What’s Eder worth to Baldacci? Looks like the lone Green representative's vote costs $500,000 for a creative-economy incubator and $200,000 for Portland's ESL programs BY LANCE TAPLEY

And you thought the Greens were different?

It was tense in the State House. Democratic Governor John Baldacci and his cronies in legislative leadership were whipping and beseeching liberal state legislators like they were in an S&M madhouse. They needed to find the votes to pass the governor’s two-year budget, which featured massive tax breaks for corporations, $450 million in tricky borrowing, and deep cuts in social services for the sick, the poor, the young, and the mentally ill and disabled.

It was tense because a few Democratic liberals were balking. They were talking about a temporary penny increase in the sales tax to avoid the worst of the cuts and turn the debate toward tax reform. And they even could count on some Republicans to join them.

If as few as three Legislators stepped out of Baldacci’s brigade, they could block the budget, since in the closely divided Legislature the Republicans were nearly unanimously opposed to it. Many in the GOP wanted to slow down what they considered runaway growth in state government, and many were incensed by the scheme to pledge lottery revenues against a $450-million "revenue bond." To some Republicans, this seemed — in principle, if not technically — an unconstitutional pledging of the state’s credit to cover an unconstitutional deficit.

Representative John Eder of Portland, the nation’s only Green state legislator, found himself for the first time in his two terms in a position of power. He perhaps possessed the key vote, since two House Democrats, Joanne Twomey of Biddeford and Barbara Merrill of Appleton, could not be budged. They insisted on sticking with their principles, deflecting carrots and sticks flying from the governor’s office as if the Capitol were a setting for a kung fu movie.

So what did John Eder do to demonstrate how the Greens were different — how they, too, could adhere to their principles and resist politics as usual?

He went for the political pork. Nice, greenish, sweet-smelling pork, but pork nonetheless.

And then he issued a press release that Tuesday night bragging about it:

"JOHN EDER FIGHTS FOR PORTLAND

IN THIS BUDGET

Support for Budget Very Close in House; Could be Down to One Vote

To Support the Governor’s Budget, Eder Seeks Half Million Dollars for Portland Creative Economy Incubator; $200,000 for Portland Bilingual Program

Augusta — It’s down to the wire for the Democrats. If they are to pass the Governor’s biennium budget, they’ll need every last vote. On Tuesday, March 29, 2005, Representative from Portland John Eder is fighting until the last minute for the City of Portland. In a closely divided House, Eder finds himself in position to be a key player in passing the Governor’s budget proposal. Eder is seeking an additional $200,000 to save the Portland School System’s Bilingual Center, and $500,000 to fund a Creative Economy incubator in Portland before he will consider voting yes on the Governor’s budget. . . .

On Monday, the day before the vote, Green Independent members of the Portland School Committee — Stephen Spring, Ben Meiklejohn, and Jason Toothaker — were in Augusta, negotiating with State House Leadership . . ."

Eder got his pork; Baldacci got his vote.

"Leadership came to me saying, "What can we do for your vote?’," the youthful, clean-cut politician recounted the following day, dressed in a blue blazer, white shirt, and blue-patterned tie as he sat in his Green Independent Party windowless office in the Cross State Office Building.

He had wanted, he said, "to take responsibility and ask for a revenue increase," but in the end he thought it was fruitless, considering that the Senate wouldn’t do anything progressive, he believed.

Eder felt in "a very unique position. They never needed my vote before." One motivation, he said, was that he wanted to see what it was like voting yes — going along for a change.

The lobbying was intense. Because of the fear of what the Republicans could do if the Baldacci budget wasn’t passed, he said, the Maine Peoples Alliance, labor representatives, even social services lobbyists and Equality Maine — the gay and lesbian lobby — pushed him to approve the budget.

Equality Maine’s lobbyists, he said, were afraid they somehow wouldn’t get the gay-rights bill through the Legislature if the budget were delayed: "I don’t want to hold up the vote on equality."

And why would lobbyists for social services want him to approve a budget that cut services for their clients?

"They don’t engage in risk," Eder said reflectively.

He added in explanation: "The Dems say, ‘This sucks, but wait until you see what the Republicans will do.’ "

He dislikes the budget, but because of Baldacci’s no-new-taxes pledge, "we’re just not there," he said — not in a position to obtain tax reform. As a result of the governor’s campaign pledge, the debate gets framed in a conservative way. "I’d have to believe it’s true" that Baldacci would veto a tax increase, he said.

Does he feel good about his vote?

"I feel good about delivering things for my constituency, but not good on the global picture."

The Department of Health and Human Services, he said, will fund the multilingual center. Ironically, DHHS will be experiencing the most severe cuts to social services. The University of Maine system will fund the creative-business incubator for artists and others.

Shaking his head a little sadly, he said, "In the end this is brutal to you, [but] this time I wanted to see another side."