Maine

Maine parties counting on national issues to mobilize their voters

Published

2 years ago

August 29, 2022

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Republicans are specializing in inflation and disappointment with President Biden.

Democrats are speaking about abortion and up to date victories in Congress.

Nationwide points are dominating Maine politics headed into the ultimate two months of a marketing campaign season to decide on a governor and a brand new Legislature and each events are hoping their voters will prove in consequence.

Within the spring, election forecasters have been predicting a stormy cycle for Democrats and a purple wave for Republicans given traditionally excessive inflation and an unpopular president. That modified considerably over the summer season, with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, falling gasoline costs and a sequence of nationwide coverage wins for Democrats, together with pupil mortgage debt reduction and local weather investments within the Inflation Reduction Act.

Nobody can say for certain how the nationwide points will have an effect on the race for the Blaine Home between incumbent Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage and impartial Sam Hunkler. Rather a lot can occur between now and November that might alter the dynamics, together with shifts within the battle in Ukraine, which has fueled inflation and excessive gasoline costs, or developments within the investigations into former President Trump.

Political observers in Maine say that whereas the political momentum seems to have shifted in a extra favorable path for Democrats, financial points nonetheless give Republicans a bonus heading into Labor Day, the standard begin of marketing campaign season.

“Issues are definitely wanting higher for Democrats as we speak than they have been a month in the past, however inflation continues to be fairly excessive general and the Fed is more likely to need to preserve elevating rates of interest,” stated Mark Brewer, a professor and chair of the political science division on the College of Maine in Orono. “As of proper now, I might count on the financial system on the whole and inflation specifically to be large points for voters within the fall.”

This spring, the Essential Insights on Maine ballot by Digital Analysis Inc. discovered Maine voters’ prime concern was the financial system.

Digital Analysis President Bob Domine stated his agency plans to launch its subsequent survey in early October, which is able to measure voters’ issues a lot nearer to election day. Voter sentiment can change rapidly, he stated.

Final fall, voters have been principally involved in regards to the pandemic, however by springtime it was the financial system and inflation, so it’s onerous to foretell what is going to rise to the highest this fall, he stated. One issue to contemplate, Domine stated, is that whereas gasoline costs could also be falling, heating oil costs are about twice as excessive as final 12 months at the moment.

“However the motion downward of gasoline costs, individuals will uncover that heating oil is one hundred pc greater than it was a 12 months in the past,” Domine stated. “One has to surprise all throughout the northern tier how that can consider. And we are going to see.”

Lance Dutson, a Republican political strategist who just isn’t engaged on any statewide races in Maine this 12 months, believes voters are most involved in regards to the financial system and their skill to pay extra for issues like meals, utilities and heating gasoline.

“You possibly can watch the gasoline costs go up and down however there may be nonetheless an excessive amount of nervousness on the market in regards to the financial system, inflation and the way costly the whole lot is,” Dutson stated. “The financial system is normally the large problem anyway, however I believe it’s going to be way more in focus this time round and that may be a very unhealthy signal for Democrats.”

He stated Democrats’ deal with points like abortion and LePage’s temperament is aimed toward extra progressive Democratic voters in southern Maine and will flip off swing voters in rural areas.

Duston, who has been essential of LePage prior to now, believes the previous two-term governor is well-positioned to win the race as a result of he’s focusing squarely on financial points and is benefiting from disciplined messaging from the state celebration. He believes Republicans are extra enthusiastic now than they have been in 2010, when the celebration took management of the Blaine Home and each chambers of the Legislature.

“I actually imagine LePage is able to win this now, primarily based on what the problems are, how his marketing campaign is functioning in a extra disciplined means than they’ve prior to now, and primarily as a result of Mills and her Democratic crew have completely failed to talk to points that the voters they should change their votes are centered on,” Dutson stated.

Nonetheless, David Farmer, a Democratic strategist, stated that whereas costs stay excessive, they don’t seem to be rising as quick as they have been earlier this 12 months. He believes the enhancing financial outlook, with low unemployment, the restoration from the pandemic and gasoline and shopper costs starting to fall, coupled with a transparent distinction in model and substance between Mills and LePage, will assist Democrats climate the headwinds.

“The gloom and doom from 4 months in the past – we’re in a special race now,” Farmer stated. “In contrast to earlier this 12 months, when inflation appeared prefer it was solely going up and gasoline costs have been solely going up, you’re beginning to see that come down, in order that’s beginning to align with the commonly excellent news in regards to the job market.”

Democrats had been trailing Republicans in polling for congressional races for a lot of the 12 months, in response to averages from the ballot evaluation web site FiveThirtyEight. However all of that modified in August, when Democrats gained a slight benefit.

There are different indicators that the overturning of Roe v. Wade might come again to hang-out Republicans across the nation.

