Ethics panel fines PAC, clears newspaper
An out-of-state political action committee has received the largest ethics fine in state history, while the Portland Press Herald has been cleared of wrongdoing related to a campaign for an elected mayor in Portland.
The Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices voted yesterday to fine Virginia-based Republican State Leadership Committee $26,000 for failing to properly report its $400,000 contributions to five Maine Senate races, according to reports from the Bangor Daily News and MaineToday Media. The group's late spending reports delayed $160,000 in matching money from Maine's public campaign financing system being given to their five Democratic opponents, all of whom lost. Several Democratic candidates said they were not given ample time to respond to RSLC's ads before Election Day. Dan Riley, an attorney representing the organization, attributed the delayed filings to misinterpretation of state law, and said the group would not appeal the fines.
The ethics commission also voted 4-1 to clear the Portland Press Herald of charges that it violated campaign finance laws by donating $47,000 worth of advertising space to a campaign to install an elected mayor in Portland. A complaint against the paper said it should have disclosed the ads as campaign donations or registered with the city as a ballot question committee. The paper donates ad space to the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, which it used to advocate its support for a popularly elected mayor, a measure that voters approved.
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