Report: Maine fails in government accountability
A group of nonprofit journalism and watchdog groups has given Maine a flunking grade in government accountability and transparency. As a result, according to their report, the state is at risk for government corruption.
Maine was one of eight states to receive an overall grade of F, and it ranked 46th in the nation for its transparency. The report ranked states on a number of indicators, including public access to information, lobbying disclosure and political financing. Maine received mostly Fs in these categories, though it did receive an A for internal auditing, as well as a C- in both the state budget process and the procurement process. According to The Forecaster, Maine lacks an independent agency to oversee ethics of the executive branch, and the state Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices is limited to the legislative branch. No state received an overall grade of A, though New Jersey ranked highest with a B+.
The “State Integrity Investigation” was done by The Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity and Public Radio International. Research in Maine was conducted by the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting.
The state also recently received a D- from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group for government transparency.
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