Maine
Lawsuits target Maine referendum aimed at curbing foreign influence in local elections – The Boston Globe
Meanwhile, Central Maine Power and Versant, the state’s largest electric utilities, each filed separate lawsuits raising constitutional challenges about the law they claim violates their free speech and engagement on issues affecting them.
The Maine Commission on Government Ethics and Campaign Practices is studying the federal complaints filed Tuesday and consulting with the attorney general, Jonathan Wayne, the commission’s executive director, said Wednesday in an email.
The attorney general’s office declined comment.
State Sen. Rick Bennett, who led the effort to put the proposal on the ballot, said Wednesday that the federal lawsuits “speak volumes about what a deplorable state that we’ve reached in our politics.”
“This is something that Mainers are united about. Their voices are being drowned out by these people who are bringing the lawsuits,” he said.
The referendum, which was approved by a margin of 86% to 14%, bans foreign governments — or companies with 5% or more foreign government ownership — from donating to state referendum races.
The proposal was put on the ballot after a Canadian government-owned utility, Hydro Quebec, spent $22 million to influence a project on which it’s a partner in Maine. That hydropower corridor project ultimately moved forward after legal challenges.
But there are implications for Maine-based utilities, too.
The law applies to Versant because it’s owned by the city of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Foreign governments also have a stake in Central Maine Power.
CMP’s corporate parent Avangrid narrowly missed the cutoff by one measure. It is owned by a Spanish company — not the government — and minority shareholders owned by foreign governments, Norway’s central bank Norges Bank and the government-owned Qatar Investment Authority, together fall below the 5% threshold.
But Qatar also has an 8.7% minority stake in Spain-based Iberdrola, which owns Avangrid and CMP, and that’s part of the reason CMP argues that the law is unconstitutionally vague.
Before the Maine proposal went to voters it was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who cited concerns about the proposal’s constitutionality and said its broadness could silence “legitimate voices, including Maine-based businesses.”
Federal election law currently bans foreign entities from spending on candidate elections but allows such donations for local and state ballot measures.
Maine was the 10th state to close the election spending loophole when the referendum was approved, according to the Campaign Legal Center in Washington, D.C., which supported the Maine proposal.
Bennett, R-Oxford, said other states’ laws have withstood legal challenges even though some of their definitions are more stringent than Maine’s.
He also said it was ironic that Versant would sue for a right that it doesn’t have in Canada. “In Canada it is completely illegal for any foreign individual or corporation to be involved in any of their elections,” he said.
Maine
Funeral home to hold visitation for Maine singer-songwriter
DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine (WABI) – Visitation for a popular Maine singer and songwriter who died earlier this month will be held in Dover-Foxcroft next week.
Lary Funeral Home announced that visitation for David Mallett, a Piscataquis County native, will be held Monday, December 30th from 4PM to 7PM.
Mallet died at the age of 73 on December 17th after battling cancer.
The funeral homes announcement said that family, friends, and the local community are invited.
Mallett began his music career at the age of 11 when he started singing in a folk duo with his older brother, Neil.
He started writing his own songs while studying acting at the University of Maine.
His most well-known song was “The Garden Song” which was recorded by Peter, Paul, and Mary, John Denver, Pete Seeger, and The Muppets.
Mallett lived most of his life in Sebec.
Copyright 2024 WABI. All rights reserved.
Maine
Snowfall totals in Maine range from a dusting to 5 inches Tuesday morning
Parts of Maine were reporting a snowy Christmas on Tuesday.
As of 11:30 a.m., the National Weather Service said 6 inches of snow had fallen in Rangeley, 5 inches in Madrid, 1 inch in Freeport, 3 inches in Lewiston and as many as 8 inches in nearby Jackson, New Hampshire.
Portland received only a dusting of snow.
Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, said forecasters expected precipitation to slow down in inland areas through Tuesday morning but said snowfall would continue up and down the coast with 1-3 inches expected from Portland through the Midcoast.
Palmer said Christmas Day would be “a pretty nice day” in Maine.
He said the day would start off mostly clear with some clouds building in the middle of the day all around the state. Temperatures are expected to be in the low 30s.
The forecast is expected to stay until Sunday, when 1 to 2 inches of rain will likely fall around the state. Although, he said, there could still be snow in the White Mountains.
Maine
Maine real estate trends: November sales, values up
The Maine real estate market is beginning to see a shift to a more balanced market, according to the Maine Association of Realtors.
Maine Listings reported a 6.81 percent increase in sales of single-family existing homes during the month of November compared to November 2023. The median sales price (MSP) increased 8.45 percent to $385,000. The MSP indicates that half of the homes were sold for more and half sold for less.
“Prospective buyers are in a better situation than they were a year ago across many markets in Maine,” said Paul McKee, President of the Maine Association of Realtors, in a Dec. 19 news release. “The number of homes for sale has increased, price appreciation is slowing, and the economic forecast is good.”
According to the National Association of Realtors, sales of single-family existing homes increased 7.4 percent nationally in November 2024 compared to November 2023, the release said. The national MSP reached $410,900 in November, a rise of 4.8 percent. Regionally, sales in the Northeast jumped 6.3 percent while the regional MSP increased 9.9 percent to $475,500 in November 2024 compared to November a year ago.
“We’re seeing promising signs that the real estate market is beginning to show signs of shifting slightly, with supply increasing and slower price appreciation.” adds McKee.
“The statewide sold statistics from January through November 2024 are 4.1 percent ahead of the same time period from a year ago. I’m optimistic that 2024 will end positively and buyer demand will continue to remain strong throughout 2025.”
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