REPUBLICANS REJECT REVIEW OF CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS “STATE TIME” VERSUS “CAMPAIGN TIME”
AUGUSTA—Republicans in the Maine Senate killed a measure that sought to clarify the roles and responsibilities for Constitutional Officers who concurrently run for higher elected office during their service as Constitutional Officer. Senator John Patrick of Oxford introduced the Joint Order,“An Act to Ensure That the Responsibilities of a Constitutional Officer Are Not Compromised When the Constitutional Officer Is a Candidate for Office”.
“We have three Constitutional Officers running for state-wide office. We need to understand how the people of Maine will be served while they are on the campaign trail,” said Sen. Patrick. “We also need to clarify how their time is spent. Their time is paid for by tax payer money. At the very least we have a public perception problem.”
Last week, Sen. Patrick requested an after-deadline bill to address this issue but that request was also rejected in a straight party line vote by Republicans on the Legislative Council. At that time, Sen. Patrick expressed a sense of urgency and concern that without the Legislature clarifying this issue it would be challenging to know “when the line may be crossed”.
The debate on the Senate floor lasted for more than an hour.
“When I see the Secretary of State holding campaign events during the business day ‘under the dome,’ I think the taxpayers of Maine would object vigorously,” said Senator Elizabeth Schneider of Orono. “You cannot say with a straight face that a candidate can run a state-wide campaign and work a more-than-40-hour-a-week job and, do both well.”
Some Republicans asked what had changed from previous years when Constitutional Officers ran for higher office—the most recent officer running in 1994.
State Senator Cynthia Dill responded to this question, “Maine has passed a law that prohibits lawmakers and state employees from engaging in political activity but Constitutional Officers are exempt. It strikes me that this may be a flaw in the law. With three of our state’s Constitutional Officers running, now is the time to consider whether this makes sense.”
There is no further action to be taken until the next legislative session. Sen. Patrick intends to submit a similar bill for consideration in the 126th Legislature. Patrick added, “At this point, all we can do is let hardworking Maine taxpayers decide whether they want to pay full time wagesfor part time work. Seems to me we’re not getting all that we’re paying for.”
