Page 46
Maine
Angus King, Independent
Legislature: Democratic
Took Office: 1/95
Grade: C
Angus King is the nation's only governor who is not a
member of one of the two major parties. Formerly a Demo-
crat, King ran as a moderate, pro-business independent. He
won a close race with only 35 percent of the vote, edging
out former Democratic governor Joseph Brennan, who got 34
percent. King had never held elective office before. He
had practiced law, run his own business, and gained state-
wide name recognition by hosting a television talk show.
The Almanac of American Politics described King as a "high-
energy, high-tech governor . . . [who] calls for more infra-
structure and lower taxes, better education and less video
gambling." In his first two years, King slowed the growth
of spending and imposed a moratorium on new regulations.
There were no tax hikes, but there were several fee in-
creases. And the legislature passed, without King's sup-
port, a cap on the growth of income tax revenue to take ef-
fect in 1998 and remain in place until the state's
excessively high income tax is reduced by 20 percent. Then
in 1997 King proposed doubling the state's cigarette tax and
eliminating the new income tax cap. Part of the new revenue
was to be used for a tax relief fund. The legislature, now
under complete Democratic control after the 1996 elections,
eventually gave King his way. King's grade of C reflects
this mixed fiscal record.
Score Grade Rank
Overall Fiscal Policy Score
46
C
28
Spending Score
54
B
19
Revenue and Tax Rate Score
42
C
35
Amount
-0.6%
Average Annual Change in Real Per Capita Direct General Spending through 1996
-1.8%
Average Annual Change in Direct General Spending Per $1,000 Personal Income through 1996
1.1%
Average Annual Recommended Change in Real Per Capita General Fund Spending through 1999
0.4%
Average Annual Change in General Fund Spending Per $1,000 Personal Income 1996-98
2.5%
Average Annual Change in Real Per Capita Tax Revenue through 1997
0.9%
Average Annual Change in Tax Revenue Per $1,000 Personal Income through 1997
-1.7%
Average Annual Recommended Change in General Fund Revenue Per $1,000 Personal Income through 1999
1.7%
Average Annual Change in Real Per Capita General Fund Revenue 1996-98
0.6%
Average Annual Recommended Tax Changes as % of Prior Year's Spending through 1999
0.0
Change in Top Personal Income Tax Rate, proposed and/or enacted (% points)
0.0
Change in Top Corporate Income Tax Rate, proposed and/or enacted (% points)
17.4
1998 Combined Top Income Tax Rates (Personal plus Corporate) (*0.5)
0.0
Change in Sales Tax Rate, proposed and/or enacted (% points)
0.0
Change in Gas Tax Rate, proposed and/or enacted (cents per gallon) (*0.5)