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Question 1 on the Nov. 7 ballot was a ripoff. It was a cushy business deal hatched by an international gambling promoter, a business deal shamelessly masquerading as a boon to the people of Maine. Fortunately, voters saw through Shawn Scott’s phony promises.

Fortunately, a few politicians spoke out against his proposal, including Gov. LePage, York state Rep. Lydia Blume and York’s Board of Selectmen. So, too, did Maine newspaper editorial boards. Fortunately (if late in the game) the state’s Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices fined Scott’s organization.

Unfortunately, neither the Maine Republican Party nor the Maine Democratic Party took a stand against Question 1. Both weighed in on other initiatives this year, but not on Question 1. Why not? It was clearly a bad deal, put forward by a shady self-promoter and trumpeted through a misleading ad campaign.

Silence in response to an obviously crooked initiative makes one question the value of Maine’s Democratic and Republican organizations. Beyond their partisan agendas, aren’t they supposed to be concerned about good government?

No initiative designed to benefit one individual and his cronies should ever go before the voters. We need to change the rules. “Never again” should be the mantra. Step up, Maine political leaders! Do the right thing! Take action, so the self-dealing Shawn Scotts of this world cannot game Maine’s voting system.

David Chase

York

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