PACs raised $700,000 to back ballot questions

AUGUSTA – A little more than $700,000 had been raised by Oct. 27 to promote four of the five bond questions and a constitutional amendment to preserve working waterfronts, according to campaign finance reports filed with the state Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices.

With the exception of the people’s veto of Maine’s gay rights law, none of the proposals on Tuesday’s ballot faces any organized opposition.

Reports received by the commission’s Nov. 2 filing deadline indicated that of the five bond proposals totaling $83 million, a political action committee for Question 4, the so-called jobs bond, had raised the most cash at $222,399.

Question 4 provides $20 million for medical and marine research and development, investments in small Maine companies and capital improvements to cultural resources.

According to the six-day pre-election report filed by Jobs For a Healthy Maine, the Question 4 PAC raised $208,540 in cash and in-kind contributions during the Oct. 1-27 reporting period to reach its year-to-date total. The PAC reported expenditures of $182,400 and had a cash-on-hand balance of $39,998. The PAC featured one large contributor, the Maine Biomedical Research Coalition of Portland, which donated $200,000.

Just behind Jobs For a Healthy Maine was the Citizens to Save Maine’s Heritage PAC, which raised a total of $221,020 to promote the approval of Question 5, a $12 million bond to purchase land and conservation easements. The PAC raised $218,156 in cash and loans during the reporting period to reach its year-to-date total. The PAC reported expenditures of $219,086 and had a cash-on-hand balance of $1,933. The PAC had several large contributors, including the Maine Coast Heritage Trust of Topsham, $25,000; L.L. Bean of Freeport, $22,000; and the Appalachian Mountain Club of Boston, $10,000.

The Keep Maine Moving Coalition raised $122,600 in cash, loans and in-kind contributions to promote Question 2, a $33.1 million bond for highways and bridges, airports, public transit improvements, state-owned ferry vessels and port facilities, and bicycle trail and pedestrian improvements. The PAC raised all of its money during the last reporting period. The PAC reported expenditures of $119,290 and had a cash-on-hand balance of $3,310. It had several large contributors, including Cianbro Reed & Reed LLC of Pittsfield, $20,000; Figg Engineering Group of Tallahassee Fla., $7,500; and MBTA Infrastructure Fund of Augusta, $5,000.

Citizens For Higher Education has raised $80,945 to promote Question 6, a $9 million bond for renovations at six campuses of the University of Maine System and all seven campuses of the Maine Community College System. The PAC raised $55,290 during the last reporting period to reach its total. The PAC reported expenditures of $23,040 and had a cash-on-hand balance of $57,904. The PAC’s larger contributors included the University of Maine at Farmington and the University of Maine at Presque Isle, each of which contributed $5,000 and the SMCC Student Senate Fund, of South Portland, $7,740.

The Campaign For A Working Waterfront reported a total of $54,350 raised to promote Question 7, a constitutional amendment that would allow municipalities to assess waterfront land used for commercial fishing activities in a similar manner to farm or forest land. The PAC raised $39,850 during the last reporting period to reach its total. The PAC reported expenditures of $39,978 and had a cash-on-hand balance of $14,379. The PAC’s larger contributors included Horace Hildreth of Portland, $5,000 and Richard and Sally Bartley of Amesbury, Mass., $5,000.

No campaign finance reports were filed by any group concerning Question 3, an $8.9 million bond request for water pollution control projects, municipal drinking water improvements and farm irrigation projects.