AUGUSTA, Maine — The Republican senator co-sponsoring a bill that would provide $250,000 starting July 1 for the operation of the Dolby landfill in East Millinocket predicted Friday its unanimous passage next week.
But Sen. Doug Thomas, R-Ripley, said he had no idea whether Gov. Paul LePage would agree with his fellow Republicans or attempt to block the bill if the Senate passes it. The House unanimously passed LD 1683 on Thursday and the Senate is due to address it Monday, officials said.
“I don’t have a clue. The governor has talked about vetoing bills and then passed them,” said Thomas, whose district includes East Millinocket and Millinocket. “If he does veto it, he will have a plan. He may already have a plan and [know that] we do not need the $250,000.”
“The governor was not real pleased with the bill from the beginning because he thought he had alternatives,” Thomas added.
The landfill is part of a dispute between LePage and Millinocket town leaders in which accusations of deal-breaking and lying have been exchanged. Town officials have accused LePage of bullying and threatened to sue state government over his decision last Wednesday to allocate to Millinocket $504,000 in Sudden and Severe Impact funds, not the $720,000 Millinocket is entitled to. The funds are state aid given to municipalities that suffer severe tax valuation losses, such as those caused by the devaluation of the two towns’ paper mills.
LePage spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett said the governor believed Millinocket leaders broke an agreement to contribute $50,000 annually to the maintenance of the landfill. The state’s assuming ownership of the landfill last spring was a key element to the state-government-engineered sale of both towns’ paper mills and the restart of East Millinocket’s mill in October, which restored about 216 jobs.
Millinocket officials said they agreed only to a one-time $50,000 payment and that LePage’s actions might be illegal. They said he lacks authority to withhold the funding, which the town is legally entitled to, and that part of his reasoning — that the Millinocket mill was overvalued for several years — is flawed because mill owners and state and local officials agreed to the mill’s valuation for several years.
Millinocket Town Councilor John Raymond announced in an email Friday that the town’s website, millinocket.org, has posted within it copies of all of the town’s documentation showing that town leaders never agreed to multi-year $50,000 payments. The documents are under the heading “School Funding Controversy.”
Bennett did not return telephone messages regarding LD 1683 on Thursday or Friday.
Among LePage’s alternatives is having a private firm run the landfill, which still accepts paper mill wastes, as a commercial venture, Thomas said. State government is seeking proposals now from interested businesses.
Maine Department of Environmental Protection funding might also be available, Thomas said. Under state plans, the Department of Economic and Community Development will operate the landfill, he said.
LePage and other state officials have worked hard on the mills’ deal and the landfill problem, Thomas said.
“There’s been a lot of debate,” Thomas said, “that we don’t need $250,000, we need $200,000, and there has been some talk that we can [operate it] for below that much.”
Debate over the landfill, Thomas said, shouldn’t obscure the goal behind it all: The revitalization of the Millinocket mill, which has been shut down for several years, and the planned addition to that mill site of machines that make torrefied wood, a coal substitute.
The mill’s new owner, Cate Street Capital of New Hampshire, hopes to have the first torrefied wood machine operational early next year.
“My primary goal in all of this is that I want both of those mills to run,” Thomas said. “The landfill issue is kind of a byproduct of all this, but when all of this is said and done, the most important thing is the restart of both of those mills.”
Thomas said he has no plans to press LePage to support LD 1683, which Rep. Herb Clark, D-Millinocket, co-sponsored.
“I am going to leave it to him. He knows that the landfill has to be operated,” Thomas said.
LePage will NOT veto this bill. Why? Because his deeply thought out “Plan” is to let this bill go through then sit back and pray:
A) The folks in Millinocket will be satisfied enough not to take him to court and further expose him and ultimately win.
B) That those same folks who worked with him behind closed doors will hopefully stop telling us what they learned there about him as a businessman and leader.
I do not think the Legislature would authorize a lawsuit. Read the paperwork and see what you think? Especially the last part of the Dec 6th letter from DECD, from the 5th task to the last paragraph.
Bruce, could you post a link?
http://www.millinocket.org/ to the right items of interest. School funding controversy. Of interest read the letter dated December 5th 20aa 2nd page, the last task and last paragraph. I had some trouble downloading it. If you do let me know. I am not sure why though.
Bruce,
Oh My Gosh!!! No enterprising Maine newspaper bothered to read that??? Or report on it.?? What a story.!!! And how very revealing of who the Maine people elected Governor.!!!
If there are witnesses to what is reported in that official town meorandum at this link,that the Governor essentially tried to extort from the town and the threats he made, there is no “seoverign immunity” here..he was. in my opinion, acting so far outside the scope of “official action” that you can just sue him personally and should.. He was using the power of his office to extort and threaten the town into meeting his demands and thereby using his authority and influence over the funds at issue essentially for private and apparently political purpose. It does not matter that he did not extort the funds for his personal use.
