Panel approves MSHA oversight bill
A legislative subcommittee recently recommended passing a bill that would increase the oversight of the Maine State Housing Authority.
The bill, LD 1778, "An Act Relating to the Governance of the MSHA," would make the agency's director an at-will employee of the MSHA Board of Commissioners. Currently, the director serves a four-year term and can only be removed by the governor for just cause. The agency has recently been in the cross-hairs with commissioners, led by State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin, for what they argue is the high per-unit costs of affordable housing. But insiders believe the conflict is politically motivated, since Director Dale McCormick is one of the few Democratic holdovers from Gov. John Baldacci's administration. The measure passed unanimously, as amended, by the Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development, with two members absent. It goes to the Senate for final approval.
The bill's sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Jon Courtney, R-Sanford, in a press release praised the vote, which drew support from Democrats. "This may not completely remove the politics from the problems at the housing authority, but it puts the oversight power where it belongs, in the hands of the board of commissioners," he said in the release.
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