Clinton E. Collamore Sr., D-Waldoboro, holds up a mold link to illustrate a point about regulations on lobstermen during a candidate forum in Damariscotta on Oct. 13, 2022. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo, LCN file)
Clint Collamore, newly elected state representative from Waldoboro, was criminally indicted after Maine’s campaign finance regulator said it found up to 30 fraudulent signatures on forms used to qualify for the taxpayer-funded Maine Clean Election Act campaign program.
The Maine Clean Election Act provides public campaign funds to candidates who collect contributions and signatures from at least 60 registered voters in their district.
Rep. Clinton Collamore, D-Waldoboro, was indicted on Dec. 15 for allegedly forging qualifications for those funds, according to a memo from staff at the Maine Ethics Commission. Collamore represents House District 45, which consists of Bremen, Friendship, Louds Island, Waldoboro, and Washington.
Collamore briefly picked up his phone on Tuesday, told a reporter from the Bangor Daily News that the call was breaking up and did not respond to further callbacks.
According to the memo from Jonathan Wayne, executive director of the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices, Collamore qualified for seven payments beginning in April 2022 by submitting signatures.
He received a total of $14,274 in funds from the state, the memo said.
Over the summer, staff noticed a pattern in signatures on his forms that made them think Collamore had signed the names himself, according to the memo. Four so-called contributors confirmed they did not sign for Collamore.
Matthew Toth, of Sanford, an unsuccessful Republican candidate for House District 143, was also indicted for signature fraud on Dec. 5.
The indictments were confirmed Tuesday, Jan. 24 by Danna Hayes, a spokesperson for Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey.
“The commission staff is waiting to see the outcome of the criminal prosecution before recommending any enforcement action,” Wayne said in the memo.
Collamore faced Lynn Madison, R-Waldoboro, in the general election and won the seat by 28 votes, according to unofficial results. Before running for state office, Collamore served on the Waldoboro Select Board for over 18 years.
(Maia Zewert and Elizabeth Walztoni contributed to this article.)
