The RECORD

Taxpayer Bill of Rights supporters gathered in Augusta at 10 a.m. this morning for a press conference. The controversial measure is championed by Mary Adams, a long time conservative economic activist in Maine. She rallied volunteers to gather the required number of signatures to place the measure on the ballot on November 7, 2006. Adams used to write for the League's RECORD when Ben Bubar was leader of the League. She is from the small town of Garland.

The ballot question reads, "Do you want to limit increases in state and local government spending to the rate of inflation plus population growth and to require voter approval for all tax and fee increases?" A yes vote will enact the measure.
The Christian Education League's president Elaine Bridge attended the press conference. While the League is not taking a position on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights Bridge is supporting it. She was pleased to see so many out in support of the proposal, but disappointed that more members of the press weren't there.

Gary Foster spoke to the group numbering approximately 60 people. Those gathered represented most of the 16 counties in Maine. Foster is chairman of the Gray Town Council who endorsed the Taxpayer Bill of Rights in May. Foster took issue with opponents who suggest that the measure will force budget reductions and cut essential services such as fire, rescue, and police. Foster asserts, "This is simply not true and in fact is an insult to responsible municipal officials," He continued, "No responsible elected official would first consider cutting essential services in order to reduce spending."
The Maine Municipal Association (MMA) is opposed to the ballot measure. Waterville's Mayor, Paul LePage, takes issue with the MMA. In August he wrote a letter to Geoff Herman, the President of the MMA, critical of an informational meeting planned for today by the group. In the letter LePage calls the meeting "one sided and self-indulgent." He expresses concern for the elderly living on fixed incomes and asks that the MMA help communities govern more efficiently instead of expend "taxpayer dollars for your own personal survival." He calls letters from the MMA to groups like the Maine Oil Dealers Association (a supporter of the measure) "despicable."

A flyer produced the Taxpayer Bill of Rights PAC, in which the LePage letter is a prominent feature, asserts that "Maine has the highest property taxes in the country as a percent of our incomes!"
The liberal group "Democracy Maine" is a leader in the fight against the tax cutting referendum. Democracy Maine claims to be a voice "against extremism." They claim the bill is from "out of state" even though the 60,000 signatures were gathered by registered Maine voters. A fund raising email from the group's executive director Jon Crasnick claims that "Hurricane TABOR wipes out real tax reform."

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights movement has a national component. It is supported by Grover Norquist, President of the economically conservative group "Americans for Tax Reform." Norquist visited Maine earlier this year in support of the measure. Tax limiting language similar to that contained in Maine's Taxpayer Bill of Rights has appeared in Colorado's Constitution since 1992. In 2005 Colorado voters decided to suspend major elements of the constitutional provision.

The group that is opposing TABOR is called Citizens United. Their statewide partners are the AARP, the Maine Education Association, the Maine Municipal Association and the MSEA-SEIU.