Ethics questioned in Oxford casino lobby
An anti-gambling political action committee has filed an ethics complaint against Peter Martin, the spokesman for a group proposing a casino in Oxford County.
Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO!, registered a complaint against Martin with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices on April 7, according to the Sun Journal. Bailey argued that Martin, spokesman for Black Bear Entertainment, should have registered with the state as a lobbyist for the time he spent lobbying on behalf of casino legislation. State law requires that people who spend more than eight hours in a month talking to legislators or drafting legislation or testimony must register as lobbyists.
Bailey also argued that Martin is likely being paid for his work with Black Bear Entertainment, which would require registration as a lobbyist. Bailey did not find any reported payments to Martin in state records on the date he filed his complaint, but a lawyer for Black Bear Entertainment on April 15 filed amendments to two previous PAC reports detailing Martin's compensation, including a $50,000 payment made to Atlantic Strategies, a consulting group Martin formed, according to the paper.
Martin registered as a lobbyist on April 7 after receiving notice of the ethics complaint. He told the paper he had spoken to a lawyer about state requirements and did not exceed the eight-hour monthly limit as he lobbied for legislation to dictate how casino efforts would appear on this year's referendum.
"I fully believe I have stayed within the guideline of the Maine ethics commission and have violated no rules or statutes," he wrote in a letter to the commission staff on April 13.
The ethics commission is scheduled to discuss the complaint later this week.
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