John McKernan, Former Republican Maine Governor, Named President Of The U.S. Chamber Of Commerce Foundation

BDN reports “John “Jock” McKernan, former Republican Maine governor and husband to longtime U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, has been named president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, a nonprofit research and advocacy arm of the larger Chamber organization.  The former governor will assume his new roles starting Oct. 2.

McKernan served two terms in the U.S. House from 1983 to 1987, then won consecutive terms in the Blaine House in 1987 and 1991. According to a Thursday announcement by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, McKernan served as chairman of the Education Commission of the States and the National Education Goals Panel during his political career.” Read more HERE.

Related: FRAUD CASE AGAINST FORMER MAINE GOV. MCKERNAN’S FOR-PROFIT EDUCATION BUSINESS

Does anyone have the outcome of this case?

Published in: on September 26, 2013 at 2:12 pm  Comments (3)  

Points To Ponder As Maine’s 2012 Election Comes To An End

As the November election comes to an end, let’s take a look at the integrity, honesty, trustworthiness and character (or lack thereof) of Maine’s U.S. Senate candidates. Let’s see who ‘says one thing and does another’.

I’ve seen the candidates campaign ads on tv. The same message for decades with a different face. In my opinion, the following are points to ponder before you vote.

Candidate Charlie Summers (Maine’s Secretary of State)
In his tv ads he speaks of losing his wife, having to be mother and father to his children and laying awake at night wondering how he will pay his mortgage to the bank.

Well, Mr. Summers, I (as so many other Mainers) lay awake nights too. I lost a husband (his life taken, covered up), I lost my only child and had to bury her without insurance that I paid Metropolitan Life Insurance for. I lay awake wondering when the Bureau of Insurance will hold MetLife accountable. It’s been three years since they “are still looking into it.” I lay awake nights waiting for Saco Biddeford Savings Inst., and their coherts in Biddeford (inc. Atty. Jens-Peter Bergen on the Kennebunk prostitution “client list”) to be held accountable in the fraudulent taking of my business property and home. I lay awake nights waiting for you, (and former SOS Matt Dunlap), Attorney General William Schneider and Jonathan Wayne (Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices) to investigate election fraud in Biddeford. These are only a few examples of sleepless nights.

Summers wants us to know that we will have him to work for us in Washington. Why isn’t he working for us in Maine? Why is he not upholding his duties as Maine’s Secretary of State?

Candidate Kevin Raye – President of the Maine Senate.
Ignored requests to meet with him to present issues of fraud, waste and abuse. Worked for US Senator Olympia Snowe for 17 years. Birds of a feather….

Andrea Mitchell’s exclusive interview with Sen. Olympia Snowe when she ubruptly decided not to seek re-election and giving possible candidates approximately two weeks to gather signatures. “Having a milestone birthday helps you to focus about whether or not I was prepared to commit for another six years in the United States Senate.” I find it hard to believe that Senator Snowe didn’t know last year that she was coming up upon a “milestone birthday.”

Candidate Angus King
Angus King created 70,000 jobs. Were they generated from his 147 government appointments?

During the tenure of former governor Angus King, I received from a state legislator a list of the key “serve at the pleasure” of the governor positions. I learned from this legislator that he was chastised on the House floor for taking this public. Why the big secret? According to this document, there is a more comprehensive list than what is provided here and is kept within the Office of the Secretary of State. We the people have a right to know whose salaries we are paying! We also have a right to know who the “Confidential Employees” are. Additionally, King (and other state officials) was given the evidence of official corruption in Maine via Tom Dunn’s video which investigation initially began with the Attorney General seeking Tom’s assistance.

Candidate US Congresswoman Chellie Pingree
Pingree runs her campaign on veterans issues. Her debate with Maine Senator John Courtney (another good ole boy network member) on Maine Watch she said she was there for individuals who need help with veteran issues. Well, not so. E-mails to her go unanswered and there is no getting past her aide (gatekeeper) Jim Pineau, despite his lies to the Maine Director of Veterans Services.

Candidate Danny Dalton
Republican Charlie Summers, independent Angus King and Democrat Cynthia Dill squared off in a three-way debate at the Franco-American Center. The three other independent candidates, Steve Woods of Yarmouth, Andrew Ian Dodge of Harpswell, and Danny Dalton of Brunswick, were not invited to the live debate.

