The blogosphere has been chattering for some weeks about the absence of any word from the state Ethics Commission that John Richardson, Brunswick’s ‘favorite son,’ has qualified for Maine Clean Election Funding. The deadline to submit his qualifying checks and associated paperwork was April 1st, and they were reportedly dropped off in a feverish last minute delivery.
We’re more than 3 weeks past that date, and still no official word. The do or die primary election is a bit more than 6 weeks away, crying out for immediate campaign funding if Richardson is to have any chance.
Now the word on the electronic street is that Richardson’s campaign to become Governor of Maine is about to come to an inglorious (to say the least) end.
No doubt the Ostrich won’t be all over this story tomorrow, but who knows. Even they may understand when over really means over.
This reporter, eschewing such seedy goings on, and ever-mindful of protecting our editorial objectivity, has not been chasing the story in person.
More credible sources in the new media have, however, and we cite their efforts here so that you can judge for yourself whether they are credible. On their face, Side takes them as such.
Here’s where you can read about it:
Richardson looking for a way out of the race
(If the link above does not work, just move on to the next two.)
More details on the John Richardson controversy
Richardson to quit race tomorrow
If you’re a real political junkie, you can take a look at the Richardson campaign’s finance reports here. I recommend you do, and in particular, scan down to the bottom to the relatively brief expenditures details. (Go ahead and look at the contributions if you like, and don’t miss out on the back and forth checks to Lee Bailey, or the one from Jim Horowitz of Oxford Aviation; not that there’s anything wrong with those.)
In the expenditures detail, you’ll see that John Porter, former op-ed page editor of the Portland Newspaper, sells his services to candidates, as does Dana Graham, former MSEA official, as I understand it.
It also looks like Richardson’s “campaign manager” was earning in the range of $1750 a week….more than enough, you would think, to get someone who can handle the process of collecting and turning in sufficient valid qualifying checks. But as they say, “it’s so hard to find good help these days.” And she might have been just a few “steps” away from being a Governor’s chief of staff.
For those of you still expecting the double double toil and trouble theory advanced earlier to play out, all we can say is that this is going to take one hell of a Richardson & Bailey closing act to pull out of the fire. Assuming early reports are true. An act beyond even our wildest imagining here at the offices. And we bow to no-one in wild imaginings.
But we don’t have the creative intellects of noted barristers and ambitious politicians, nor access to the well-greased machinery of public information, relations, and perceptions.
So it’s probably not a good idea to stop reading the news just yet. One way or another, watching Johnny Protocols navigate through this little swamp should be compelling theater worthy of our little oasis of the “creative economy.” And how the Ostrich handles it, if at all, should be even more entertaining.
One thing you can count on; we’ll be watching! With our objective glasses on, as you’ve come to expect.
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