After opponents of Question 2 withdrew a recount request on Tuesday, the question of tax reform will shift to Gov. Paul LePage and the Legislature — where it was probably going anyway. The Republican governor has made cutting taxes perhaps his biggest priority in office, signing a budget that provided the largest income tax cut […]
Paul LePage
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Gov. Paul LePage pushes for cheaper electricity
Taking aim at green power initiatives that raise energy costs, Gov. Paul LePage said in his weekly radio address Wednesday that Maine consumers deserve a break. “Decades of corruption, poor decision-making and wealthy special interests controlling Augusta” have left the state shouldering higher-than-necessary costs for energy, the governor said, a legacy he claims crimps business […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage says Mainers didn’t understand referendum questions
AUGUSTA (AP) — Republican Gov. Paul LePage says he will propose slashing the income tax rate to lessen the impact of a new income surtax and minimum wage hike that Mainers approved this month. The idea will be in LePage’s budget proposal due in January. In a letter to legislators, LePage said Maine voters didn’t […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage names latest acting education commissioner
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage shuffled in another acting commissioner of the Maine Department of Education on Monday — a procedural move that lets him leave the de facto chief in place while continuing to avoid a confirmation hearing. The Republican governor gave Robert Hasson, the department’s director of certification, the job of acting commissioner, […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Refugees to keep coming to Maine despite Gov. Paul LePage’s opposition
AUGUSTA — Refugees will continue entering Maine despite Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s announcement that the state will no longer participate in a federally funded resettlement program. So far this year, about 607 refugees were resettled in Maine, and more will arrive next year. Over the past decade, the state has worked with Catholic Charities of Maine […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage wants statewide support to put referendum on ballot
AUGUSTA — GOP Gov. Paul LePage says southern Maine and out-of-state money have too much influence on what referendum questions appear on the ballot. In his weekly address, LePage said he will submit legislation asking lawmakers to amend the state constitutional to require ballot campaigns to gather a proportion of signatures from each county. Right […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Immigration policy poorly executed
The recent position about immigrants and refugees taken by Gov. Paul LePage and Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald illuminates one of those rare instances where local citizens get to see first-hand how inept federal policies affect their communities. Let me say, categorically, this writing is not about being anti-immigrant or anti-refugee. This is about common sense […]
Posted inFranklin, Livermore Falls Advertiser
Gov. Paul LePage touts Trump win, thanks veterans in special service
JAY — Gov. Paul LePage told members of the New Life Baptist Church during a special Veterans Day service Sunday that he is “hoping and praying” Donald Trump will make good on his campaign promises. The governor talked about his support of the president-elect and praised veterans, servicemen and first responders for service to their […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Gov. Paul LePage eyes delay on marijuana laws
Whether Mainers will get to toke up without worrying about the police may depend on President-elect Donald Trump. Gov. Paul LePage told a Portland radio station he “will be talking to Donald Trump about it” because he’s not sure if the new administration is going to enforce a federal law prohibiting the use of marijuana. […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage says Sen. Susan Collins is ‘done in Maine’
Gov. Paul LePage told WGAN on Wednesday that “we saved the country” by electing Donald Trump, but he hasn’t moved to the conciliatory phase just yet with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, another Republican heavy-hitter. “I think Susan Collins is done in Maine,” he said when asked if she was going to run for governor in 2018. He cited her […]