What’s happening right now in the Augusta swamp reminds me of the quote attributed to Mark Twain over a hundred years ago:
“No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.”
Unfortunately, the clown show at the Coliseum on the Kennebec won’t adjourn until April 20th, so we have our work cut out for us.
Maine’s deep state of Leftist authoritarian politicians and government-funded nonprofit bloodsuckers are on the march to seize control of residential zoning across the state. From the sidelines, you can hear sustained applause from their legions of groupies in Maine’s very Fake News industry.
The Left’s primary vehicle for that seizure is LD 2003, “An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To Increase Housing Opportunities in Maine by Studying Zoning and Land Use Restrictions.”That’s an emergency bill sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Rep. Ryan Fecteau (Lame Duck, Biddeford).
Last Friday, Maine First Project provided links to submit your testimony opposing this power grab. The public hearing is this morning in the Labor and Housing committee. You can listen live right here.
I remain confident we can kill or disable this assault on our neighborhoods. Thanks to your actions, we’re already beginning to see cracks in the bi-partisan support for Fecteau’s bill.
That’s why it’s so important that you continue to apply pressure.
Here are the phone numbers and email addresses for GOP members of the Labor and Housing committee:
Sen. Stacey Guerin of Glenburn
(207) 249-0472
repguerin@gmail.com
Rep. Dick Bradstreet of Vassalboro
(207) 861-1657
dickbradstreet@gmail.com
Rep. Dwayne Prescott of Waterboro
(207) 710-1614
dwayne.prescott@legislature.maine.gov
Rep. Gary Drinkwater of Milford
(207) 356-8198
riph20@aol.com
Rep. Josh Morris of Turner
(207) 754-7829
joshua.morris@legislature.maine.gov
And as always, contact your own Representative and Senator. You can find their contact info right here.
Your action is more important than ever, as the swamp critters have some dirty tricks up their sleeves.
Fecteau’s LD 2003 isn’t the only weapon at the Left’s disposal in this fight. They have other vehicles to accomplish their objective of bulldozing local zoning ordinances to make way for Section 8 housing projects in your residential neighborhood.
One of those is LD 1673, “An Act to Create a Comprehensive Permit Process for the Construction of Affordable Housing,”sponsored by assistant majority leader Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross of Portland. You may remember Rachel for her pronouncement a few years ago on Maine Public Radio that the founding of the United States was a hate crime.
LD 1673 already had a public hearing on February 14th, but hasn’t been scheduled for a vote in committee. The bill is every bit as bad as Fecteau’s.
To her credit, at least Talbot Ross (unlike Fecteau) was honest in her testimony about the primary purpose of her bill: to provide subsidized housing for the influx of “new Mainers” (aka, non-citizen illegal immigrants)who continue to crash the southern border and make their way to Maine.
The Talbot Ross slums-to-suburbs bill has the support of the non-profit Maine Immigrant Housing Coalition and the far-Left Maine Peoples Alliance.
If Fecteau’s LD 2003 gets amended or derailed or gutted in committee, LD 1673 can fill in the blanks to accomplish the Left’s objective.
Also waiting in the wings is a bill from the chair of the Labor and Housing committee, Rep. Mike Sylvester of Portland: LD 463 “An Act To Better House Maine Residents.” This is where things get really sneaky.
Mike submitted his bill on February 16th of LAST YEAR!
It was carried over to the second session and is on the agenda for a public hearing this morning.
Here’s the kicker: Mike’s bill is an empty vessel. In the swamp, such bills are referred to as “concept drafts.”
One would think that with more than a year to draft language “to change certain laws to help the people of this State obtain housing,” Mike would have done so by now. And perhaps he has drafted statutory language and will unveil it this morning. We will know soon enough.
I served one term on the Labor and Housing committee with Mike. He’s no dummy (although he is an avowed socialist), so he knows exactly what he’s doing.
I believe Sylvester’s empty vessel of a bill will function as a backstop for Fecteau’s bill. If the ruling class in Augusta can’t get top-down control of residential zoning in one bite, they intend to get it piecemeal.
The swamp critters are poised to run out the clock, with adjournment looming in less than six weeks. Now more than ever, we need to hold their slippery feet to the fire.
Stay the course, my friend. We have the weasels on the run.
Our team at Maine First Project will continue to shine a bright light into the darkest corners of the Augusta swamp — and serve as a megaphone to amplify your voice!
Anything other than a NO vote on LD 2003, the Slums-to-Suburbs bill, is simply unacceptable, and will be remembered come November!
Thank you for your support and patriotism. Together we will restore Maine to The Way Life Should Be.
Sincerely,
Hon. Lawrence Lockman
Maine House of Representatives, 2012-2020
Co-founder & President
Maine First Project
P.S.
If LD 2003 passes, you can say goodbye to single-family residential neighborhoods in Maine, and say hello to more Section 8 housing projects.
Woke radicals in the Maine Legislature and their cronies in the “affordable housing” racket are counting on apathy and indifference to carry them across the finish line at the Statehouse.
DON’T LET THAT HAPPEN!
Below are the phone numbers and email addresses for GOP members of the Labor and Housing committee. Call or e-mail them TODAY, let them know you’re watching and listening — and you will remember whether they stand with the Foreigners First lobby, or with hardworking Maine families.
Sen. Stacey Guerin of Glenburn
(207) 249-0472
repguerin@gmail.com
Rep. Dick Bradstreet of Vassalboro
(207) 861-1657
dickbradstreet@gmail.com
Rep. Dwayne Prescott of Waterboro
(207)710-1614
dwayne.prescott@legislature.maine.gov
Rep. Gary Drinkwater of Milford
(207) 356-8198
riph20@aol.com
Rep. Josh Morris of Turner
(207) 754-7829
joshua.morris@legislature.maine.gov