In a personal appearance before a legislative committee Tuesday, Gov. Paul LePage took offense at a request for information about sales of wood harvested from public lands.
He characterized the inquiry as just the latest effort to undermine his authority as the chief executive of the state.
The Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee sent a letter last week seeking answers to 26 questions about the sale of wood harvested from public lands and asking for some very specific information on sales to some mills. The governor sent a blistering letter in response to the committee denying any improprieties, and appeared before the committee personally to denounce some of its members.
“I am here to discuss your letter dated March 15, which was not only offensive but totally fictional and outrageous,” he said.
The committee’s letter to LePage came as a response to state Sen. Tom Saviello, a Republican from Wilton who had urged the committee to seek answers about the harvested wood sales. LePage did not hide his animosity towards Saviello.
“Thank you governor for being here,” Saviello said.
“You don’t mean that and don’t say it. Stop being a hypocrite,” LePage said.
“I am not being a hypocrite. I am not going to argue with you,” Saviello said.
LePage did answer two of the 26 questions, flatly denying that he had any personal role in how contracts for supplying wood from public lands were decided by the Bureau of Public Lands, and expressed resentment at the implication that he did. LePage was also angered that the committee appeared to ignore his policy that that all questions to state agencies be made in writing and sent to him.
Committee co-chair Sen. Paul Davis, a Republican from Sangerville, confirmed to LePage that the questions were sent to his staff.
“It was delivered to a member of your staff,” he said, “and we were told that the information would be made available.”
“You did not follow protocol. The protocol has been when you request information from an agency, you come through the governor’s office,” LePage said.
LePage told the committee that he established the procedure because lawmakers were beating up on his commissioners, pointing specifically to the questioning that former Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew went through before several committees in the first years of his administration.
“The disrespect that has been shown by members of the legislature to some of my commissioners has been unheard of. And I have sat in my office and listened to some of the comments that have been made by some of the legislators and I think it is disgusting,” he said.
Rep. Danny Martin, a Democrat from Sinclair who served as commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for eight years under Democratic Gov. John Baldacci, said that it has been common practice for commissioners and other state officials to regularly discuss issues with the governor and then represent the administration before the Legislature.
“A commissioner usually confers with the governor on the second floor,” he said.
“Are you calling me a liar?” LePage said.
“I’m not. Governor, hold on please. All I am suggesting we could have avoided all of this discussion,” Martin said.
“If you had followed procedures,” LePage said.
The governor promised the answers in writing later in the week and offered to appear again before the committee. Members say they hope those written answers will provide them the information they requested about how sales of timber from public lands are being handled.
