AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage did threaten to withdrawn funding from a private school that had hired House Speaker Mark Eves as its next president.
Those are among the facts laid out in a 27-page report today from the Office Of Program Evaluation And Government Accountability, or OPEGA, which is investigating the events that led to the Good Will-Hinckley school's decision to withdraw its job offer to Eves, a vocal political critic of the governor.
OPEGA lays out in great detail all of the phone calls, meetings, emails and other communications around the school's hiring of Eves, the governor's discovery of the hiring and the subsequent threats to withhold state funding made by the governor, acting education commissioner Tom Desjardins and members of the governor's staff to officials at Good Will-Hinckley.
"It is still unclear from what we learned, however, whether the governor personally communicated to anyone at Good Will-Hinckley or the Harold Alfond Foundation that the funding would be cut," says OPEGA Director Beth Ashcroft.
She says it is clear that when the loss of state funds become a possibility, a major supporter of the school, the Harold Alfond Foundation, warned Good Will-Hinckley that additional grants of $2.75 million might also be in jeopardy. And that, according to OPEGA’s findings, is why the Good Will-Hinckley board terminated the contract with Eves.
Augusta Sen. Roger Katz, the Republican co-chair of the Legislature's Government Oversight Committee, says the OPEGA report confirms facts that have been widely reported.
"The governor learned that the speaker had been chosen as president, the governor made a decision that he was going to withhold funding based on that," Katz says. "And that's what happened. Now, there are some people that think that is perfectly fine, and well within his discretion and there are others who don't and people can draw their own conclusions."
And some on the panel are defending the governor's actions. Rep. Deborah Sanderson, a Republican from Chelsea, says LePage was justified in objecting to Eves' hiring.
"I think the governor is right in his concern to make sure that whoever is going to be the representative and president of Good Will-Hinckley school does have a deep educational background, does have a financial background, does have a background that will enhance the school," she says.
Rep. Chuck Kruger, a Democrat from Thomaston, says he's not drawing any conclusions after the first step in a committee process that could take months. Kruger, who co-chairs the oversight committee, says its job is quite focused.
"The role of our committee is accountability and getting the facts out and letting others deal with those facts as they come out," he says.
Some of the lawmakers that asked for the committee to take up the investigation say the report's findings show that the governor abused his power.
But Portland Democrat Ben Chipman says it will take more hearings and witness testimony, possibly under oath, before further actions, including possible impeachment proceedings, become realistic.
"I don't think we are there yet," he says. "I think there is some more information to be gathered, some more questions to be answered. There is going to be a public hearing coming up. People will be coming in to speak at that hearing and offering information. So I think it is too early to tell at this point. I don't think it is off the table."
David Webbert, the attorney representing Eves in a civil suit, released a statement saying that the report clearly shows that the governor blackmailed the school's board because of political animosity toward Eves. Katz says that's not a matter for this investigation.
"That is for other people to try and draw conclusions," he says. "And I'm not trying to dodge the question. Our job is trying to get all the facts out."
The committee is putting together a list of potential witnesses they will invite to the Oct. 15 meeting. Should any of those refuse to testify, the panel will then have to decide whether to use its subpoena powers to bring them in. That will take a separate vote of the committee and would mean at least another public hearing before the panel would deliberate on what action, if any, it will recommend.