I think it is a valid cause of action and it would serve to bring a lot of truth out and it would make the Governor personally, not the state, responsible for his actions in orderung the with holding the $216,000 due the town for its hardship and sudden loss of revenue. There must be a hundred lawyers in the state who would just love to do this pro bono for you. I think it is misconduct to a level that should result in his removal from office.
I’m a Risk Manager, not an attorney, but please all attorney’s chime in here after reading what Bruce point us to , chime in and advise, chime in and help.
When an officer or employee operates “outside the scope of his employment” the employer is not liable for the employees actions, the person is responisble for their own actions and all costs of defense and all judgment sof the court which in this case would be financial only..but that would come out of his personal pocket as would all the attorney fees.
How great and how just would that be!!! That the Governor pay out of his own pocket for all attorney fees and for the damages against the town. He is not a wealthy man and using the wealth of his backers and advisors would be very very unwise ( his actual financial status is a matter of record). Perhaps he would resign ( if you made that the condition) rather than face bankrupcy while in office.. You could drop the suit in exchnage for his resignation.
If you call that extortion, then you would have to call the town threatening to sue the state, UNLESS the funds are released. I still would like to see what difference there is in paper work. You have to read all the articles together, their is more than meets the eye here.
Bruce I did read it all. In my opinion the Governor was actimg personally and outside the scope of his employment in making these threats and trying to extort these concessions for the town.for his political gain. I think the town should sue him personally ( soveerign immunity doesn’t cover personal actions outside the scope f employment..esxtortion os outside the scope of the governor’s employment)
On that particular item, the Gov. was not trying to extort. They asked the town to let them know if the aove correctly reflects your recollection of what was discussed. Which the correspondance does not say anything, other than the discussion of Annual cost, not a one time cost. In re-reading comments in the artcile there is nothing specific that says if you give the state more than the $50,000 one time payment then I will giv you the $216,000. Also the Gov. was not happy with the evaluation before this come to light. If the town were to sue, then in that train of thinking he could counter-sue the town. Also if I was the Gov. and those (all) who were at the meeting he might sue for libel and slanderous accusations if they are untrue. Since the town still has a lawsuit before the State Supreme Court, it may not be in the Town of Millinockets, best interest. I still firmly believe that all parties involve have to get over the squabble, and actually sit down and talk reasonably. Whether one agrees or not the State of Maine went to great lengths to secure this sale.
If it isn’t in writing then there is no agreement. Any high school business law student could tell you that. To think that a multi-year deal to run a landfill would be done on a hand shake defies logic. No wonder he wants to do business behind closed doors and keep his papers secret. After hearing about the way Maine is being run by this supposed “businessman” it is not difficult to see why businesses are not rushing to do business in Maine.
Business law is taught in high school?
Who knew?
It was at one time, I know I took the class.
And that was at Stearns :)
Wonder why Thomas co-sponsored the bill outside of his district.
It is in his Senate District. It is an extremely big district.
Didn’t realize it goes ALL he way up there. I’m at the other end. Big district. Wonder if he has Clayton Lake too.
Anything bigger Ripley is to much for Thomas!
I doubt that,he gets up this way. Seem to sound like s disgruntled democrat lol
No, I do not think it goes all the way there. Probably one of the biggest districts in the State.
Don’t worry, Rep. Clark is termed out. He’ll be going after Sen Thomas seat ahah
Hopefully he will not get enough signatures to make it on the ballot. One of Millinocket Councilmen was in Stearns asking for workers to sign while working.I find this somewhat rude and not work related.
This is just the calm before the storm. Just wait until the legislature has to find the $17 million Lepage gave to his pals in Canada when he illegally bought this leaking toxic dump for us.
You really should be more informed about what you’re talking about before you post.
Clifford, see above. I found there was quite a bit of readily available information on the history of this deal on line..so we don’t have to rely on mere opnion. Facts are available and important as you point out.
My search yesterday showed there was prior publication of State DEP’s estimated $17 million toxic cleanup costs and State DEP’s estimated annual $250,000 in operating costs. It was well known and well publicized at the time that the acquisition entailed these ogoing costs and this immense public liability as a State expense.
And the bad part is, Cliffford, a little thought and a little creative thinking where the 600 workers out of work and the devasated economy of the towns was truly at the center of concern, truly the objective, would have easily and readily yielded wiser solutions.
As Sen. Cynthia Dill said publicly at the time, this was a false choice jobs vs this landfill. That was never the choice and this was not the wisest way to help the towns or the 600 unemployed workers.
Lindsay, my research didn’t start yesterday and I don’t care what a few senators had to say.
