When will the public and the media begin to hold the Maine Legislature to standards of ethics that have become widespread elsewhere?

What will it take for the Legislature to keep its own house clean?

If you were to visit the meetings of local government, you would see individual members excuse themselves from speaking and voting on issues where they have a “direct financial interest.” These officials are expected to maintain the appearance of ethical conduct, as well as the actuality of it.

“Direct financial interest” is usually broadly interpreted, so as to avoid even the appearance of wrongdoing. Similarly, if there is even a shadow of conflict of interest in the actions of a member of Congress or the executive branch, the press quite properly roots it out.

Why not in Maine?

We have had a citizen Legislature since the 1800s; unfortunately, concepts of legislative conflict of interest seem still to be stuck in that 19th-century framework. And the press seems to have grown so accustomed to it, especially where the paper industry is concerned, that little attention is paid to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflict.

A case in point is the opposing Op-Eds – appearing in the Sun Journal on Feb. 13, concerning water quality in the Androscoggin River. Stricter standards were supported by Greg D’Augustine, an area resident. They were opposed by a trio of legislators, ostensibly speaking with the objectivity we expect from our lawmakers.

The reality is far different. Thomas Saviello, the lead author, is a state representative from Jay, but is also the environmental manager at International Paper there. He has a direct financial interest in the outcome of legislation affecting the river, into which IP discharges 40 million gallons of polluted water daily. For example, a contention Mr. Saviello makes is that jobs will be lost at the IP mill if stricter regulation is allowed; presumably, this could mean his job, as well. (Industry experts point out that when mills do really clean up their pollution, they make their equipment and their processes more efficient, not less. Jobs are made more secure, not less. Witness the announcement by IP recently that 90 jobs are being cut at the Jay mill due to old and inefficient machines.)

It may be that he would vote in the same way if he had no financial interest in the outcome; but it is impossible to tell, as Mr.Saviello does have a direct conflict of interest, both broadly and narrowly interpreted.

Through involvement in citizen efforts to improve river quality on the Androscoggin, I have become distressed by this low standard of ethical disclosure and conduct, a lapse that seems to be widely ignored. For instance, if we were more sensitive to the issue, wouldn’t the Sun Journal have noted that, in addition to speaking as a state representative, Mr. Saviello is also an official at International Paper?

If we were sensitive to the issue, wouldn’t the rules of the Legislature itself restrict a member from speaking and voting on a matter when the member has a direct financial interest? Or if there are rules, wouldn’t they be enforced?

It seems shameful to me, for example, that last year a bill to lower standards for the Androscoggin was boldly shepherded through the legislative process by Mr. Saviello from IP. And the Legislature passed it.

Amazed at these lapses, I asked others more experienced than I if this is common practice in the Maine Legislature. The answer is, regrettably, “Yes, but this case is even more outrageous than usual.”

Mr. Saviello is quoted in the Bangor Daily News of March 2 that questions about his conflicts of interest are “tiresome.” Evidently, Mr. Saviello hasn’t noticed that when public officials fail to put their ethical responsibilities first and foremost, “tiresome” questions about their conduct do arise. Since when is the need for elected officials to meet both the letter and the spirit of the law tiresome?

If the legislative leadership won’t press for a member to adhere to conflict of interest standards, then who will? If the press isn’t willing to take it on, to push for legislative conduct that meets the spirit of the law, and not merely the legalistically drawn letter of the law, then who will?

The integrity of the Androscoggin River watershed is at stake in this debate, but equally important is integrity in the way the Legislature does its business. What will it take to make a change?

Chick Carroll is a member of the Androscoggin River Alliance and lives in Topsham.