Maine ethics watchdog looking at links between offshore firm, casino … – Bangor Daily News

Good morning from Augusta, where a remarkable hearing yesterday that illuminated an offshore firms influence on the 2017 ballot initiative for a new casino in York County prompted Maines ethics watchdog to reach out to the campaign bankrolling the bid about its finances.

That scrutiny from the Maine Ethics Commission came on a bad day for the proposal linked to U.S. Virgin Islands developer Shawn Scott, which had a public hearing before the Legislatures Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee that led Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason, R-Lisbon Falls, to say the casino campaign placed major corruption issues in front of us.

It also comes just two months after a failed 2016 casino campaign also linked to Scott agreed to pay Massachusetts regulators $125,000 for disguising $1.6 million in contributions for a firm associated with Scotts offshore firm, Bridge Capital.

The Maine campaign has been run so far through Horseracing Jobs Fairness, a ballot question committee funded by $4.2 million as of January, all of which came Scotts sister, Lisa Scott of Miami, according to filings with the state.

On Wednesday, the only person to speak in favor of the proposal was Portland lobbyist Dan Riley, who told the committee that he had been hired hours earlier via email to represent Bridge Capital, which is based in the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands, so he wasnt able to answer many questions.

But he said that he had never spoken to Lisa Scott or anyone from the political committee that she has led. However, he said he met once with Shawn Scott earlier this year because Rileys law firm, Norman, Hanson and DeTroy, has been representing Bridge Capital on real estate matters as it considers buying a potential casino site in southern Maine.

Later on Wednesday, Jonathan Wayne, executive director of the Maine Ethics Commission, said he reached out to the ballot question committee after seeing media reports indicating mention of another organization that might have some financial activity around the effort.

This is an initial, proactive step and any investigation would have to be authorized by commissioners. Making political contributions in the name of another is illegal under state law.

Scott, who bought the Bangor Raceway, funded a 2003 campaign to allow slots there and sold the rights to what became Hollywood Casino for $51 million, controls Bridge Capital along with CEO John Baldwin. A casino owned by the company was seized in 2015 by the Laotian government and sold over alleged corruption and tax evasion that the company has denied.

Lawmakers savaged Riley over that on Wednesday. Gov. Paul LePage has said the effort is motivated by greed. The ethics scrutiny is another public relations battle. Heres your soundtrack. Michael Shepherd

Rules to allow large-scale metallic mineral mining in Maine have been under debate for years. Passage of rules developed by the Department of Environmental Protection and recommended by the citizen-led Board of Environmental Protection have failed twice in recent years when they ran into roadblocks in the Legislature.

Democrats and environmental groups opposed the proposed rules on the grounds (ha!) that they werent stringent enough to protect the environment and didnt include enough financial protections to ensure that environmental damage will be cleaned up when the mining is finished.

The issue is under debate again this year with several related bills, including another attempt by the department to have rules approves, multiple measures to ban mining and efforts to find bipartisan buy-in for enough protections to allow mining.

According to Sen. Tom Saviello, R-Wilton, co-chairman of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, which is the scene of the mining debate this year, the gap between the nays and yeas is narrowing. Saviellos bill, LD 580, was killed unanimously by the committee on Wednesday to make way for a similar bill proposed by Sen. Brownie Carson, D-Harpswell, who is the former leader of the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

According to Saviello, Carsons bill addresses many of the friction points of the past and there appears to be consensus brewing. Carson could not be reached in time for the Daily Brief.

I think were as close as weve ever been to pulling this off, said Saviello on Wednesday. I want to give Sen. Carson and the environmental community credit. For the first time theyve articulated much better what their requirements are to make this happen.

Saviello said Carsons bill and some of the others will be brought up for a work session on Monday at which officials from the NRCM and department are expected. It could still take some time to hammer out an agreement, if theres one there.

Heres a heavy metal soundtrack for you. Or, theres this one which Im obliged to include at my editors suggestion. Christopher Cousins

The House and Senate are in today and judging by their calendars, there is lots of routine paper shuffling in store. Both have many bills coming out of committee with ought not to pass votes. Divided reports are also piling up, as they are prone to do with split majorities in the House and Senate.

Among other issues, it looks like the Senate will debate the bill to take the Legislative Council out of the Capitol Area development approval process, which failed in the House but faces better chances in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Several committees are in this afternoon. If youre interested, check out what theyre up to by clicking here. Christopher Cousins

Need a specific, erotic model? A mature erotic beefy/stocky smooth male model from New Hampshire is available for paid work. You know what youre getting.

Captain Not-Handsome Pants has a routine. A man who warns that hes not captain handsome pants wants a female friend to meet up, smoke a bowl, grab some coffee and talk. If other stuff ever came up, he says, we would smoke a bowl, get a coffee and talk about itcause thats how we do.

A little bit of old school for ya. A 29 year old female who was madly in love with Aaron Carter back in the day as a young teen is looking for another woman who once had teen lust for the young hottie to go to New York City for a show in April. Heres your soundtrack and Im sorry. Michael Shepherd

With tips, pitches, questions or feedback, email us at politics@bangordailynews.com. If youre reading The Daily Brief on the BDNs website or were forwarded it, click here to get Maines only newsletter on state politics and policy delivered via email every weekday morning.

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Maine ethics watchdog looking at links between offshore firm, casino ... - Bangor Daily News