I live here-they don’t. The point is the governor didn’t “pay” the Canadian owners anything as Lord Whitman stated. That was a total misrepresentation. Yours is better but not much.
Am I upset as a taxpayer of both the state and Millinocket (who by the way has nothing to with the mills) that a large corporate entity was let “off the hook” for an enviromnental liability? Sure. Your post doesn’t quite tell the whole story. Brookfield probably could have covered a large part of the closing cost by selling off the mills as scrap. In reality, a 100 billion dollar corporation would just sneeze at 17 million but it is in their best interest to get a good deal even if it meant strong arming a weak opponent. If I remember correctly the mills were basically handed over for nothing. This deal had more to do with FUTURE owners not willing to accept the liabilty of a landfill and that I can understand. Starting with the fact (that you failed to mention) that the landfill does generate revenue now and it was projected that it can make more than enough to make a profit and cover closing cost with a proper plan in place.
Lindsay, why do I suspect your “creative thinking” statement may be referring to Quimbyland Theme Park? Give it up.
Also Linsay, I don’t know the exact number but how long do you think it takes for the now app 200 workers and vendors to put 17 million back into the economy not to mention taxes paid? This is not even including the Millinocket torrified wood plant to be built and the possibilty of making paper there. Not very long if you consider the alternative of more welfare, unemployment, lost tax revenue. 17 million is nothing in reality if things were managed right. The governor budgeted 120 million this year for MaineCare alone. In 2009, the average cost of medicaid in Maine was $1890.00 per resident. The cost of the landfill liability is app $12.80 per resident not counting the return to the economy of having the mills open.
The details of this deal are what concern me. I want to see a plan that is going to be well managed and not this quibbling among officials in the media.
Clifford,
I think we are actually on the same page. I am all for a $17 million investment in these mlls, in these people in these old Maine towns. My grandfater was Superintendednt of the mill in Lincoln during some very tough decades. (Thad Bowker) and is still much beoved and respected.When I go to tend the family graves every year people always spea to me about him. My family has been in Maine sice the 170o’s when Maine was still Mass.
I would just rather that we had invested our $17 million more wisely and would love to have seen this mill, like Cianbro, an employee owned comany. I believe in the wisdom and know how of people who have been in these mills for generations. I believe with the right supprt and great co-investors like the company that owns it now seems to be these mills can be safe, green, profitable and have global markets in a global world. I owuld just like to have seen it be employee owned so that instead of mere wages, mere jobs, they would be co- investors and share in those profits.
I just think we didn’t invest wisely. Didn’t get as much leverage for $17 million as we might have.
I wish the mill, the new owners and Millinocket well with all my heart. How could I do otherwise coming from an old mill family in that neck of the woods and as a Mainer.
That was very well said. I would say that to think any idea of the workers somehow running these mills would have be impossible without very deep pockets and management expertise. Besides, you would still need the landfill. We hope Cate St. will succeed. And they are being creative to make this work. It does no good at this point to have them see people fighting in these blogs. Let’s get supportive and show them we do appreciate what they are trying to do.
Worked well for Cianbro ( employee ownership)….and many many pulp and paper mills all over the country have done it and are doing it. here is one example
http://www.blueheronpaper.com/about_hist.html
Next time we are thinking about $17 million to save a paper mill..let’s think this way and in this direction . Let’s turn this very badly informed experience into a learning that will take us in the right direction next time.
And yes I hope Cate Street. the mill and millinocket have the full support of all Maine legislators and all Maine people..
I just posted a link to the Lincoln Mill at my facebook and hope it’s story will inform attitudes to Maine mills and also frame vision for possibilities. http://www.lpandt.com/products/marketpulp/
Cliff you cant argue with Occupy Millinocket…..
Do you care what Lepage says about this issue? Here is a direct quote from Lepage saying he will not take on any liabilities with voter approved.
Here is his quote from the is office website
Article IX, Section 14 of Maine’s Constitution is clear. With very rare exceptions, the credit of the state shall not be directly or indirectly loaned without a two-thirds vote of the Legislature and a majority vote of electors.I have made it clear to every agency that has been in the business of issuing obligations backed up by Maine’s taxpayers that I will not be authorizing any issuance of debt that is not directly approved by the voters.Here is the linkhttp://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=Gov_Radio_Addresses&id=199843&v=article Better hurry, I expect this page will be gone soon.
Thank you. I don’t know if the acquisition was illegal but it certainly was highly irregular and unwise to take on such a huge open ended public libaility at all. The speculative, asset stripping owner who left 600 people out of work, should have retained the ownership of the landfill.
The promised sale on which this “emergency” acqusition was extracted never happened..the Governor went ahead anyway with support from both the editor of the Press Herald and support from Michael Michaud.
