This year's races for Maine State House and Senate seats are beginning to take official shape, as political parties replace "placeholder" candidates with contenders they hope will actually campaign.
As we reported in Briefs back in April, one such placeholder was Jason Rogers, a local indie rocker who held the Green Independent Party's spot on the ballot for the House District 119 (Bayside and Parkside) race. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Herb Adams is running again for that seat, and the Republicans' horse is Jason LaVoie, a conservative University of Southern Maine student activist.
Rogers has been replaced by another guitar-slinging Green, Matt Reading. Reading, 24, said he was inspired to run by Rep. John Eder, the West End Green whom he worked for at the State House a few years ago. He's also been inspired by Warren Haynes, the former Allman Brothers ax-man now shredding Southern rock in Gov't Mule.
Reading is not currently in a band. Rogers' band, Diamond Sharp, plays this Friday at Space Gallery.
In another semi-interesting twist, Karl Rawstron, the Greens' placeholder in the District 8 State Senate race against incumbent Ethan Strimling, has been replaced by Kelsey Perchinski, office manager and DJ at WMPG. The Republican candidate is David Babin, who ran and lost (badly) against Strimling two years ago.
Babin's campaign manager in that race: Kelsey Perchinski.
"He's completely fine with it," Perchinski said of Babin, who confirmed that he supports Perchinski's candidacy. "I certainly plan to help Kelsey in any way I can (she has all the dirt on me)," Babin wrote in an e-mail to The Bollard.
Rawstron, meanwhile, now has more free time to get ready for the rumored reunion of Sex Sells, the short-lived Portland indie-pop trio he fronted with bassist Meghan Conley (now Meghan Busby, this reporter's wife).
In non-rockin' political news, the Elephant Party has been unable to find a candidate to run in the House District 118 (West End) race against Eder and Democratic contender Jon Hinck. Perhaps that's just as well, as the last time Republicans had a candidate in this liberal district, she neglected to campaign and ended up endorsing Eder.
That's not likely to happen this year on the East End, where the Republicans have replaced Douglas Calderbank with Jeffrey Ferland.
"Since 1997 we've ranked as the state with the highest tax burden, and since that time, our neighbor New Hampshire hasn't ranked worse than 48th," Ferland wrote in a July 22 e-mail declaring his candidacy. "I'm finding it hard to believe that 49 other states can handle their budgets better than us, and still have the same kinds of services."
Ferland is an information technology consultant and auditor at a local accounting firm (he declined to disclose his employer's name). He's also 21 years old. His opponents in the House District 120 race are Portland School Committee member and Green "Zen" Ben Meiklejohn, and Anne Rand, a veteran Democratic state legislator seeking to return to Augusta.
Portland's Party of Change
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Monday, July 24, 2006
Greens to Challenge Dem Big Guns by Ed King on thewestendnews.blogspot.com: July 24, 2006
Portland’s Green Independent Party nominated two candidates at a party caucus held at Portland’s City Hall on July 24th, to compete in two of the highest-profile legislative races to be contested in the city this fall.
Kelsey Perchinski will run for the State Senate seat representing District 8, which covers most of the city. The seat is currently held by Portland West’s Executive Director Ethan Strimling. Republican David Babin is also a candidate in the race. Perchinski, a native of New Hampshire, is the station manager at WMPG. She is married and is the mother of a four-year-old girl. She was also Babin’s campaign manager when he ran against Strimling two years ago.
At the same caucus, Matt Reading, a native of Auburn and currently a resident of Portland, was nominated to run in the race to represent the Parkside/Bayside neighborhood, District 119, in the State Legislature. That seat is currently held by Representative Herb Adams, who is also being challenged by a Republican. Reading previously ran for office in Auburn.
Kelsey Perchinski will run for the State Senate seat representing District 8, which covers most of the city. The seat is currently held by Portland West’s Executive Director Ethan Strimling. Republican David Babin is also a candidate in the race. Perchinski, a native of New Hampshire, is the station manager at WMPG. She is married and is the mother of a four-year-old girl. She was also Babin’s campaign manager when he ran against Strimling two years ago.
