Al Diamon

State House reporter Victoria Wallack is leaving to become the director of communications at the Maine School Management Association, Downeast Magazine’s media critic Al Diamon noted in his column today.

Wallack is a freelance writer, running Statehouse News Service, a one-person bureau covering the State House for several weeklies, Village Soup publications and the Brunswick Times-Record.

Ellsworth American Publisher Alan Baker, who urged Wallack to begin Statehouse News Service in the first place, does plan to replace her.

John Frary, a retired college professor from Farmington, announced Saturday that he plans to challenge U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud in the 2008 election to represent the Second Congressional District.

Frary’s political experience is limited to losing a race for the New Jersey equivalent of a county commissioner in 1981. He grew up in Farmington and got his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Maine. He taught in New Jersey, but later returned to Farmington where he serves as a selectman.

He said he is running because Michaud doesn’t impress him much, and there were no other challengers. After talking with Maine Republican leaders, who supported the idea, he decided to give it a shot.

“This is such a long shot,” Frary said. “All this sets me free to do whatever I damn well please, and treat voters as adults.”