AUGUSTA, Maine - The Maine Municipal Association has won a clear victory over a 2010 lawsuit brought by the Maine Heritage Policy Center.
The conservative advocacy group had argued it was improper for the MMA to lobby and campaign against several ballot initiatives supported by the center.
MMA Executive Director Chris Lockwood is praising the ruling. “This is a very important, strong affirmation by the courts recognizing of the legitimacy of municipalities and the municipal association being involved in advocacy,” he says.
In her ruling, Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy rejected the final two counts in the Heritage Policy Center lawsuit. Earlier, in a 2013 decision, federal Judge John Woodcock had ruled against the other claims. In that ruling Woodcock remanded two issues to the state courts to decide. Murphy issued her decision on Monday.
Matt Gagnon, executive director of the Heritage Policy Center, told MPBN News he is very upset at the ruling and says the group will appeal or seek a change in the law.
“Whether or not it is going to be a legislative change, we are going to continue to appeal this in the future,” he says. “Something is going to happen because we can’t allow this to continue.”
He says most Mainers agree with MHPC that tax money should not be spent to influence elections, and will be upset with the court ruling. He says MMA gets its money from cities and towns in the form of dues, but the dues come from tax dollars.
Lockwood says there is nothing improper about MMA’s lobbying or advocating on behalf of the municipalities that it represents. He says that has been a fundamental purpose of the organization since it was founded in 1936.
