The Maine Wire
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Maine Wire TV
  • About
  • Contact
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending News
  • Maine Wire TV: Gary Drinkwater and Heidi Sampson on School Vaccine Mandates and Education Reform
  • Question A Helps Fix the Mess Socialists Made in Portland
  • Pro-Life Group Thinks Mills’ Late-Term Abortion Bill Lacks Votes to Pass
  • House Dems Vote Against Letting Healthcare Workers Who Refused COVID-19 Jabs Return to Jobs
  • Portland Police Seize 67 Grams of Fentanyl in Arrest
  • NYC Mayor Says City Considering Housing Asylum Seekers in ‘Private Residences’
  • Notorious Cold War Spy Dies In Prison
  • Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows Claims Credible Threat Made Against Her Life on Social Media
Facebook Twitter Instagram
The Maine Wire
Login
Tuesday, June 6
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Maine Wire TV
  • About
  • Contact
The Maine Wire
Home » News » Maine Government Gets an F for Transparency
News

Maine Government Gets an F for Transparency

Liam SigaudBy Liam SigaudNovember 10, 2015No Comments2 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Reddit
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

Maine earned an F in a recent review of states’ transparency and accountability practices conducted by the Center for Public Integrity. With a numerical score of 56, Maine tied for 42nd among the 50 states.

Maine received its lowest scores in the areas of ethics enforcement, electoral oversight, and public access to information. According to the report, the loopholes in the state’s Freedom of Information Act, upon which investigative reporters heavily rely, have become glaring. For example, after receiving a request from the Sun Journal, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention destroyed documents regarding the state’s decision-making process in allocating grants, but the law was too vague to support litigation. Maine’s open government legislation also gives public officials discretion to determine “reasonable” response times, sometimes leading to long delays on controversial requests.

The review also noted that the Maine Ethics Commission has jurisdiction only over legislative affairs, and that the judicial and executive branches lack strong independent oversight. As a result, ethics disputes – as was evident in the Good Will-Hinckley controversy – are left up to politicians and the media instead of being authoritatively adjudicated by a specific agency.

Campaign finance details and political favors often fall through the cracks of Maine’s election laws. For instance, there were no public disclosures when 22 Maine legislators ate dinner and spent the night at an event hosted by Time Warner to discuss Internet speeds. Despite the luxurious setting of the coastal resort and the exotic menu items, Maine law doesn’t require elected officials to disclose “gifts” valued under $300.

Calls for increased transparency have led to improvements in recent years, according to the report. In 2013, a law was passed prohibiting former legislators from lobbying executive and legislative officials for one year after leaving office. And funds have been appropriated to make financial disclosure information more accessible to the public.

Featured Maine maine ethics commission
Previous ArticlePoliquin: Washington Must Deliver Its Promises To Veterans
Next Article Sigaud: What People Get Wrong About Raising The Minimum Wage
Liam Sigaud

Liam Sigaud is a former policy analyst at Maine Policy Institute. A native of Rockland, Maine, he holds a B.A. in Biology from the University of Maine at Augusta and has studied policy analysis and economics at the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine. He can be reached by email at liam.sigaud@maine.edu.

Related Posts

Pro-Life Group Thinks Mills’ Late-Term Abortion Bill Lacks Votes to Pass

June 6, 2023

House Dems Vote Against Letting Healthcare Workers Who Refused COVID-19 Jabs Return to Jobs

June 6, 2023

Portland Police Seize 67 Grams of Fentanyl in Arrest

June 6, 2023

Leave A Reply

Recent News

Maine Wire TV: Gary Drinkwater and Heidi Sampson on School Vaccine Mandates and Education Reform

June 6, 2023

Question A Helps Fix the Mess Socialists Made in Portland

June 6, 2023

Pro-Life Group Thinks Mills’ Late-Term Abortion Bill Lacks Votes to Pass

June 6, 2023

House Dems Vote Against Letting Healthcare Workers Who Refused COVID-19 Jabs Return to Jobs

June 6, 2023

Portland Police Seize 67 Grams of Fentanyl in Arrest

June 6, 2023
Newsletter

News

  • News
  • Campaigns & Elections
  • Opinion & Commentary
  • Media Watch
  • Education
  • Media

Maine Wire

  • About the Maine Wire
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Commentary
  • Complaints
  • Maine Policy Institute

Resources

  • Maine Legislature
  • Legislation Finder
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Maine Wire TV

Facebook Twitter Instagram Steam RSS
  • Post Office Box 7829, Portland, Maine 04112

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Sign In or Register

Welcome Back!

Login below or Register Now.

Lost password?

Register Now!

Already registered? Login.

A password will be e-mailed to you.