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Editors Note: This section detailing the rise of Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) and its major purpose of promoting the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) will be posted when available. For now, this sketch provides some interesting background information. See the early origins and background to MHPC (1996-2002) here. *** 2003 - 2004: MHPC's Original Mission & Actual Advocacy What was the need for the new organization? In MHPC's corporate registration in December, 2002, it says it is non-political. This and the mission statement in its filing for not-for-profit status with the IRS seems very close to MPPI's mission. The apolitical intent necessary for receiving full 501(c)3 status is explicit. The question "does of will the organization attempt to influence legislation" is checked "No." Just weeks after this not-for-profit application on January 20, 2003, Bill Becker wrote an opinion piece published in the Lewiston Sun Journal on February 13 to introduce the new organization and describe its purposes. In Significant changes sought in economic policies, Becker declares his explicit advocacy for "Tax and Expenditure Limits "(TELs) the generic name for the class of legislation that includes the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR): ...tax and expenditure limitations should
be passed...TELs legally limit a state's ability to increase either taxes and/or
expenditures. Maine's state government has chronically proven that it is unable
to apply fiscal discipline to the budget process, as each of us must do with our
own families or businesses. Therefore, legal limits must be placed on
policymakers. For much of 2003, MHPC's interest in TELs was overshadowed by its work against the new health insurance reform package known as Dirigo Health. Because this was the new Democratic Governor's signature proposal, it was widely assumed that MHPC was simply the Cianchette campaign in exile, waiting for a rematch against Governor Baldacci. That MHPC has another purpose did not become clear until the following year when a tax cap referendum went on the ballot in Maine. Norquist Comes to Town for MHPC & TABOR 2004 started with future TABOR proponent Mary Adams receiving a "Reagan Award" from the Conservative Political Action Conference. Norquist recognized this honor in an ATR announcement saying "Mary is often overlooked because her role involves organization even though she deserves it, she has never been one to demand the spotlight.” For a time, Adam's leadership in such issues was eclipsed by Carol Palesky, another Maine anti-tax activist. The so-called Palesky Tax Cap ballot initiative went into full gear when signatures for it were certified on February 10, 2004 with voting set for November 2. On March 17, MHPC put out what appears to be its first press release that announced it would host an "Emergency Tax Summit" on March 23. "The program will focus on the crisis facing the state, and will bring local and national experts together to define proven solutions that have worked well in other states," Becker writes. The "Emergency Tax Summit" gained MHPC enormous visibility when Grover Norquist arrived on the scene. Though MHPC's release did not mention him, it was announced elsewhere. The event became a media circus as participants and protestors came together including a group calling itself the "Millionaires for Tax Cuts." Inside the event, the Palesky Tax Cap was apparently only an aside. According to the news report in the Lewiston Sun Journal, Norquist was focused on TABOR: In addition to a local tax cap, Norquist said Mainers should adopt a Taxpayers Bill of Rights, or TABOR, such as Colorado voters did in 1992. That measure limits state spending to the annual rate of inflation plus population growth and requires a two-thirds vote in the Legislature to approve tax increases. Two of four presentations found on MHPC's website, from Colorado's Penn Pfiffner and Dr. Barry Poulson, reflect this TABOR focus. The presentations from the Maine speakers do not. The "Emergency Tax Summit" gave MHPC a far greater visibility with significant coverage on the state's major media outlets including a feature broadcast on the NPR affiliate as well as a column about the event by the editorial page editor of the Maine Sunday Telegram. The organization was now well established on the political map. On August 17, 2004, MHPC board member Jean Ginn Marvin was appointed to serve as a Commissioner on the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. In the former three-term legislator's disclosure for the appointment, she listed numerous leadership roles and board positions at a number of organizations including the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Maine Educational Services, the Portland Conservatory of Music and the Chamber of Commerce. Ginn Marvin failed to disclose her affiliation with MHPC, a connection that would likely have been of interest given its notoriety for the "Emergency Tax Summit." Adams & Becker Team Up for TABOR Less than a month later, on September 10, MHPC put out a press release supporting TABOR, a new ballot initiative put forward by Mary Adams. Becker's advocacy here reflects his earlier advocacy in 2003: "Our state has shown itself incapable of managing its own affairs without guidelines. Tax and spending limits will provide the parameters for our state and local governments to live within their means." Four days later, on September 14, Grover Norquist's ATR sent out a media advisory with follow-up support for MHPC's release. Norquist is quoted in it saying "As I watch tax developments nationwide, I see that TABOR is the future." Becker and Adam's partnership to promote TABOR becomes even more explicit after the failure of the Palesky Tax Cap. This record seems to be at odds with Becker's testimony to the Ethics Commission on his independence from Adams and what would become the proponent Political Action Committee for TABOR in 2006. *** |
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