Bruce Bourgoine who blogs at Dirigo Blue and Kennebec Blues.
The mural that hung in the Maine Department of Labor that was ordered removed in March by Tea Party Maine Governor Paul LePage is now back in the news due to a federal lawsuit revealing that he never viewed it before ordering it removed.
According to a press release posted on PRMaine.com (emphasis mine):
In a document filed with the federal court in Bangor today, Governor LePage admits that he never actually had seen the labor history mural before ordering that it be removed from the Maine Department of Labor. The mural was removed on March 27, 2011, spawning widespread protests, debate, and a federal lawsuit over its removal.
The release goes on to quote Jonathan Beal, co-counsel for plaintiffs in the Federal lawsuit over its removal which was initially allegedly undertaken by Governor LePage based on a fax from a "secret admirer" without fax traces on it before the story was changed to it being an anonymous letter:
“We have been frustrated so far by the Governor’s refusal to tell us how the decision was made, what standards or considerations were discussed, or anything else about the decision to remove this mural. More and more, it seems to just have been a personal decision by Mr. LePage, based on his anti-worker and anti-union philosophy, and not a decision by the state government which could be respected by the Court.” Beal noted that the “fax” which the Governor’s spokesman said had been received, is now an anonymous “letter.” “I have serious questions about whether this was an actual complaint from a member of the public, as opposed to just something the Governor’s office cooked up. With a fax, we could see where it came from, but it appears that the fax was sanitized to prevent this.”
The standard applied by LePage to take unilateral and dictatorial action upon appears to be his own narrow desire for artistic censorship based on questionable secondhand reports. Not getting up off the Blaine House (Maine's Executive Residence) couch to stroll over to see it for himself adds insult to injury and is indicative of how the Governor treats labor concerns in general - evidence optional, father knows best.
The Kennebec Journal in Augusta, Maine has posted the legal document called a stipulation online that is referred to in the press release noted above. It is a revealing read, especially pages 13 through 16 regarding the removal.