Jason Levesque, an Auburn businessman running to unseat U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, four-term Democrat from Maine’s 2nd District, says he identifies with citizens rallying in the Tea Party movement, but wouldn’t consider himself a Tea Partier. The Republican candidate, a political newcomer, attended the most recent Tea Party protest, which was held in Augusta on […]
Political Grind
Posted inPolitical Grind, sj-web
State lacks transparency, watchdog group says
According to a new report from U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups, Maine gets an ‘F’ for providing online access to government spending data. “At least 32 states currently mandate that residents be able to access an online database of government expenditures with “checkbook-level” detail; most of these Web sites are […]
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Posted inPolitical Grind, sj-web
Naked ad on Abbott’s Web site draws attention
No, Steve Abbott did not mean to endorse a video for a varsity streaking team when he launched his latest campaign advertisement. The Maine Republican gubernatorial hopeful’s campaign had used blip.tv as a video hosting Web site to air his campaign videos, the latest of which launched last week. Soon after, a reporter with The […]
Posted inLocal & State, Political Grind
The Political Grind: Clean money
Applications for three of the four gubernatorial candidates seeking Maine Clean Election Act funding have been approved, according to Jonathan Wayne, executive director of the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. Wayne said on Thursday that Republican hopeful Peter Mills and Democratic candidates Libby Mitchell and Pat McGowan had all met the necessary […]
Posted inLocal & State, Political Grind
Under the Dome
Easy as A-T-V Lawmakers have debated and debated … and debated all session on legislation that would reverse action they took in a previous session regarding ATV use on private land. Last year, the Legislature passed a law requiring law enforcement to have “reasonable and articulable” suspicion of wrongdoing before they could stop ATV riders […]
Posted inLocal & State, Political Grind, The Franklin Journal
Under the Dome
State budget Yes, lawmakers on the Appropriations Committee completed their work last Monday in closing the state budget. But now the measure must be approved by the entire Legislature. House and Senate leadership told members the entire bill was expected to be available online on Sunday. Lawmakers would have until Monday night to file amendments […]
Posted inLocal & State, Political Grind, The Franklin Journal
Under the Dome
Silver alert A bill that would establish a statewide alert for adults with dementia or developmental disabilities received preliminary approval in both the House and Senate last week. State Rep. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, sponsored the measure, which is similar to the Amber Alert system for kidnapped children. “I’m thrilled to see strong support for the […]
Posted inLocal & State, Political Grind, The Franklin Journal
Under the dome
Almost done Legislative committee work was scheduled to be wrapped up last week, though there are still some that received special permission from leadership to finish working on certain bills. Most of the committee work scheduled for this week is confirmation sessions for Baldacci appointees, including Mark Samson of Auburn, who was nominated to the […]
Posted inLocal & State, Political Grind, The Franklin Journal
Under the Dome
Franco-American Day Lawmakers will celebrate Franco-American day on Wednesday, March 17, in an all-day event featuring a special menu in the cafeteria, musical presentations and a press conference announcing nominees to the Franco-American Hall of Fame. It’s unclear how the Irish-Americans feel about the date selection, but state Sen. Lisa Marrache, D-Waterville, said it’s important […]
Posted inPolitical Grind, sj-web
Maine State Chamber supports tax reform
The Maine State Chamber of Commerce has changed it’s position on the tax reform referendum facing voters on June 8, recently voting “overwhelmingly” to support the new law and oppose it’s repeal, according to a press release. The release was issued by the political action committee supporting the No on 1 position, which would maintain […]