In a lengthy puff piece about House Speaker Mark Eves, published last July by Maine’s flagship newspaper (“Contrasting images of House Speaker: Caring therapist or just a politician?,” July 5), Senate President Mike Thibodeau described Eves as a “nice, honest person.”

In that same article, the speaker alleged that Gov. LePage “used the power of the governor’s office, used the resources of state taxpayers to get in the way of that” – Eves’ hiring to head Good Will-Hinckley.

Fast forward to Dec. 7. In a letter to the same newspaper (“Testimony reveals Eves had advantage in Good Will-Hinckley job search”), another fellow legislator, Rep. Heather Sirocki – citing the sworn testimony of Bill Brown, Eves’ legislative assistant, before the House Government Oversight Committee – revealed that the speaker had employed the same tactics to get the job that he accused the governor of using.

Contradicting his previous statements (not under oath) that he’d recused himself from discussions involving Eves’ candidacy, Brown, the speaker’s taxpayer-paid assistant and board chair of the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences, Good Will-Hinckley’s neighbor and educational partner, disclosed that he had interceded on Eves’ behalf by lobbying Jack Moore, Good Will-Hinckley board chairman, to help Eves secure the $120,000-a-year presidency of Good Will-Hinckley – obviously with the speaker’s full knowledge and approval.

Will the real Speaker Eves please stand up?

Walter J. Eno

Scarborough


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