Good morning from Augusta, where legislative and gubernatorial candidates using Maine’s taxpayer-funded campaign system will be watching to see if Gov. Paul LePage’s administration releases a key disbursement of campaign funds pursuant to a court order.
The state must make taxpayer funds available to candidates today … unless the LePage administration appeals. A Maine judge ruled last week that the Republican governor couldn’t block roughly $1 million in payments to legislative and gubernatorial candidates using the Clean Election program. That ruling said the state must make funds owed to candidates available within three business days. Today is that third day.
We should know by day’s end if LePage’s budget department has taken steps to release the money to the Maine Ethics Commission, which would then pass it to candidates. The LePage administration could also appeal the decision to a higher court and ask for a delay in enforcing last week’s decision, which could drag things out for weeks longer.
To read the rest of “It’s a day of reckoning for Maine Clean Election candidates,” an article by contributing Bangor Daily News staff writer Michael Shepherd, please follow this link to the BDN online.
