![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1xu8ZXQ9-2bMgTuaQOUVNDrt5xbzN-zPHRaCg4Pmy5ZFwcMsWhKdtqZ2Bc68s0JroGiM7Ko0SzcSV7Sy4JNJoAS3xHvuzElU0nMBCyG6dkjOxZoO9pNbIhi9Q5tTW9ao0cvXs1YyuCk/s200/Maine+Sunday+Telegram+logo.jpg)
Decoster subsequently sold his holdings to Land o Lakes subsidiary Moark LLC, and last session the legislature passed the sought-after labor restrictions on the egg farms' behalf.
Now the legislators involved appear to be reaping their rewards. Austin Jack DeCoster has donated $100 each to Mr. Timberlake and Mr. Crafts' reelection efforts. His longtime farm manager Doucas Goranites -- foster brother and genetic first cousin of Sen. Olympia Snowe -- has given Timberlake the maximum allowed donation of $350.
For its part, Land o Lakes has given both lawmakers -- and another Turner-area legislator, Sen. Garrett Mason (R-Lisbon Falls) -- the maximum $350 each through Moark LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary based in Fontana, California. Two of Moark's employees, General Manager Blair Hagy and DeCoster Farms official Laurin Hagy, also gave $350 apiece to Rep. Crafts. Blair also gave Rep. Timberlake and Sen. Mason $350 apiece. Altogether, egg interests have added up to what amounts to significant money in legislative races, which are often won with a campaign chest of just a few thousand dollars.
In the world of money and politics, it's rare one finds a clear quid pro quo, but every once in a while...
(Cross-posted from the Press Herald's Open Season)