In Kansas, which is essentially Republican, voters resoundingly defeated a referendum that might have eliminated a girl’s proper to an abortion from the state structure. And a survey carried out by Pew Analysis in early August registered a 13 share level enhance – from 43 p.c to 56 p.c – within the variety of voters who stated that abortion was “crucial” for his or her vote for Congress, although the financial system remained the highest problem for 77 p.c of respondents.

Andrew Smith, the director of the College of New Hampshire’s Survey Heart, which has expertise polling in Maine, stated he expects financial points to stay a prime precedence for voters. Different hot-button points, like abortion, are essential to a small group of individuals, together with donors, however can reduce each methods, energizing the bottom for each events.

“I believe it’s going to be a powerful Republican 12 months, however I don’t assume it’s going to be like 2010,” Smith stated.

In midterm elections, the celebration that controls the White Home normally loses seats in Congress and on the state stage, Smith stated, noting that turnout normally drops by about 20 p.c from a presidential election to a midterm election.

“The people who find themselves almost certainly to remain residence are the individuals whose celebration received the presidency … whereas the celebration that loses the presidency is offended and so they’re searching for methods to get again into energy and so they have a tendency to point out up in larger numbers in these midterms.”

James Melcher, a political science professor on the College of Maine in Farmington, believes most voters have made up their minds, so it is sensible for Democrats to deal with points that encourage their base, fairly than attempting to vary voters’ minds. He stated abortion might be a strong motivator for the celebration, since polls have proven Maine to be among the many most pro-abortion entry states within the nation.

“You possibly can’t depend on as excessive a stage of turnout in a midterm election, which is very a problem for the Democrats,” Melcher stated. “Lots of people made up their minds about how they have been going to vote for governor the minute each LePage and Mills have been within the race. There aren’t going to be as many individuals who will be persuaded in a race like that.”

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Maine

Maine State Police respond to dozens of highway crashes amid Saturday snow

Published

7 hours ago

January 11, 2025

Press Room

Maine State Police respond to dozens of highway crashes amid Saturday snow

Maine State Police responded to more than 50 crashes and road slide-offs Saturday after southern Maine woke up to some light snowfall.

Police were responding to several crashes on the Maine Turnpike (Interstate 95) and Interstate 295 south of Augusta, state police said in a Facebook message posted around 10 a.m. Saturday.

Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss said that as of early Saturday afternoon, more than 50 crashes had been reported on the turnpike and I-295.

“The Turnpike has seen 24 crashes and slide offs primarily between Kittery and Falmouth with a higher concentration in Saco,” Moss wrote in an email. “The interstate has seen about 30 crashes and slide offs also in the Falmouth area but now in Lincoln and heading north.”

Moss said no injuries have been reported in any of the crashes.

“So far it appears visibility and driving too fast for road conditions are the causation factors,” Moss said.

State police reminded drivers to take caution, especially during snowy conditions, in the Facebook post.

“Please drive with extra care and give yourself plenty of space between you and the other vehicles on the roadway,” the post said. “Give the MDOT and Turnpike plows extra consideration and space to do their jobs to clear the roadway. Drive slow, plan for the extra time to get to your destination and be safe.”

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Maine

Maine real estate mostly unaffected by commission changes

Published

16 hours ago

January 11, 2025

Press Room

Maine real estate mostly unaffected by commission changes

New rules that went into effect in August changing who pays real estate commissions have resulted in more paperwork and some anxiety for home buyers and sellers but have had little, if any, impact on home prices in the state’s hot real estate market.

The changes, which stem from a settlement in a lawsuit accusing real estate agents of conspiring to keep their commissions high, altered the way commission fees are set nationally.

For decades, most home sales in the United States have included a commission fee, typically between 5 and 6 percent of the sale price.

The typical Maine home went for around $400,000 this fall. A 5 to 6 percent commission on a $400,000 home would be between $20,000 and $24,000, split between the agents for the buyer and the seller.

Before the changes in August, the split for each agent was predetermined by the seller, who paid the fee for both agents. That usually resulted in fees being baked into the list price of a home.

In some states (although not in Maine) agents were able to search the multiple listing service, a catalogue of homes for sale, by the commission split, which critics said incentivized agents to steer clients toward more expensive properties with higher commissions.

Now, fees are negotiated sale-by-sale. Buyers and sellers are now each responsible for paying their own agents, meaning a buyer may have to come with more cash up front if a seller doesn’t want to pay the commission fee for a buyer’s agent. Sellers are also no longer allowed to include commission fees in their listings.

Tacy Ridlon, a listing agent with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Masiello Group in Ellsworth, who has been in real estate for 32 years, said it is a bit jarring to have a conversation with buyers about whether they are willing to pay part of their agent’s commission.

Once the commission is established and the agreement signed, she said, the buyer’s agent then approaches the seller’s agent to see what part of their commission the seller is willing to cover, if any.

Ridlon said 3 percent for the buyer’s agent is a typical starting point.