Dalton, 56, is a former intelligence specialist with the Army and Air Force who went on to travel the world as a federal agent and civilian contractor chasing down terrorists and drug smugglers.
After Dalton left the security business, he continued to gather intelligence from his old contacts, at his own expense. When he tried to share the information with the federal government — including the specific location of Taliban commanders — he again got nowhere, he said.

Eventually, Dalton said, he tried to share some of his information and complaints with Maine’s senators, Snowe and Susan Collins. He met with their staff members but said his leads and complaints still went nowhere.

He decided to run against Snowe as a way to expose the waste and dysfunction and the failure of the two-party system.

And so much to be said about term limits. Maine Senator Barry Hobbins is termed out as senator, so now he runs for the House!

Will Maine’s history repeat itself in Washington? Will it be different this time around? I think NOT!

NOTE:  My attempts to send this to J. Scott Moody, Maine Heritage Policy Center comes up with “Error The address “J. Scott Moody” in the “To” field was not recognized.

This is not the first time I cc blogs to this agency. The e-mail address is the one noted on The Maine Heritage Policy Center website.  What’s up with this Scott Moody? The same happened with Lance Dutson prior to his move to campaign for Secretary of State Charlie Summers.

Published in: on November 5, 2012 at 10:17 pm  Comments (2)  

FRAUD CASE AGAINST FORMER MAINE GOV. MCKERNAN’S FOR-PROFIT EDUCATION BUSINESS

10.25.12 update

” McKernan, who is married to retiring U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, has been a director of EDMC since 1999 and served as its chairman of the board from June 2006 until August of this year. He served as the corporation’s CEO from September 2003 to February 2007. He originally was named personally as a defendant in the lawsuit, but has since been dropped as a defendant.”

If this were you or I would we get off the hook?  Is this not selective prosecution? Is this not a double standard of justice?

10.24.12

PPH reports “A federal judge has recommended that a fraud case against a for-profit university corporation once led by former Maine Gov. John McKernan can go forward. Pittsburgh-based Education Management Corp. has been accused by a whistleblower of engaging in “a multi-faceted, corporate-wide scheme to enroll as many students as possible, and to keep them on the rolls for as long as possible, without regard to (their) qualifications or … likelihood of graduation or career placement, in order to maximize financial aid” from the federal government, according to court filings.”

“Education Management has a nonprofit based in Portland — The Education Foundation — that gives scholarships to students attending Education Management schools. Until earlier this year, the foundation was led by Ruth Summers, wife of Snowe’s former longtime aide Charlie Summers, who is running for Snowe’s seat.”

“According to The New York Times, the company received $2.2 billion in federal student aid in the fiscal year ending in June 2010, nearly 90 percent of its net revenue.”

“McKernan is married to U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, who is not seeking re-election this year.”

Related:

WHISTLEBLOWER LAWSUIT TARGETS FORMER MAINE GOVERNOR /JOHN McKERNAN
IS THERE MORE THAN A CONFLICT OF INTEREST WITH SENATOR OLYMPIA SNOWE AND EDMC?
U.S. SENATOR OLYMPIA SNOWE – CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS

Published in: on October 24, 2012 at 11:55 pm  Comments (3)  

[updated] JUSTICE G. ARTHUR BRENNAN NOMINATED BY GOV. PAUL LEPAGE TO SERVE AS ACTIVE RETIRED JUSTICE ON THE SUPERIOR COURT

PPH reports “Brennan, a York resident, was first nominated to the bench by former Gov. Joseph Brennan and has served four terms on the Superior Court bench, being renominated by former Govs. John McKernan, Angus King and Baldacci.”

Said LePage, “In choosing judges, my focus is on the qualifications, demeanor, and integrity of the candidates, not politics.”

I’d like Governor LePage to explain how he determined the qualifications, demeanor, and integrity of the candidates or was it through word of mouth? He obviously didn’t do his homework nor review Brennan’s cases and all the people he irreparably harmed! I thought LePage had his own mind. More of the same……….yields more of the same!

Related: View Tom Dunn’s video

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update:

PPH reported “Justice G. Arthur Brennan to retire, will be ‘sorely missed’

PPH reported: “LePage announces new judicial appointments”

 Judge Arthur Brennan nominated for appointment as an Active Retired Superior Court Justice

Despite complaints to the Judiciary Committee and Tom Dunn’s video (also presented to members of the LePage administration), the members  of Maine’ s Judiciary Committee continue in their lack of basic common sense. They are the direct cause of the demise of the State of Maine and irreparable harm inflicted upon their own people!

