Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap’s office said between 13 and 17 percent of Maine’s registered voters is expected turn out for the elections, where all Maine voters will decide on Question 1, an election reform effort, and $100 million in transportation and housing bonds. So far, less than 2 percent of registered Maine voters have […]
politics
Posted inMaine
Maine GOP to collect signatures on Election Day
On the eve of the election, the party was working to have petitions printed and distributed to 140 polling places by Tuesday, Maine GOP Executive Director Jason Savage said. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said it would take an “unprecedented effort” for the party to get enough valid signatures of registered voters turned in to […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Advocates, businesses at odds over Maine clean elections law
PORTLAND (AP) — Maine voters are getting ready to decide proposed changes to their state’s public campaign finance law as business interests disagree over the measure, the governor calls it “a scam” and a U.S. senator praises the effort to “pull back the curtain on secret money.” The Mainers for Accountable Elections championed the proposal […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
County charter referendum divides commissioners, municipalities
The issue of who has the final authority on the county budget, especially regarding salaries and compensation for elected officials, has divided Androscoggin County’s commissioners and municipalities for the past year. So it should be no surprise that the two groups are on opposite sides of Tuesday’s referendum vote to amend the county charter. Androscoggin […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lewiston mayoral campaign spending pushes City Council donations up
LEWISTON — Campaign spending by Lewiston city councilors may not be keeping the pace set in the race for the mayor’s seat, but it’s much higher than in years past. Candidates for the seven open seats have collected $9,469 in donations for the seats — 2.3 times more than all candidates collected two years ago. […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Lewiston officials decline to call Joe Dunne a slumlord
LEWISTON — The call for Lewiston’s Fire Department on Wednesday morning should have been relatively routine. A furnace was malfunctioning at 37 Jefferson St. and emitting fumes and smoke into the building, according to the call from a resident. There was no fire when firefighters arrived minutes later and as they do in most of […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
U.S. Supreme Court to hear 2 Maine gun cases
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has agreed to hear appeals from two Maine men who say their guilty pleas for hitting their partners should not disqualify them from owning guns. The justices on Friday said they would review lower court rulings that upheld convictions against Stephen Voisine and William Armstrong III for owning guns even […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Collins and King support rural care program for veterans
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Maine’s U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King are urging Robert McDonald, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to provide support for a program that allows veterans in rural states to seek health care treatments from local medical providers. The Access Received Closer to Home program allows eligible veterans in […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Congress passes budget and debt deal
WASHINGTON — Legislation sparing the country the specter of a catastrophic default and partial government shutdown is ready for President Barack Obama’s signature after the Senate passed it by a comfortable margin. Senators voted 64-35 for the measure, which also provides a two-year budget, in the early hours Friday. Democrats teamed with Republican defense hawks […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Androscoggin County, municipal attorneys trade rhetorical punches
LEWISTON — Lawyers representing a dozen Androscoggin County municipalities and the county commissioners in the dispute over who has the power to approve the county’s budget got personal this week, following the Sun Journal’s coverage of an informational meeting in Turner on the county charter amendment. Lewiston attorney Peter Brann, who represents the cities, strongly […]