May 23, 2016
By Mal Leary
MPBN
Gov. Paul LePage says he will ask lawmakers to change the language in a $10 million bond issue for senior housing the voters approved last November.
Appearing on Maine Public Radio’s Maine Calling program, he said he supports the goal of the bond but said its authorizing language needs to be tightened up and sent back to the voters.
“I want to release the bonds but I want them to do good. I want to either keep people in their homes longer by having ramps and mobility issues dealt with,” LePage said.
He said the bonds should be used for things like telemedicine portals because the basic housing needs can already be financed by the Maine State Housing Authority. He said the current bonds have no criteria requiring developer investments to make the money go further and could lead to a few developers getting rich off the taxpayers.
“We can go back to the legislature and ask them to change, to change the language and send it back to the voters. Because this way here, I’m telling you the way they are written it’s, they were clearly designed to help two or three people become millionaires overnight,” LePage says.
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