In 2018, Garrett Mason funneled more than $100,000 in taxpayer-funded Clean Elections money to his future employer, Eaton River Strategies. The consulting firm hired Mason after he lost the 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary. During the primary, Mason qualified for the Clean Elections program and collected $700,000 in public campaign funds despite claiming to oppose Maine’s Clean Election Act and public funding in elections. Mason’s payments to the consulting firm raised concerns Clean Election funds could be used for personal financial gain or as a way to obtain employment.
HEADLINE: "Candidate For Maine Governor Paid Clean Elections Money To Future Employer" [Portland Press Herald, 10/20/19]
2018: Garrett Mason Funneled More Than $100,000 In Taxpayer Funding To Eaton River Strategies, A Consulting Firm That Hired Him After He Lost The 2018 Gubernatorial Primary. According to the Portland Press Herald, "A former Republican lawmaker running as a Clean Elections candidate for governor last year directed $100,000 in taxpayer money to a consulting firm that hired him just after he lost the primary election in June. Former state Sen. Garrett Mason, R-Lisbon, spent just over $100,000 in taxpayer funds with Eaton River Strategies, a Cumberland firm headed by longtime lobbyist Kathie Summers-Grice. The spending is detailed in financial reports Mason’s campaign filed with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices." [Portland Press Herald, 10/20/19]
2019: Mason Justified The Payments, Claiming It Was Not Unethical And Arguing He Was Not A Firm’s Employee During The Campaign. According to the Portland Press Herald, "Mason said he played by the rules and did nothing illegal or unethical. ‘Just to be clear, I wasn’t employed by the firm during the campaign,’ Mason said. ‘I didn’t break any rules and I didn’t break any laws.’" [Portland Press Herald, 10/20/19]
2018: Mason’s Gubernatorial Campaign Qualified For The Clean Elections Program And Benefitted From The $6.27 Million In Public Financing That Cycle. According to the Portland Press Herald, "In the 2018 elections, 206 candidates for the Legislature and three candidates for governor, including Mason, qualified for the Clean Elections program and collected a total of $6.27 million in public financing. It was the third-largest distribution in the history of the program, which began in 2000." [Portland Press Herald, 10/20/19]
2018: Despite Being An Opponent To Maine’s Clean Election Act And Public Funding In Elections, Mason Used Clean Election Funds To Remain Competitive In The 2018 Election. According to the Portland Press Herald, "Mason has long been an opponent of Maine’s Clean Election Act and the use of taxpayer funds for elections. He said he made a strategic decision to use Clean Elections funds because he believed it was the only way he could be competitive in the race against Moody, a largely self-financed candidate who had millions of dollars at his disposal. ‘I knew what I was up against and there was no other way for me to get my message out and present my vision for the way I thought Maine should go over the next four years,’ Mason said. ‘We did what we did. I’m not going to go into an election contest or any other contest with one hand tied behind my back.’" [Portland Press Herald, 10/20/19]
2019: Mason Said He “Remained Fundamentally Opposed To Taxpayer-Financed Political Campaigns And Would Again Fight Against It If He Were Still In The Legislature.” According to the Portland Press Herald, "He said he still remained fundamentally opposed to taxpayer-financed political campaigns and would again fight against it if he were still in the Legislature. ‘I’ve fought it, but the people have said yes to it three times,’ Mason said. ‘The Democrats won, they got their way. They got to have Clean Elections. You can’t just say, ‘Well you didn’t like Clean Elections so you shouldn’t be able to use it.’ That’s not the way that it works.’" [Portland Press Herald, 10/20/19]
Mason’s Payment To The Firm Raised Concerns That Clean Election Funds Could Be Used For Personal Financial Gain Or As A Way To Obtain Employment After Losing An Election Or Leaving Elected Office. According to the Portland Press Herald, "Although the move doesn’t violate any of the state’s campaign finance laws or ethics rules, it raises concerns that Clean Elections funds could be used by candidates for personal financial gain or as a gateway to lucrative employment when they lose an election or leave public office." [Portland Press Herald, 10/20/19]