At the same caucus, Matt Reading, a native of Auburn and currently a resident of Portland, was nominated to run in the race to represent the Parkside/Bayside neighborhood, District 119, in the State Legislature. That seat is currently held by Representative Herb Adams, who is also being challenged by a Republican. Reading previously ran for office in Auburn.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Portland Greens Back on Top
Portland Green Independents celebrated independence from Britain and politics as usual at a campaign kick-off party on North Street. Committee Co-Chairs and residents of Munjoy Hill, Kevin Donoghue and Rebecca Minnick (above), will seek to represent District One on the City Council and the School Board, respectively. Dave Marshall and Stephen Spring also signaled the start to their respective campaigns for City Council and School Board in District Two. Stephen Spring is seeking re-election for a second term. The four peninsular candidates for municipal office will take out papers next week and begin working for you.Tuesday, July 04, 2006
"Eder Receives AFL-CIO Endorsement" by Ed King in the West End News: July 5, 2006
In a historic move, the Maine AFL-CIO has endorsed Green Independent State Representative John Eder in his re-election bid for the District 118 State House seat representing the West End and Oakdale neighborhoods.
Eder has a 100% voting record on labor issues tracked by Maine’s unions, but this is the first time the labor union has endorsed his bid for the legislature, and it marks the first time that the union has endorsed a Green Party legislative candidate.
“We endorse legislators who have a record of supporting our goals and the needs of working people, and Representative Eder has shown a strong commitment to our issues,” said Ed Gorham, President of the Maine AFL-CIO.
Eder said it was “one of the high points of my legislative career to be endorsed by the nation’s most well-known union.”
In his two terms in the legislature Eder has made “livable wages” a focus, and has sponsored several pieces of legislation to increase the wages of Maine workers to a “livable wage.” He says that the legislature must set the tone by requiring “living wages” to be paid in state contracts and in wages paid through reimbursements from the state. Eder pledged to continue to speak out on behalf of those struggling on low wages.
Eder has a 100% voting record on labor issues tracked by Maine’s unions, but this is the first time the labor union has endorsed his bid for the legislature, and it marks the first time that the union has endorsed a Green Party legislative candidate.
“We endorse legislators who have a record of supporting our goals and the needs of working people, and Representative Eder has shown a strong commitment to our issues,” said Ed Gorham, President of the Maine AFL-CIO.
Eder said it was “one of the high points of my legislative career to be endorsed by the nation’s most well-known union.”
In his two terms in the legislature Eder has made “livable wages” a focus, and has sponsored several pieces of legislation to increase the wages of Maine workers to a “livable wage.” He says that the legislature must set the tone by requiring “living wages” to be paid in state contracts and in wages paid through reimbursements from the state. Eder pledged to continue to speak out on behalf of those struggling on low wages.
Monday, July 03, 2006
"Greens upset they're not on Ethics Panel" in the Bangor Daily News: June 28, 2006
AUGUSTA - Prominent members of the Green Independent Party lashed out Tuesday at Democratic and Republican legislative leaders, claiming Greens had been sidelined for too long in their battle for representation on the state ethics board.
Charging Democratic and Republican leaders with nurturing an "institutional bias" against the Greens for years, Nancy Allen, a party spokesman, and state Rep. John Eder, a Green Party lawmaker from Portland, said there was no reason why a Green could not be named to fill the fifth slot on the five-member Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. The board resolves ethics complaints and investigates state campaign finance violations and has conducted its business with a vacancy since April 2005.
"The Green Party ought to be considered," Allen said.
"The point is that if you become a major party, you can't be kept away from these kind of positions by the other two parties. That's unethical, unfair and undemocratic."
The Green Party statements were made in reaction to remarks offered Monday by House Speaker John Richardson, D-Brunswick. During a meeting with State House reporters, Richardson deplored the fact that the ethics panel vacancy had persisted for so long and repeatedly referred to the need to find an independent candidate for the position. The fifth candidate for the commission must be nominated by GOP and Democratic legislative leaders and approved by the governor.
Richardson implied the delay was prompted by the inaction of Republican leaders, adding that finding a candidate not enrolled in a political party who met the approval of party leaders in the House and Senate was a "very unwieldy and difficult" task. It was, he said, apparently more difficult for Republicans than Democrats.
"It appears that we have put out a number of nominees, but the Republicans have been a little late in providing their names and that has caused a fair amount of delay," Richardson said. "It is my hope that there may be a couple of names that will come forward and then, ultimately, the governor can choose one of those three names and then one can be agreed upon."