If Governor LePage does his homework, why would he nominate more of the same?

Published in: on August 31, 2011 at 9:51 pm  Comments (3)  

MAINE JUDGE G. ARTHUR BRENNAN TO RETIRE

PPH reports “Justice G. Arthur Brennan to retire, will be ‘sorely missed'”.

“After three decades as a judge, Superior Court Justice G. Arthur Brennan will retire this summer. Brennan, who is based in York County, will retire Aug. 26, leaving a vacancy on the Superior Court bench.”

“He’s really going to be sorely missed,” said Barry Hobbins, a lawyer in Saco who is Maine’s Senate minority leader. “He’s a very special person. Hobbins praised Brennan for his fairness and his ability to bring together the four components of the criminal justice system – retribution, restraint, deterrence and rehabilitation – in his decision-making.”

“Walter Smith, another Saco-based lawyer, said it’s wonderful to appear before Brennan, whom he described as “a real gentleman. He’s a wonderful human being,” Smith said. “He really cares and really tries to be fair to both sides.”

“Before becoming a judge, Brennan was an assistant attorney general and York County’s district attorney. He was nominated to the District Court bench in 1981 and elevated to the Superior Court in 1984 by Gov. Joseph Brennan.”

https://unmasker4maine.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/sale-great-buy-on-revolving-doors/

Hearings on the re-appointment of other judges took approximately 20 minutes and Judge Brennan was before the Committee for over 2 hours!  State aides were rounded up at the last minute to testify on behalf of Judge Brennan.  Despite all of the evidence against Judge Brennan the Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to re-appoint Arthur Brennan. (Video of the hearing is available.) Who was the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee?  None other than Sen. Barry Hobbins!
I requested the Commission of Judge Arthur Brennan.  He failed to respond and the Secretary of State cannot produce the Commission of this judge, or any other judge.

Who is Atty. Walter Smith?  Partner in the law firm of Smith Elliott & Garmey, attorneys for Saco Biddeford Savings Institute and City of Biddeford.

 Judicial Selection Committee Members Announced Today by Governor LePage.

Joshua Tardy will serve as the committee’s chair.

In February 2004 I was a candidate in a special election held in Biddeford, Maine during the administrative of (now former) Governor John Baldacci (D). My contact with Jonathan Wayne, Director of the Ethics Commission.

I contacted (now former) Rep. Joshua Tardy regarding the fraudulent election in Biddeford, Maine. I informed him of the tampering of ballots and tampering of first class mailings with the post office. I asked for his help with the fraudulent confiscation of my properties.  He stated, quote “this has been hashed over.” When I asked why I wasn’t included in the “hashing over” of this issue, he  declined to speak with me and hung up on me.  Now Governor LePage nominates him to the Judicial Selection Committee?

Additionally, Judge Robert Crowley stepping down at the top of his game.

What game?

Does anyone else see a problem here?

Are these issues not a matter of “public interest?”

Published in: on July 7, 2011 at 1:23 am  Comments (2)  

THE PEOPLE V. GOLDMAN SACHS

To fully grasp the case against Goldman, one first needs to understand that the financial crime wave described in the Levin report came on the heels of a decades-long lobbying campaign by Goldman and other titans of Wall Street, who pleaded over and over for the right to regulate themselves.

THE PEOPLE V. GOLDMAN SACHS  By Matt Taibbi

U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe Campaign Contributors

Published in: on May 13, 2011 at 9:26 pm  Comments (1)  

U.S. SENATOR OLYMPIA SNOWE – CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS

Senator Olympia J. Snowe

Top 100 Campaign Contributors
 Credit to the Center for Responsive Politics
 
Now many of us on Maine can see why Senator Snowe turned her back when we needed her help!
Published in: on May 13, 2011 at 1:30 am  Comments (4)  

IS THERE MORE THAN A CONFLICT OF INTEREST WITH SENATOR OLYMPIA SNOWE AND EDMC?

Post-Gazette Washington Bureau reports “Lanny J. Davis, the former White House counsel to President Bill Clinton, paid $160,000 to lobby for a group called the Coalition for Educational Success — a band of for-profit schools with EDMC at its center. (But the coalition dropped him after news reports that Davis was representing Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, who has been accused of violating human rights.)

