Oxford County casino project loses member

The Oxford County Casino project has lost its spokeswoman, the Associated Press is reporting.

Pat LaMarche left the campaign today, citing “legal and professional issues” with Rumford Attorney Seth Carey, who is leading the initiative.

LaMarche is a former gubernatorial candidate and a member of the Green Party.

Carey is currently facing disciplinary action for misconduct in front of the Board of Overseers of the Maine Bar. He could not be reached immediately for comment.

The project calls for a full casino in Oxford County. It was brought before the Legislature through a citizen’s initiative earlier this year, and lawmakers sent it to voters.

Dennis Bailey heads the group CasinosNO!, which opposes all proposed gambling measures in the state. He said he is gearing up for a campaign against the casino this fall. Given that the casino’s proponents are low key, he is not sure what the extent of his group’s efforts will be.

“The proposal has been wounded,” Bailey said in an e-mail. “It’s going to be hard for people to see this as a threat. But maybe that’s their strategy: lull people into thinking it’s going to lose and come in at the end with a two-week campaign to win it.”

CasinosNO! did not receive any contributions from May 28 to July 15, the dates covering the most recent Ethics Commission report. In that period the campaign spent $5,636 -- $2,000 to Bailey’s group, Saavy Inc., and $3,600 to The Potholm Group, an polling group in Harpswell.

As of July 18 the group had $1,037 cash on hand.

In a separate statement, Bailey said the following of LaMarche’s resignation:

“This ‘get-rich-scheme’ is no doubt the plan of the Oxford County casino promoters, just as it is for the people behind the latest proposal for slot machines at Scarborough Downs. Meanwhile, the voters are left wondering who is really behind these operations and where the financing is coming from.

“Apparently these questions became too much for Pat LaMarche, or she didn’t like the answers. We hope that she will be even more forthcoming and provide the voters of Maine with the details of her concerns before going to the polls in November.”