PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FUND THREATENED BY NUMBER OF CANDIDATES

Maine Public Broadcasting - At the state Ethics Commission -- there's growing concern that Maine's publicly-financed politicians may have to be allowed to raise more money privately. That's because the fund may not be able to keep up with the number of qualifying gubernatorial candidates. If there were just two candidates, each might potentially draw down $1.2 million dollars from the fund. But what if there are three -- or five? And what if the demand for additional funds arrives at a time when the governor is facing a budget shortfall of more than a half billion dollars over the next 20 months?

"Obviously the Maine Legislature and the governor are in a very tough position, given the economic climate," says Alison Smith, of Maine Citizens for Clean Elections. Smith has some advice for the state Ethics Commission, which is trying to develop some kind of a contingency plan for public funding of candidates.

Smith says that despite the current economic situation, the Legislature should find the money next year to fully fund all Clean Election candidates. "We continue to believe that there's a lot of value in the clean election system, that elections are a public good," Smith says. "Who runs, how they run, how they fund their campaigns makes a difference to Maine people, it makes a difference in the policies that are passed in the Legislature and whether those policies serve Maine people or whether they serve other interests."