LePage calls York County casino question 'a phony deal' with overblown promises

AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage came out forcefully against the York County casino ballot question Tuesday, calling Question 1 “another case of big-money, out-of-state interests using Maine voters to get a sweet deal.”

“But it’s a phony deal for Maine,” LePage said in his weekly radio address. “Supporters of Question 1 are using a bait-and-switch tactic that has nothing to do with funding schools or creating jobs. Their promises of boosting our economy are overblown.”

Meanwhile, lawmakers’ scrutiny of the casino ballot initiative will resume Wednesday, but without the involvement of key backers of the Question 1 campaign, who declined invitations to answer questions from a legislative committee.

“Under the circumstances, for any proponent of the York County direct initiative to appear before the committee in the midst of this highly charged political environment would be ill-advised,” attorney Andrew Ketterer wrote in declining an invitation sent by the Government Oversight Committee to gambling entrepreneur Shawn Scott and an associate.

Read more: http://www.pressherald.com/2017/10/17/lepage-calls-york-county-casino-question-a-phony-deal-with-overblown-promises/