PUBLIC FINANCE

Alyssa is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers and is recognized bond counsel by the Maine Municipal Bond Bank.  She regularly serves as bond counsel, issuer’s counsel and borrower’s counsel for local governments, utility districts and non-profit clients in public finance transactions such as general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, tax anticipation notes, bond anticipation notes, and lease financing.  In this role, Alyssa advises clients on every aspect of the transaction, from voter or governing body approval to tax code compliance. Alyssa has cultivated professional relationships with local banks, national lenders, municipal advisors, the Maine Bond Bank, the Finance Authority of Maine, and the Maine Health and Higher Education Facilities Authority and has worked on transactions of all sizes. 

Alyssa advises both public and private clients on matters involving tax increment financing in Maine, such as the establishment or amendment of tax increment financing (TIF) districts and the negotiation or drafting of credit enhancement agreements. She has worked on some of the largest and most complex TIF districts in the state, including special assessment districts, affordable housing districts, downtown districts, and transit districts.  Alyssa has also been instrumental in recent legislative efforts to enhance the tax increment financing program in Maine.  Alyssa draws on her extensive knowledge of municipal and county law in Maine to partner with clients on large development projects that present a variety of legal needs such as legislative authority, land use regulations, code enforcement, permitting, site plan and subdivision approvals, and property tax to provide a holistic approach to developing and implementing TIF districts in connection with economic development initiatives.

After working with local government employers for nearly 20 years, Alyssa recognizes the unique challenges they face and strives to partner with clients in assessing risk and developing practical solutions to complex problems.  She has represented public employers in all aspects of employer-employee relationships, such as:

• Negotiation and administration of collective bargaining agreements
• Hiring, discipline and termination procedures
• Representing public employers in mediations, arbitrations, and before administrative agencies, such as the Maine Human Rights Commission and the Maine Labor Relations Board
• Advising public employers on matters involving employee leave issues under Maine and federal Family Medical Leave, Maine's Earned Paid Leave Law, Maine's Paid Family Medical Leave program, and Workers’ Compensation
• Negotiation and drafting of employment agreements
• Review and drafting of personnel policies
• Workplace safety compliance
• Wage and hour compliance
• Analyzing requests for reasonable accommodation and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act

As a result of her experience advising employers in a wide range of employment matters, Alyssa is frequently called upon to serve as an independent investigator in response to complaints of discrimination, harassment or retaliation in the workplace.  In this capacity, she conducts witness interviews and collects and analyzes evidence to provide an impartial fact-finding report that employers and their legal counsel can use to develop an appropriate course of action in response to complaints.