The deal was not conditioned upon performance by the buyer that would have left the landfill with the seller if the sale didn’t go through.
Both Sen Cynthia Dill, Senator Schneider of Orono and others spoke out at the time against the unwise and costly plan that didn’t help mill workers one bit , didn’t help the town one bit.It only helped this speculative asset stripping company realize immeasurably greater profits.
If the state were willing to take on a $17 million liabaility why not have financed a takeover by the workers themselves and left the toxic landfill in the hands of the predatory asset stripping owner..they might have eventually found as co-investor the wonderful company who are now owners and the 600 workers would be co-owners co-investors with a real stake in the mill and the state would be getting repaid for their $17 million investment out of the mills earnings.
That’s the bottom line here. The insistence on taking over this toxic landfill was about helping a predatory asset stripping mill owner who never intended to operate the mill make an even greater profit. It was never about the 600 workers out of work. It was never about restoring economic vitality to these mill towns.
Like so much else this administration does..It was a trojan horse.
To help a profiteer, “we the people” have a $17 million liability for a toxic land fill.
I would be very proud to carry my share of a $17 million liablity that ended up with mill workers co owning and co-managing the mill.
I am ashamed and frustrated at what our Governor has left us with. What he did at the expense of mill workers, at the expense of Millinocket and East Millinocket, at the expense of “we the people”. This acquisition was not needed and not appropriate.
More lies the landfill acquisition lead to the sale of the Mills and put hundreds of people back to work and many more in the near future. Your praising of Sen Dill is a joke her support for Quimby and the crazy National Park would destroy the sale and the start up of our great Mills.Viva Lepage!!
I don’t know Senator Dill.. I am referring to a newsaper article quoting her and Senator Schneider of Orono before the vote on the acquisition. I agree with both of their quoted statements having researched the background myself. I also must say I have seen other quotes of Dill that I agree with and consider wise and well resasoned. ( She is an attorney). Also Senator Schneider seems to me to always speak wisely.
If you feel that Sem Dill doesn’t understand mills or mill towns, you should write to her
Here is a direct quote from a speech Lepage gave where he said he would never take on any liabilities without voter approval.
The link to the state’s website where I got his quote is included.”Article IX, Section 14 of Maine’s Constitution is clear. With very rare exceptions, the credit of the state shall not be directly or indirectly loaned without a two-thirds vote of the Legislature and a majority vote of electors.I have made it clear to every agency that has been in the business of issuing obligations backed up by Maine’s taxpayers that I will not be authorizing any issuance of debt that is not directly approved by the voters.”http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=Gov_Radio_Addresses&id=199843&v=article
{ “I don’t have a clue said Thomas }
No Kidding!
Might as well be fair now and fund every publicly-owned dump in the state.
When it passes he will not utter a word. He’s been told that litigation will have him under oath. If he continues to insist that his original lie was the truth, he will leave a clear path to Impeachment. Why do you think the AG hasn’t ruled on the town’s question of legitimacy for LePage giving less then the law dictates? C’mon LePage, veto the Bill will ya? I want to see you sweat in court…
Absolutely dead on JJ ! We now have a ‘moose in the headlight’s’ situation. All that’s required is for the moose to do something stupid and it’s all over.
Who says the AG has not ruled, because it has not been in the paper does not mean he has not. I have an idea, let us give them all a lie detector test. Remember also in litigation all parties will be under oath.
Bruce, I understand from more than a few of your recent postings on various subjects, that you have a huge axe to grind with the town. I encourage you to channel that suspicion and anger toward a rightful recipient, LePage. I’m sure there will be other transgressions the Town Mgr and the rest of the crew will do to tick you off. In this instance however, by LePage calling Conlogue and the Council disingenuous, he is calling all of us out, and I for one have had enough of him running his mouth at my expense.
That is very true, but when one calls someone a liar and it is very possible that they should be looking in the mirror. Actually the axe is not grinding, it is still sticking in our backs. Even so, merely reading the documents this is not all about LePage, and remember what thte Governor and the State did for this area? Whether your dislike for the Governor is so strong or not, whether handshake or not (and they both dispute the meaning) by calling the Gov. a liar more than once is not in the best interest of the town or the State, nor trying to get the situaton cleared up.
There are always two sides to a story. The Governor’s story is obviously bogus and the Town’s totally reactive statements are over the top from any kind of discourse between a town and Augusta that I’ve ever heard, but somewhere in the middle I have the distinct feeling that LePage blew this one despite the humdrum intellectualism of our town leaders.
I think they both totally blew it.
Bruce stop it please..
Well they encouraged me to channel that suspicion and anger toward the rightful recipient. If the shoe fits.
http://www.millinocket.org/documents/1468851b3b1b071a324bcf4847bc7892.pdf
Is it unusual not to support your own bill?