“We have to start high. If the seller is willing to offer 2 percent for the buyer’s agent, then our buyer only has to pay one percent… If the seller is not offering anything, then we ask the buyer to pay a certain amount. Some can pay and some can’t. For some it’s very difficult because they don’t have a lot of money to play around with.”

The change has resulted in some confusion for many buyers and even some agents around the country, as rules differ from state-to-state. Photo by Kate Cough.

Some agents said they found the changes minimal; others find the paperwork and negotiating with buyers daunting. One agency owner said the ruling has done little to bring prices down.

“This ruling has done nothing to save buyers or sellers any money,” said Billy Milliken, a designated broker and owner of Bold Coast Properties, LLC, in Jonesport. “If anything, it’s made the cost of buying a home even more expensive.”

Milliken said his sellers have had no problem agreeing to pay both buyers’ and sellers’ commissions. The cost has been embedded in the price of the property.

“The real loser is first time home buyers who are not educated in buying a home and also have limited cash resources,” said Milliken. “It puts them at a disadvantage.”

The change has resulted in some confusion for many buyers and even some agents around the country, as rules differ from state-to-state.

People are slowly getting used to the changes, said Monet Yarnell, president of the Midcoast Board of Realtors, who owns her own agency, Sell 207 in Belfast, adding that Maine’s real estate practices were already more transparent than many other areas of the country.

“I think it was a little confusing in the beginning, more doom and gloom,” said Yarnell. But sellers are still incentivized to offer something to the buyers’ agents, she said. And the changes have increased the level of communication between agents and their clients.

“It’s more how the money flows rather than the actual dollars.”

Ridlon, in Ellsworth, said she has been fortunate that most sellers have offered some compensation toward the buyer’s agent commission. “I have not had a buyer who can’t do the 3 percent.”

Ridlon had one seller who was not willing to pay any part of the buyer’s agent’s commission. The property had a lot of showings, but many of the buyers asked for closing costs to be covered or for concessions in lieu of picking up part of the commission.

“That didn’t really work for my seller either,” she said. “Then he relented and said he would pay one percent.”

The property sold.

Debbie Walter sold her condominium in Stockton Springs via Yarnell and then bought another condominium in New London, N.H., with another real estate agent.

“We’re kind of guinea pigs,” said Walter. “We were very concerned about that whole piece, both as sellers and buyers.”

Fearful the sale of their house might not proceed smoothly the couple readily agreed to pay a 3 percent commission for the buyer’s agent.

When they made their offer to buy the condominium in N.H., they offered as buyers to cover their buyer’s agent’s commission as well. But the seller in that case took an equally cautious approach and offered to cover 2.5 percent of the buyer’s agent’s commission, which Walters’ agent accepted.

“It was very stressful,” Walter said. Offering to cover their buyer’s agent’s commission, she said, created “one less headache for the whole closing procedure.”

Tom McKee, president of the Maine Realtors Association, said the settlement and new rules have had little impact.

“It hasn’t changed anything for me,” said McKee, who is with Keller Williams in Portland. Now that the commission split is no longer listed in the M.L.S., said McKee, “there are just more questions in the transaction.”

McKee said there is no set percentage, that everything is negotiable.

“If we do our job right and are meeting with the client first, they already understand.”

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Maine

Maine’s highest court proposes barring justices from disciplining peers

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Maine’s highest court proposes barring justices from disciplining peers

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has proposed new rules governing judicial conduct complaints that would keep members of the high court from having to discipline their peers.

The proposed rules would establish a panel of eight judges — the four most senior active Superior Court justices and the four most senior active District Court judges who are available to serve — to weigh complaints against a justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Members of the high court would not participate.

The rule changes come just weeks after the Committee on Judicial Conduct recommended the first sanction against a justice on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court in state history.

The committee said Justice Catherine Connors should be publicly reprimanded, the lowest level of sanction, for failing to recuse herself in two foreclosure cases last year that weakened protections for homeowners in Maine, despite a history of representing banks that created a possible conflict of interest. Connors represented or filed on behalf of banks in two precedent-setting cases that were overturned by the 2024 decisions.

In Maine, it’s up to the Supreme Judicial Court to decide the outcome of judicial disciplinary cases. But because in this case one of the high court’s justices is accused of wrongdoing, the committee recommended following the lead of several other states by bringing in a panel of outside judges, either from other levels of the court or from out of state.

Connors, however, believes the case should be heard by her colleagues on the court, according to a response filed late last month by her attorney, James Bowie.

Bowie argued that the outcome of the case will ultimately provide guidance for the lower courts — a power that belongs exclusively to the state supreme court.

It should not, he wrote, be delegated “to some other ad hoc grouping of inferior judicial officers.”

The court is accepting comments on the proposal until Jan. 23. The changes, if adopted, would be effective immediately and would apply to pending matters, including the Connors complaint.

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