Herbert Hoffman

The Maine Democratic Party will appeal to the state Supreme Court in its case against the Secretary of State's office over the inclusion of Herbert Hoffman on the November ballot in the U.S. Senate race.

The campaign of Independent U.S. senatorial candidate Herb Hoffman (I-Ogunquit) announced Thursday that Lynn Ellis of Brunswick had been hired as campaign manager. The hospice social worker had previously volunteered for the campaigns of Dennis Kucinich, Tom LeDue and Jean Hay Bright and currently serves as the State Coordinator of the campaign to establish a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence.

Hoffman said in a statement that Ellis was his first choice for the position.

“She has good organizational skills, good people skills, and experience in working on the local level in support of national goals and programs,” Hoffman said. “ I'm confident she is the type of leader we need to keep my campaign moving forward."

A group of activists in Southern Maine is threatening legal action after they say they were kept out of a district water trustee’s board meeting Wednesday.

About 100 people gathered in Kennebunk to protest a contract that would allow Nestle Waters to purchase 432,000 gallons of water in a number of Southern Maine communities. The contract would last 30 years with an option to renew for 25 years.

The trustees were supposed to discuss a contract Wednesday afternoon that would have allowed Nestle access to resources in Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Ogunquit and Wells. Kennebunk town officials suggested they hold the meeting at town hall – a larger facility – but instead the trustees remained in their usual meeting place down the street with seating for about 20.

With activists banging on the windows shouting “let us in” and “this is not what democracy looks like,” the trustees voted to table the issue for a month.

According to a press release from the Hoffman campaign, the Democrats have filed a last minute challenge to the signatures turned in by Mr. Hoffman. A successful challenge would prevent him from obtaining ballot status for the US Senate race in Maine.

Mr. Hoffman describes the charges as frivolous and is confident that he will be on the ballot. Mr. Hoffman notes that, "Among the petitions Knutson wants voided, for instance, were those with 157 signatures collected one day from individuals who lived in 20 different towns." While that might sound odd, it's called "standing in front of Shaw's" and I have no doubt that Mr. Hoffman is standing on solid ground with that one.

2008 is proving to be a whacky election year in Maine, and it doesn’t look like things are going to change. 

Apparently, Ms. Dobson and her peasant skirt posse have taken a liking to the confines of the lobby of the Portland office of Senator Collins

It looks like Ed Cohen failed to make the Ballot in a primary effort against Senator Susan Collins.

As the Susan Collins vs. Tom Allen race heats up, four other challengers have emerged in the race.

All are serious, and actively gathering the required signatures needed to appear on the ballot.

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