Maine Governor Moves Out Of His Office In Protest

Governor Paul LePage doesn’t like that he can’t place a television with his messages on it in a public space controlled by the legislature.

The squabble stems from LePage’s placement of a television in the hallway outside his State House office, an area that’s under the control of legislative leadership. The TV was showing a repeated message that draws attention to two of LePage’s priorities, which he says lawmakers have been slow act on: his proposed $6.3 billion state budget and repayment of a $484 million debt to the state’s hospitals.

‘‘What’s the holdup?’’ the message says. It also cites a section of the state Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech.

But no partisan or political messages are permitted to be displayed outside offices in the State House, said the executive director of the state’s Legislative Council, David Boulter, who’s an unelected, nonpartisan official.

‘‘There’s a long history of decorum in public areas,’’ he added.

If the governor wanted to keep his TV in a public area, Boulter said he told LePage’s office, he would have to ask permission from legislative leaders.

By: William

retired military , former cop, lifelong gym rat and doting grandfather alive and living in Maine