Dear Editor:

The voters of Maine are lucky in one respect: with the Maine Clean Elections Act, voters have a very clear idea as to who has the most influence over a candidate's policy choices.

When it comes to politics, those who pay the piper call the tune. Thanks to recent Supreme Court decisions, our campaigns will witness a flood of big money from private special interests seeking to further their own ends, often at the expense of the rest of us. Big money interests are generous with political campaigns because it pays off. Elections have become more of an economic marketplace rather than a marketplace of ideas.

With Maine's Clean Election Act candidates, there is a different story. A Clean Election candidate cannot accept money from anyone except a small amount of seed money to start their campaign or those little $5 contributions to qualify. Clean Election candidates must run their campaigns with many rules limiting the sources and types of donations they may accept. The result is that private special interests have no influence over a candidate's future voting. Clean Election candidates are truly independent and are influenced by only one thing; how you vote.

So when a Clean Election candidate knocks on your door during the upcoming campaign season; invite them in to hear what they has to say.

Fred W. Nehring
Boothbay