State appears to back away from local issues (letter)

Kennebec Journal, August 29, 2007

(excerpt) In the July issue of the Maine Townsman, Geoff Herman of the Maine Municipal Association writes, "a surprising number of our currently elected legislators are of the opinion that state government has every right to abolish existing local units of government and create new units of local government without even allowing the local voters to weigh-in."

He goes on to say that this is what the governor's school consolidation proposal and the appropriation subcommittee's proposal would have done. This concept of treating voters as if they don't deserve to have a part in decisions that will have a major impact their children's lives and their property taxes was a key part of the school consolidation debate.

It took a group of legislators who made up the rural caucus to promote the idea that voters needed to be given the opportunity to express their opinion on this major element of the state budget.