By Doug Fletcher,Staff Writer

Weary of sparking controversy on the Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee, state Rep. Tom Saviello on Wednesday asked not to be reseated on the panel.

Saviello, an Independent from Wilton, made the request to House Speaker John Richardson. The speaker immediately accepted it.

“This is the right thing to do,” said Naomi Schalit, executive director of Maine Rivers and one Saviello’s leading critics.

For his part, Saviello said he was reluctant to remain on a panel where his presence would be a lightning rod.

“I am a representative first and a committee member second,” he said. “I want to be able to devote my efforts to the needs of the most important people, the people of my district.”

“This permanent change will allow Rep. Saviello to focus on his work for his constituents, (allow) the Natural Resources Committee and environmental groups to focus on environmental legislation, and the Legislature to continue its work without distraction,” Richardson said.

Saviello is environmental manager for International Paper in Jay. His position on legislation and state-imposed regulations regarding Androscoggin River water quality issues led Schalit and other environmentalists to challenge Saviello’s ethics.

The Natural Resources Committee, which he’d served on, oversees actions regarding the river and paper mill-generated discharges.

In January, Saviello asked to be temporarily reassigned to another panel in order to have the state’s Ethics Commission review allegations that his employment and public service were at odds.

Last week, the commission said it found no conflict of interest on Saviello’s part. Schalit and others, however, complained that the decision was too narrowly focused to be of any value.

After learning Wednesday of Saviello’s decision to avoid Natural Resources Committee membership, Schalit wasn’t mollified.

“Now we need to look at reform of the state’s ethics laws so this won’t happen again. We need clarity,” she said.

She also called for the state to proceed with its paper-mill discharge permitting process fairly.

There should be “no special status” for the Androscoggin that differs from other rivers in Maine, she said.

Previously, permit terms – that have been recalled – weren’t considered stringent enough to protect the river’s quality. Under the measures, one section of the Androscoggin known as Gulf Island Pond was found to be acceptable to state regulators despite the fact that it didn’t meet national clean water standards. Gulf Island Pond is between Turner and Greene.

State Rep. Elaine Makas, D-Lewiston, another of Saviello’s critics, said his decision to leave the committee now makes little difference.

“We’re so close to the end of the session,” she said, that little remains to be done anyway.

Saviello agreed that little remains left for the panel to take up at this point.

Still, Makas said she’s “glad that he’s not going to be on the committee for appearance’s sake.”

And like Schalit, Makas also says the state needs to overhaul its conflict of interest rules. She said she and other legislators plan to sponsor legislation in the next session that would address potential conflicts between lawmakers’ professional lives and their public service.

Richardson, the House speaker, said an advisory panel appointed by himself and Senate President Beth Edmonds will begin work next week to review ethics laws and make recommendations.

Saviello maintains that he did nothing wrong by advocating for legislation and rules dealing with the Androscoggin, regardless of whether or not the issues could affect his employer.

“The Ethics Commission unanimously ruled that my membership on that committee is not a conflict,” he said.

All the same, he noted that being at the center of controversy could take a toll on his ability to represent the interest of his constituency.

He said he made his decision to stay away from the Natural Resources Committee last month while visiting his daughter in North Carolina.

“I thought about things then,” he said, and realized that he could better serve his district by being a member on a different committee.

“I need to make sure their needs are met, and their voice is heard,” Saviello said.

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