AUGUSTA (July 13) - Members of the Maine State Employees Association, Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union, today called on gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler to apologize for accusing them of running a sham gubernatorial endorsement process.

"It's one thing for Eliot Cutler to refuse to answer our endorsement questionnaire about important issues affecting Maine's working families. But it's an entirely different matter for him to concoct a ridiculous conspiracy theory as his excuse for remaining silent," said Frank Kadi, a retiree member of the union and chairman of the union's political action committee known as Political Action by Service Employees and Retirees. "Eliot Cutler's conduct shows an appalling lack of judgment for a gubernatorial candidate and an absolute disrespect for Maine workers who engage in Maine's democratic process."

Continuing, Kadi said, "While it's true that Republican gubernatorial candidate Paul LePage didn't respond to our questionnaire, at least Paul LePage has the decency to leave it at that."

Kadi was referring to a letter that Cutler wrote on July 9 to the union's political director, Mary Anne Turowski. In his letter, Cutler refused to answer the union's endorsement questionnaire on grounds that the union endorsement was rigged against him. Even though he provided no evidence, Cutler falsely wrote that the union had already endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Elizabeth "Libby" Mitchell.

"We both know that the MSEA-SEIU endorsement has been reserved for Libby Mitchell since June 8 ….Therefore, I am respectfully declining your offer to complete your questionnaire," Cutler wrote.

In fact, members of the union have made no endorsement whatsoever at this point. Union members serving on the union's political action committee had not even interviewed any of the three candidates seeking the union's endorsement at the time Cutler wrote his letter. The union's endorsement process is under way and there is no guarantee that the union will even issue an endorsement.

Tonight, union members serving on the political action committee will interview unenrolled candidates Shawn Moody and Kevin Scott, and Democratic candidate Elizabeth "Libby" Mitchell. All of them completed the union's questionnaire - which is a requirement for any candidate seeking the union's support. The questionnaire asks such basic questions as:

• "Describe your philosophy in regards to public sector services and government-funded programs."
• "Please explain your position on taxes, tax breaks, and the general question of generating revenue. What would you do to balance the State budget?"
• "With the passage of national health care reform, what is your strategy to implement reform measures in our state, and to ensure that affordable health care is available to Maine's working families, including state and publicly financed workers?"

Copies of the union's endorsement questionnaire and the letter that Eliot Cutler sent to the union are online at our website.