box in Augusta: Art Mayo.

Mayo, D-Bath, switched political parties just days after being sworn in as a Republican state senator. And the Democrats rewarded his defection by appointing him Senate chair of the Health and Human Services Committee that oversees 4,000 state employees with a $4 billion budget. Political government gall is alive and well at the State House.

Art Mayo’s betrayal of the voters who put him in office points up the sad, ongoing state of affairs in our Legislature. Once legislators are seated, their own agendas lead and their constituents’ agendas follow. And they don’t even hold their noses.

Recently, Mayo appeared on a radio talk show to give his reason for his political treason. He said that Maine Republicans are too far to the right and, anyway, such voter betrayal has happened before. It’s troubling when leaders elected to cut and run and advance the belief that two wrongs make a right.

Here’s a question for Art Mayo: Does he intend to apologize to the voters he betrayed and return the Clean Election campaign money he received?

John Benoit, Rangeley