ROCKLAND, Maine — A candidate for the Maine House seat that represents Rockland and part of Owls Head said he is a legal resident of Rockland even though he is living at the homeless shelter in Rockport that he operates.
“My legal residence is Rockland,” Gordon Mank Jr. said on Thursday.
The political website dirigoblue.com questioned his residence in a story it published Wednesday.
Mank owns a three-unit apartment building on Grace Street in Rockland. He lists his residence as 81B Grace St., according to the city’s voter registration list. He and his wife, Samantha, bought the home in December 2005. He registered as a Rockland voter in November 2006.
A visit to 81B Grace St. on Thursday morning showed there were no curtains on the windows and no furniture visible in the residence. Mank was asked if he lives at that empty apartment on the top floor of the apartment building listed as 81B.
“We’re going to be doing renovations. We’re doing some changes and had to move out,” Mank said.
Mank said he pays property taxes in town and is a registered voter of Rockland. He noted he grew up in Rockland but lived in Thomaston for a while.
Mank is executive director of the Mid-Coast Hospitality House in neighboring Rockport.
He said he plans to be physically living within the district.
Mank won the Republican primary in June to represent House District 47, which covers all of Rockland and a small portion of Owls Head adjacent to Rockland. Mank defeated former Rockland Mayor James Raye in the primary by two votes (166-164) after a recount.
Mank will be on the ballot along with Democrat Elizabeth Dickerson of Rockland. They are vying for the seat held by Rep. Edward Mazurek, D-Rockland, who is barred from seeking a fifth consecutive term in the House because of the state’s term limits law.
The Maine Secretary of State’s Office referred questions on the residence to the state Constitution and Maine law. The Constitution states that a person must be a resident of the district at the time he is nominated or placed on a ballot. State law defines residency as the residence of a person where “the person has established a fixed and principal home to which the person, whenever temporarily absent, intends to return.”
Not a good start. :(
Yeah, he doesn’t sound like a resident.
Deflect = Fail
If one cannot win a primary fair and square, then go out and find some alleged dirt on the winner. Typical politician response.
The problem is he didn’t win fair and square. He provided false information and swore to it on his papers. Let’s not even get started on the number of people (granted it’s there own fault for not doing their homework) that voted for him because he ran as Gordon Mank as opposed to Gordon Mank Jr. His father is a respected businessman. I have heard a number of people griping because they thought they were voting for the father.
He has never lived there…ask the tenants. As long as I have known this person, he and his wife have lived in Rockport. Plain and simple…you must live in your district at least 90 days prior to the primary elections according to the law. He never did live here. Seems to me the right thing to do is admit you screwed up and the election goes to your opponent. To do otherwise would make me question the integrity of this man. If you question a politicians integrity would you vote for him?
He has never lived there…ask the tenants. As long as I have known this person, he and his wife have lived in Rockport. Plain and simple…you must live in your district at least 90 days prior to the primary elections according to the law. He never did live here. Seems to me the right thing to do is admit you screwed up and the election goes to your opponent. To do otherwise would make me question the integrity of this man. If you question a politicians integrity would you vote for him?
One less room available to the homeless, then, who can only be present in the evening hours, and must fend for themselves during the day with no place to go, no expansion of services since 1988. But why focus on those ‘pesky’ homeless people, when one can carry the title of “Executive Director,” and your wife holds the position as administrator of Rockland’s General Assistance fund. (No conflicts there).
Seems to me it’s the whole operation of Hospitality House that is of concern, as it has been impossible to get any answers concerning it.
He and his family occupy half the house. What is left is for the homeless, if they like you that is. And if you don’t follow their religious beliefs, forget about ever being able to stay there.
He’s been living and skimming off the Hospitality House in Rockport for years! What a shady guy. Just what we need in Government!
C’mon, Republicans! Properly vet your candidates! How did this one slip by?