173715  Senator Thomas B. Seviello

I 3 State House Station
.  Augusta, ME 04333-0003
 .. (207) 287?1505

    

June 29, 2015

Government Oversight Committee
82 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04330-0082

Chairman Katz and Chairman Kruger,

Recent reports, if accurate, offer a chilling example of a potential of executive authority
by the Governor. As you know, Speaker Eves was recently hired by Good Will?Hinckley to
become the school?s next President. As has been reported, prior to hiring Eves, Gov. LePage
lobbied the school in opposition to this potential hiring. After the school decided to proceed with
hiring Eves as their President, Gov. LePage apparently called on the school to rescind the offer.
As part of this effort, it has been alleged that Gov. LePage threatened to withhold approximately
$500,000 annually in funding for the school if they did not terminate their contract with Eves.

Like you, I take my role as an elected official seriously and ?rmly believe that our responsibility
is not simply to protect the wellbeing of this state, but also to protect the sanctity of our
democracy. For that reason, I am deeply troubled by recent highly-publicized reports suggesting
the administration may have used state funding as a tool to target political opponents. In keeping
with the legislature?s role as a check and balance to potential executive overreach, I am writing
to formally request that OPEGA investigate whether this administration has crossed legal or
ethical lines by leveraging state resources for political purposes.

On June 24, 2015, Good Will?Hinckley School reversed their decision to hire Speaker Eves.
My request to OPEGA is as follows:

1) Outline an appropriate scope of investigation to reasonably determine whether allegations
of political use of state resources are justi?ed

2) Review the allocation process for funding specific to the Good Will~Hinckley situation

3) Review the allocation process of other discretionary funding available to the
Administration

For: (207) 287?1527 TTY (207) 2811583 Message Service Web Site: legislature. maine. gov/senate

 

4) Report any examples of improper or potentially inappropriate discretionary use of state
resources

This request is made with the intent of clarifying for the public what occurred and ensuring that
the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches remains equal. Thank you
for your consideration. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

a rug;

Senator Thomas Saviello

 

CC: John McGough, Of?ce of the Governor
Representative Ken Fredette, House Minority Leader
Representative Jeff McCabe, House Majority Leader
Senator Garrett Mason, Senate Majority Leader
Senator Justin Alfond, Senate Minority Leader
Speaker Mark Eves, Speaker of the House
President Michael Thibodeau, President of the Senate