YORK COUNTY — The wording for four state referendum questions to appear on the November ballot — including a controversial York County casino question — has been approved by Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap.
The questions include expanding MaineCare to include those under age 65 earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level; approving a $105 million bond for upgrading highways, bridges and other transportation infrastructure and facilities; amending the state Constitution to reduce volatility in state pension funding requirements caused by financial markets; and whether to allow “a certain company” to operate slot machines or a casino in York County.
The casino question is a controversial one. It states: “Do you want to allow a certain company to operate table games and/or slot machines in York County, subject to state and local approval, with part of the profits going to the specific programs described in the initiative?”
It is designed, if passed, to allow only one company to operate the slot machines and/or casino, Las Vegas-based Capital Seven LLC.
The campaign for the casino was led by Lisa Scott, the Miami sister of Shawn Scott, a U.S. Virgin Islands developer and principal of Capital Seven, according to the Bangor Daily News.
The Maine Ethics Commission is probing the casino campaign. It voted in June to investigate the effort after the campaign disclosed in April that nearly $4.3 million in funding previously attributed to Lisa Scott of Miami was actually loaned to her by Capital Seven and a Japanese consulting firm, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Those disclosures affected all money donated to the campaign from late 2015 through March’s end — an apparent violation of Maine law, which makes entities spending more than $5,000 on a campaign disclose that within a week, according to the Bangor paper.
“The investigation is ongoing,” said Maine Ethics Commission Executive Director Jonathan Wayne in a telephone interview on Thursday.
He said the commission has received some but not all of the documents it has requested.
The outcome of the investigation would not affect the referendum question, said Wayne, but if ethics violations are found, those who violated state law could face financial penalties.
Creating a casino would also be subject to local approval.
To learn more about all of the state referendum questions, the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions will create a Citizens’ Guide to the 2017 Election this fall, which will be available on the website and at public libraries across the state. All voters are encouraged to read it to inform themselves of the details of each bill, including the fiscal impact statements.
For more information about the November 2017 Referendum Election, visit http://maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/index.html. Information on voter registration and locating your polling place is also available on the Corporations, Elections and Commissions website.
— Associate Editor Dina Mendros can be reached at 282-1535, ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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