The ethics commission ruled unanimously today that no further investigation was needed into allegations that Waterville Senate candidate Colleen Lachowicz improperly coordinated fundraising activities with a national group.
Lachowicz, who made headlines around the country and world last month when Republicans called attention to her online gaming character “Santiaga” in the game World of Warcraft, told the commission that she was overwhelmed with responses following the GOP press release and mailer. On Oct. 4, the Maine Republican Party called her participation in the game “a bizarre double life” claiming that she had a “disturbing alter-ego.”
After the story broke, Lachowicz said she was overwhelmed with responses from media — including the British Broadcasting Corp. and Spanish television — and from other gamers who wanted to support her campaign.
As a Clean Election candidate, Lachowicz is barred from accepting any donations, so she checked with the staff at the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices to see if it would be OK for her to post a message on her Facebook page and campaign website directing supporters to ActBlue, which raises money for Democrats across the country.
Commission staff advised her that her message directing supporters to ActBlue, and a link to the website, would not violate state ethics laws.
However, Ethics Commission Executive Director Jonathan Wayne said when he became aware of the language on ActBlue’s site, which asked for contributions to groups that are “working to get her elected” he advised her to take down the link, which she did.
In a complaint filed to the commission, the Maine Republican Party said that even though Lachowicz was a Clean Election candidate, she “directed her supporters to make donations to influence her election to organizations including the Maine State Democratic Committee.”
After looking into the allegation, ethics staff recommended that the matter deserved no further investigation and the five member ethics panel agreed.
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