A few complaints from business owners had come in over the murals which depicted unions -strikes, solidarity and not, they felt, welcoming to all business, unless union. LePage had a sign added to the Welcome to Maine sign in the southern part along Rt. 95 saying Maine is Open for Business.
LePage was treating his "new job as governor", he said, "as a business". LePage had been a successful general manager of the Mardens, growing a chain of profitable stores [jobs] in Maine over the years, as well as a popular mayor reducing taxes in the city of Waterville while placing an emphasis on the quality of education; prior to being elected governor. LePage had been abused, homeless and lived on the streets at age 11.
Before the mural controversy there was the poet laureate controversy. The newly elected Republican governor chose not to invite a poet laureate which had been included by past administrations to his inauguration ceremony.
There had been a week of reported "simmering controversy" over the selection of Belfast’s next poet laureate. At a City Council meeting, one person accused a council member of going rogue over the matter and called for his censure [ "going rogue" [8] tag words so uncreative, so cliché']. Angered poets, artists and others then held a protest in Portland after a poet laureate was not invited to the shorter inaugural ceremony.
LePage had chosen not to include the traditional governor's ball with only a congratulatory party of supporters held after the swearing in. It would hold down costs, he said.
Then to much brouhaha, the Governor chose not to attend two Martin Luther King day lunches in Portland over another commitment-a State Trooper's funeral. He did attend a Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast in his mayoral city of Waterville. LePage was then called racist and another protest was held by multicultural/ multiethnic groups in Portland.
LePage responded in a recent interview by Boston's WRKO talk show host, Howie Carr, that his office had tried to set up meetings with the NAACP group many times, but it was never convenient for the group. LePage responded to reporters critical of his absence quote, "kiss his butt."
The unions and the Democrats are suing over the murals. A Democratic lawmaker is proposing a process be created for Maine citizens to recall the governor, legislators and constitutional officers. However, Democrats claim it has nothing to do with LePage. [...and I have a picturesque frog pond in Maine, I will sell you real cheap]
LePage's voice rings forth like a bell
Sending liberals hiding in shells
Just like Christie
He makes them all pissy
By telling them all "Go to Hell!"
by WV_republican
Anything we can do to help? Any websites out there where we can show our support?
Illuminate me. When a business thinks of coming to Maine, is it customary for it to visit the Department of Labor? That’s the only way they’d see the mural.
Obama hides depictions of Christianity every chance that’s not immediately under scrutiny of public view.
This 1st Amendment argument is ridiculously specious. Under that line of reasoning, the government couldn’t remove grafitti without violating the Constitution.
It looks like one of those old Soviet or Chinese labor murals.
On the other hand did the government only borrow, lease or license it from the artist? In that case the contract might have some requirements for how it is displayed. This should be handled by the courts as a breach of contract case, not a first amendment case.
A follow on, is there any law which limits the ability of the governor to determine the decoration of the department of labor building? Just as a law could be passed mandating that all department of labor offices be painted blue, so the governor couldn't decide that he likes green better and just ignore the law when he has the building painted, there might be a law mandating how art is handled.
Put it in a barrel of urine and see if they complain.