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Are political pros preying on the vulnerable?

LEWISTON [MAINE] - While the most recent allegations of questionable candidate recruitment involved politicians from southern Maine, Lewiston and its surrounding communities have not been immune to the practice.

On Monday, a former Green Independent candidate from Cape Elizabeth wrote to the state's ethics commission, saying that she had been manipulated into running for public office by two Republicans, themselves candidates for election at the time, and an activist for the Green Independent Party, who were all working together.

The accused denied the allegations quickly and without reservation.

And, while the potential practice of recruiting one's own opponent or "fragile" candidates in other races in order to attract more public funding for a campaign or to pull support from another campaign does not appear to violate state law, it does raise numerous ethical questions.

In January, the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices handed down the biggest fines in the history of the Maine Clean Election Act to a quartet of political players who had misused public campaign financing in a way similar to what was alleged Monday.

The ethics commission found that two candidates and two political consultants had misused taxpayer money and failed to maintain proper campaign records.

Evidence was also uncovered that suggested a conspiracy to recruit unqualified and marginal candidates, including at least one man who was described as homeless and living under a bridge.