Republican leaders in the House and Senate denied Richardson's characterization of their alleged procrastination and insisted they have been discussing a candidate with members of the governor's staff.
"The speaker can play the blame game as much as he wants, but there's a process for filling this position, and I'm pretty confident it will be filled in the near future," said House GOP leader Joshua Tardy of Newport.
While the GOP's unnamed candidate is not a Green, Tardy and Senate GOP leader Paul Davis of Greenville said they would not oppose a qualified Green candidate for the ethics panel - a possibility that didn't arise Monday during Richardson's discussions with reporters.
"I'm not surprised that it didn't," Davis said. "Greens take votes away from Democrats and I'm sure they wouldn't want one on the commission. It wouldn't bother me, though, as long as they could do the job."
While Richardson referred to finding an independent candidate for the vacant ethics slot, the pertinent Maine law simply states that no more than two members of the five-member board can represent the same party. Jonathan Wayne, executive director of the ethics commission, said there was nothing to prevent legislative leaders from nominating a Green to the commission if that was their desire. Rep. John Eder, G-Portland, said his party has to continually fight for a place at the table in Maine politics.
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you - then they fight you," Eder said. "We're moving through this process and obviously there's an effort to try and suggest that there's none other than the two parties which enshrined themselves in the Maine Constitution in the 1980s. It's a constant battle, but we want a seat on the board. We've paid our dues."
Responding to the Greens' remarks late Tuesday afternoon, Richardson said that, contrary to Davis' suggestion, he also would welcome a Green nominee for the ethics panel.
"All I would say is that if the Green Party wants to be a major party in the state of Maine, then they need to do as everyone else does: assert themselves just as Republicans and Democrats do by offering up names," he said. "I'm certainly not obstructive or adverse to the notion that a Green could serve."
Historically, the fifth commission slot has been filled by an independent. Former independent Gov. Angus S. King was presented as a potential member earlier this year, but he declined the nomination.
The panel has essentially been a four-member board since April, when independent member Terrence MacTaggart, the former chancellor of the University of Maine System, finished his term. While the commission has largely been able to avoid stalemates, that was not the case in March when the panel deadlocked 2-2 over a request from the Conservation Law Foundation to investigate Rep. Thomas Saviello, an independent from Wilton.
The foundation charged that Saviello, a manager at the former International Paper Co. in Jay, used his position on the Legislature's Natural Resources Committee to craft weaker environmental regulations for IP and that he bargained with the Department of Environmental Protection to drop an enforcement action against the mill. The two Republican members of the commission voted not to investigate the allegation, while the two Democrats supported it. The deadlock ensured no action would be taken.
The absence of the fifth member "was critical in the Saviello case," Richardson agreed.
A decision by Richardson and Senate President Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport, to convene a 15-member advisory panel to review the current code of ethical behavior for lawmakers and the manner in which complaints can be resolved may yet hold implications for the Greens. The panel held its first organizational meeting last week, and while the Saviello incident enjoyed a fair amount of discussion, a variety of other potential topics were also broached.
John Rensenbrink, founder of the Maine Green Party and one of the 15 advisory panel members, said Tuesday it was high time the commission's composition reflected the Maine electorate instead of the Maine Legislature. Noting that Maine voters are composed of 39 percent unenrolled or independent voters, 31 percent Democrats, 28 percent Republicans, and 2 percent Greens, Rensenbrink reasoned it made more sense to have the panel recommend that the ethics commission consist of two unenrolled members, one Democrat, one Republican and one Green.
"One, one, one plus two would be just fine," Rensenbrink said. "I think I will be inclined to recommend that to the full commission when we get to that point."
Charging Democratic and Republican leaders with nurturing an "institutional bias" against the Greens for years, Nancy Allen, a party spokesman, and state Rep. John Eder, a Green Party lawmaker from Portland, said there was no reason why a Green could not be named to fill the fifth slot on the five-member Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. The board resolves ethics complaints and investigates state campaign finance violations and has conducted its business with a vacancy since April 2005.
"The Green Party ought to be considered," Allen said.
"The point is that if you become a major party, you can't be kept away from these kind of positions by the other two parties. That's unethical, unfair and undemocratic."
