BRUNSWICK, Maine — A campaign sign for a Green Independent candidate in the front yard of a local Republican leader is raising eyebrows and questions from Democrats and Republicans.
Jonathan Crimmins, chairman of the Brunswick Republican Committee, said the sign urging votes for Green candidate Fred Horch in House District 66 belongs to his wife.
Crimmins said he supports all local Republican candidates, including Grant Connors in District 66, although he is friends with Horch. Crimmins and Horch were candidates in the district in 2010.
“I’m taken aback by [the questions],” Crimmins said. “In the last couple of months, I’ve been working on the behalf of all [local Republican] candidates.”
Horch said he has known Crimmins since they ran against each other in 2010, and he didn’t know anything about whom the Republican leader is supporting.
The Green Independent candidate said he met with Crimmins earlier this year after Crimmins asked him if he was going to run again. They talked about local policies and the fact that Crimmins wasn’t going to run..
“I have a lot of respect for [Crimmins],” Horch said.
The questions about Crimmins were raised publicly last week when a constituent wrote a letter to The Forecaster.
“While all of us have the right to support and vote for whomever we choose, how appropriate is it for an officer of the local party organization to retain his position while actively working against his own party’s objectives?” wrote Jeff Morse, a registered Republican, in an Oct. 8 letter to the editor.
Morse said he based his letter on the sign he saw in Crimmins’ Jordan Avenue yard.
Andy Cashman, chairman of the Brunswick Democratic Committee, said he would resign from committee leadership if he were in Crimmins’ position.
“I would feel obligated to resign because as a chair of the [local Democratic committee], it’s your obligation to support the local Democratic candidates,” Cashman said.
Jim Grant, chairman of the school board and a registered Republican, said that while he will vote for Horch this year, he thinks Morse raised a good question.
“It’s peculiar, it’s odd and it’s interesting,” the school board chairman said, noting that he served as campaign manager for Crimmins in a 2008 House race.
The other curious thing about the sign, Grant said, is that there are no others in Crimmins’ yard — even for Republican candidates who are running in other races.
Crimmins said no other signs are on his property because he has been planting them in other parts of town and providing them to other constituents.
“I haven’t hoarded them for myself,” he said.
But the complaints aren’t limited to the sign.
Connors said he has received very little support from the local GOP committee since he started campaigning in August.
“There is not as much support from the committee for me as I think there should be,” the candidate said, adding that it’s a tough district for a Republican because of the area’s liberal leanings.
District 66 includes neighborhoods around the Pleasant Street business district and the Maine Street downtown area, along with a part of Bowdoin College. Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx, D-Brunswick, has represented the district and is not seeking re-election. Matthea Daughtry is the Democratic candidate.
Connors said he was solicited to be the Republican candidate after John Bouchard moved to District 63 to challenge Rep. Charles Priest, D-Brunswick.
Crimmins said Connors received a unanimous nomination from the committee. As for Connors’ concern about a lack of support, he said he has heard very little from the candidate.
“I had told Grant that it was a very difficult endeavor,” Crimmins said. “Brunswick is not an easy place to run as a Republican.”
He said “Connors has received the same level of assistance any other candidate has.”
This includes emails and letters to get Clean Election contributions for the candidate, along with providing him advice on how to run his campaign.
“I wish Grant all the best,” Crimmins said. “As a Republican committee leader, we want Republicans to get elected.”
David Sorensen, a spokesman for the Maine Republican Party, said the party supports all local Republican candidates 100 percent. He said the suggestion that Crimmins is supporting Horch is unfair.
“He has endorsed the Republican candidate,” Sorensen said.
What ever happened to Free Speech, and First Amendment rights?
If that fails, how about MYOB?
I’m with Crimmins on this one. What he puts in his own yard is his own business.
Slow news day in Brunswick, I guess.
The new Teapublican Way is that wives shall follow their husband’s lead.
Mitt Romney will let entire binders full of woman leave work early so they may go home and cook dinner.
Get with the new T-Party program or get out of the GOP.
It’s as plain and simple as that.
Your point about Mitt is spot on. Despite all that he has done in business, when you say “WOMAN” to him, his first thought is of a wife and mother. That is his upbringing and, largely, his religious experience. The “traditional roles” Conservatives are happy he thinks this way…not all of us Rs are.
Well for those of you Rs that are not, you have certainly lost your party to these TP people. what do you intend to do about that? if you want them gone you’ll need to vote them out and run people that are more to your liking next time around.
Tell me about it. My Party’s leadership has fallen prey (or pray) to a vocal minority who confuses piety with priniciple and compromise with weakness. They scare off smart, motivated, reasoned people who might actually fix problems. As a result the Santorums and Bachmanns are inclined to run, but the majority of Rs–who are not like this group–vote for what’s left…Romney and McCain.
“what do you intend to do about that?”
When you cut a deal with the Devil you have got learn to put up with the demons!
This isn’t about free speech. Nobody’s questioning his right to say whatever he wants. They’re questioning whether he should continue as Republican town chair. Big difference there.
The first amendment only protects you from the government taking action based on what you say, not from all consequences.
Party purity is a dangerous thing. Leave the guy alone and look at yourself — question your outrage.
Not often I find myself in agreement with you. Don’t let this be a regular thing. Ok?
See you are suppose to be a hard core party member . just like the catholic church you follow ever word of the church no matter if you like it or not .
Quite true.
one guy writes a letter to the newspaper, and we get a huge story out of this? talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. crimmins, horch, and sorenson do not think this is a big deal at all. i think i smell AGENDA by the BDN.
Those supper conversations must be very carefully worded.
“Jonathan Crimmins, chairman of the Brunswick Republican Committee, said
the sign urging votes for Green candidate Fred Horch in House District
66 belongs to his wife.”
The Republican response was Jon are you going to let your wife think she actually has a say in this household……….do you not read your BuyBull? Women are only good when they are seen and definitely not heard from. You better get in line or else………… You do make her walk behind you when you are walking together on the street don’t you?
“I had told Grant that it was a very difficult endeavor,” Crimmins said.
“Brunswick is not an easy place to run as a Republican.”
Off the record he went on to add that because it is a college town and the people for the most part are highly educated and intellectual Republicans really have no chance of winning. He further stated that unless we can get voter ID law passed and some of our rigged Diebold voting machines in Brunswick will continue to be tough for Republicans.
Guess he’s another RINO :-)
Why, because he hasn’t controlled his wife sufficiently?
this is a test
This guy needs to paint his house, trim his weeds around the steps and rake the leaves!
I quess she deserves to put out her own sign where as she puts up with the lack of maintence around the house!
I resigned my from my county committee once I decided to publicly support an independent for the Legislature.
That said, maybe the issue is that this guys’ wife just has zero respect for her husband and his position.