No person is above the law, including elected officials.

An elected official in Chelsea blackmails a contractor. Law enforcement officials immediately investigate and arrest the blackmailer; she is eventually tried, convicted and sentenced to prison.

Gov. Paul LePage blackmails the Good Will-Hinckley board of directors for hiring Rep. Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, by threatening to withhold scheduled payments of taxpayer dollars, and the board gives in to LePage’s demands for economical reasons. The board fires Eves, and the governor not only admits guilt but is even proud of his decision.

I do not agree with the message the board sent to the student population and future generations to come.

A legislative committee is investigating the governor’s actions. While I have faith in the Oversight Committee’s investigation of this blackmail, I have little faith in the Legislature as a whole for taking action. Time and time again, legislators have made excuses for this governor, and many do not vote against him for fear of retribution. This is a sad but true fact.

As a Maine resident and taxpayer, I hereby request that state and/or federal law enforcement officials conduct a criminal investigation of using taxpayer dollars to blackmail the Good Will-Hinckley board of directors.

If we continue to do nothing, no Maine resident is safe from LePage’s blackmail tactics and improper use of taxpayer dollars. Future generations in Maine must know that crime does not pay and that politicians who break the law are treated the same as other law-breaking citizens.

David H. Crockett

Augusta

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