The Green Party statements were made in reaction to remarks offered Monday by House Speaker John Richardson, D-Brunswick. During a meeting with State House reporters, Richardson deplored the fact that the ethics panel vacancy had persisted for so long and repeatedly referred to the need to find an independent candidate for the position. The fifth candidate for the commission must be nominated by GOP and Democratic legislative leaders and approved by the governor.
Richardson implied the delay was prompted by the inaction of Republican leaders, adding that finding a candidate not enrolled in a political party who met the approval of party leaders in the House and Senate was a "very unwieldy and difficult" task. It was, he said, apparently more difficult for Republicans than Democrats.
"It appears that we have put out a number of nominees, but the Republicans have been a little late in providing their names and that has caused a fair amount of delay," Richardson said. "It is my hope that there may be a couple of names that will come forward and then, ultimately, the governor can choose one of those three names and then one can be agreed upon."
Republican leaders in the House and Senate denied Richardson's characterization of their alleged procrastination and insisted they have been discussing a candidate with members of the governor's staff.
"The speaker can play the blame game as much as he wants, but there's a process for filling this position, and I'm pretty confident it will be filled in the near future," said House GOP leader Joshua Tardy of Newport.
While the GOP's unnamed candidate is not a Green, Tardy and Senate GOP leader Paul Davis of Greenville said they would not oppose a qualified Green candidate for the ethics panel - a possibility that didn't arise Monday during Richardson's discussions with reporters.
"I'm not surprised that it didn't," Davis said. "Greens take votes away from Democrats and I'm sure they wouldn't want one on the commission. It wouldn't bother me, though, as long as they could do the job."
While Richardson referred to finding an independent candidate for the vacant ethics slot, the pertinent Maine law simply states that no more than two members of the five-member board can represent the same party. Jonathan Wayne, executive director of the ethics commission, said there was nothing to prevent legislative leaders from nominating a Green to the commission if that was their desire. Rep. John Eder, G-Portland, said his party has to continually fight for a place at the table in Maine politics.
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you - then they fight you," Eder said. "We're moving through this process and obviously there's an effort to try and suggest that there's none other than the two parties which enshrined themselves in the Maine Constitution in the 1980s. It's a constant battle, but we want a seat on the board. We've paid our dues."
Responding to the Greens' remarks late Tuesday afternoon, Richardson said that, contrary to Davis' suggestion, he also would welcome a Green nominee for the ethics panel.
"All I would say is that if the Green Party wants to be a major party in the state of Maine, then they need to do as everyone else does: assert themselves just as Republicans and Democrats do by offering up names," he said. "I'm certainly not obstructive or adverse to the notion that a Green could serve."
Historically, the fifth commission slot has been filled by an independent. Former independent Gov. Angus S. King was presented as a potential member earlier this year, but he declined the nomination.
The panel has essentially been a four-member board since April, when independent member Terrence MacTaggart, the former chancellor of the University of Maine System, finished his term. While the commission has largely been able to avoid stalemates, that was not the case in March when the panel deadlocked 2-2 over a request from the Conservation Law Foundation to investigate Rep. Thomas Saviello, an independent from Wilton.
The foundation charged that Saviello, a manager at the former International Paper Co. in Jay, used his position on the Legislature's Natural Resources Committee to craft weaker environmental regulations for IP and that he bargained with the Department of Environmental Protection to drop an enforcement action against the mill. The two Republican members of the commission voted not to investigate the allegation, while the two Democrats supported it. The deadlock ensured no action would be taken.
The absence of the fifth member "was critical in the Saviello case," Richardson agreed.
A decision by Richardson and Senate President Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport, to convene a 15-member advisory panel to review the current code of ethical behavior for lawmakers and the manner in which complaints can be resolved may yet hold implications for the Greens. The panel held its first organizational meeting last week, and while the Saviello incident enjoyed a fair amount of discussion, a variety of other potential topics were also broached.
John Rensenbrink, founder of the Maine Green Party and one of the 15 advisory panel members, said Tuesday it was high time the commission's composition reflected the Maine electorate instead of the Maine Legislature. Noting that Maine voters are composed of 39 percent unenrolled or independent voters, 31 percent Democrats, 28 percent Republicans, and 2 percent Greens, Rensenbrink reasoned it made more sense to have the panel recommend that the ethics commission consist of two unenrolled members, one Democrat, one Republican and one Green.
"One, one, one plus two would be just fine," Rensenbrink said. "I think I will be inclined to recommend that to the full commission when we get to that point."
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