12/3/98
The first team players for the two-year Maine Political Series
is now complete with the election of Senate Republican leaders.
Jane Amero of Cape Elizabeth, opposed by Jim Libby of Gorham, was
re-elected minority leader. Rick Bennett of Norway, without
opposition, was elected assistant floor leader.
The election completion of all partisan legislative leaders means
that only one member of the eight legislative council (House
Republican assistant floor leader Dick Campbell) is from north of
the Penobscot River evoking wails from northern Maine as
leadership representation without representatives.
The first half hour of the Senate Republican caucus (at the State
GOP HQ bivouac in Hallowell) was held in an executive, non-public
scrum as the Senate R's are wont to do when the media is about.
Various explanations for the eyes-only scrum was to discuss the
election. That is, why the R's lost one seat from last session
with the final scoreboard recording 20-14-1. The 1 being
Independent Sen. Jill Goldthwait of Bar Harbor, an often Democrat
cheerleader.
Amero challenger Libby was optimistic a few minutes prior to
election suggesting maybe a tie. Libby was nominated by Vinton
Cassidy of Calais and seconded by Leo Kieffer of Caribou, two
good ol' northern Maine boys.
Three of the 14 senators were not in attendance. Bruce MacKinnon
was in Florida and his phone was brrr-brrr off the hook. It was
suggested he might be out of touch on the golf course.
John Benoit and Betty Lou Mitchell were in some undisclosed
location but electronically off-and-on in touch with GOP central
via eerie speaker-phone for half an hour.
Considering that the ballot was secret with three votes absent
without proxy, Jim Libby rightfully raised a voting procedure
question. It was decided that if the absentee votes made any
difference, the caucus would face that quandary at ballot count
time. Apparently it didn't because Phil Harriman announced after
all present had voted in the scrum closet that Amero had won. The
ballot totals were not announced.
Both elected leaders outlined plans for the future re-capture of
the legislature, hopefully in two years by aggressive recruiting
of candidates including some who failed in the past November
election. Bennett in acceptance included Gov. King and the
Democrats, both who stiffed the R's last session, as those who he
hoped to work with in the 119th Legislature.
It was even heresy suggested in the open caucus scrum that there
was a growing division between Democrats and Gov. King which the
R's could use to their advantage. The R's should perhaps first
watch the bill filings and King stiff-arms before reconciling
with the Governor's trendy-spendy programs.
House minority leader Tom Murphy of Kennebunk has also suggested
bi-partisan cooperation with the Governor and Democrats which can
be considered normal pre-session posturing.
The legislative leadership elections provided few surprises
including the heavily weighted southern Maine geographical
representation.
Enter via media freshman legislator John Martin of Eagle Lake,
northern Maine's self-anointed superstar savior. Martin may have
half the state in his rhetorical pocket but not House Speaker
Steve Rowe who was in the vanguard of Democrats who dethroned
former Speaker Martin in the infamous ballot tampering fiasco.
Rowe's dilemma is where to stash Martin to keep him out of
mischief. Rep. Elizabeth Townsend of Portland seems headed for
the H-chair of appropriations, a seat Martin would covet for a
power platform.
The appropriations appointments are critical to the Republicans.
Rick Bennett, who served on that committee, is now a floor leader
and will not be on the committee. Neither will R-ranking minority
member David Ott who was term limited.
Over in the King Executive Orchard, Dana Connors has been busy
buzzing about like a fruit fly - perhaps getting the Second
Coming King Coronation Plan on order to the caterers?
And so the players are now all signed under contract for the tax
squeeze series about to unfold on the big Dirigo screen for the
next two years. It's rated ouch.