Portland, Maine Campaign Finance Disclosures Now Online

Residents of Portland, Maine have had a hard time accessing the campaign finance disclosures of candidates for local office. First the city clerk's office removed the documents it had posted online. Then it came to light that they had destroyed all disclosures -- both paper and electronic -- dating prior to 2006, on the advice of state officials.

As transparency is vital to the democratic process, I have collected as many disclosures as possible and posted them on this Portland, Maine Ad Hoc Campaign Finance Disclosure Homepage at colinwoodard.com. Included are the campaign contributions schedules for all candidates for city council in the 2008, 2007, and 2006 election cycles, plus the disclosures for Political Action Committees and Portland school board candidates for 2007. Disclosures reveal who bankrolled a given candidates' campaign -- or who is behind the PACs that did so.

Do you have copies of better quality, more complete, or missing disclosures? If so, consider donating them to the public by visiting the contact links on the page.

Residents of Bangor, Lewiston, Augusta, Waterville, and other Maine towns and cities with a population of 15,000 or larger should be aware that their clerks may also have destroyed records more than two years old.

[Updates on this issue here.]