EDMC is one of the nation’s largest for-profit education companies, operating the Art Institutes, Argosy University, South University and Brown Mackie College — accounting for more than 150,000 students in all.

From the middle of 2009 to the end of 2010, EDMC itself spent at least $850,000 on federal lobbying — after not spending a dime in the previous decade. In addition the EDMC-backed Coalition for Education Success, which formed in September, spent $570,000 by year’s end. The company also formed a political action committee in 2009 that raised $118,000, mostly from EDMC executives, and made $56,000 in political contributions during the 2010 election cycle.

In addition, EDMC hired DCI Group, a Washington-based public relations firm with a history of controversial clients, to help drum up a letter-writing campaign to the Department of Education to oppose the gainful employment rule.

EDMC’s own federal lobbying spending spiked from $110,000 in 2009 to at least $740,000 in 2010 (the year-end disclosure for one of the five firms lobbying on the company’s behalf, Covington & Burling, was unavailable as of Friday, so that figure is likely to rise).

Among more than a dozen lobbyists registered as working on the company’s behalf last year was William Gray, a former six-term Democratic congressman from Philadelphia, and Heather Podesta, the sister-in-law of John Podesta — a chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.

Also view  “A Goldman Sachs-owned college conglomerate taps a controversial lobbying shop to battle Obama’s Education Department” by Andy Kroll, reporter at Mother Jones.

See also: [update] WHISTLEBLOWER LAWSUIT TARGETS FORMER MAINE GOVERNOR JOHN McKERNAN

CAN WE BELIEVE U.S. SENATOR OLYMPIA SNOWE?

Published in: on May 13, 2011 at 1:09 am  Comments (3)  

[update] SCOTT D’AMBOISE CALLS ON OLYMPIA SNOWE TO RESIGN FROM THE SENATE (MEDIA INTERVENTION)

Well, has someone got “clout” with the Portland Press Herald?

After publishing the post below I went back to the Portland Press Herald. The PPH link attached to the below post brings up this other new article instead. “Sen. Snowe alleges smear campaign by challenger D’Amboise.”

There is no longer access to the PPH article linked to the post below. However, here is the PPH article in full that appears to have been removed from the newspaper.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Snowe-challenger-trade-barbs-over-Snowes-husband-.html

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Sen. Snowe, challenger D’Amboise trade barbs
The Associated Press

PORTLAND — U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe and a businessman who plans to challenge her in next year’s primary are trading barbs over Snowe’s husband’s role at a publicly traded education company.

Scott D’Amboise today called on Snowe to resign from the Senate after a whistleblower lawsuit accused Pittsburgh-based Education Management Corp. of defrauding the government of taxpayer-funded financial aid by illegally compensating its recruiters on a per-person basis. Snowe’s husband, former Maine Gov. John McKernan, is Education Management’s board chairman.

In a statement, D’Amboise said Snowe has pocketed riches by “the defrauding of taxpayers” of “millions of our hard-earned tax dollars.”

In response, Snowe called D’Amboise’s comments “outrageous, false and libelous.” She said voters are tired of “smear tactics with no basis in fact.”

                            ***********************

Portland Press Herald reports: “Scott D’Amboise today called on Snowe to resign from the Senate after a whistleblower lawsuit accused Pittsburgh-based Education Management Corp. of defrauding the government of taxpayer-funded financial aid by illegally compensating its recruiters on a per-person basis. Snowe’s husband, former Maine Gov. John McKernan, is Education Management’s board chairman.

In a statement, D’Amboise said Snowe has pocketed riches by “the defrauding of taxpayers” of “millions of our hard-earned tax dollars.”

In response, Snowe called D’Amboise’s comments “outrageous, false and libelous.” She said voters are tired of “smear tactics with no basis in fact.””

Published in: on May 10, 2011 at 5:19 pm  Comments (2)  

[update] WHISTLEBLOWER LAWSUIT TARGETS FORMER MAINE GOVERNOR JOHN McKERNAN

BDN reports (May 5, 2011)  “The Justice Department’s actions mark the first time the federal government has intervened in the student recruitment practices at for-profit colleges. The suit alleges that Pittsburgh-based Education Management Corp., 40 percent owned by Goldman Sachs funds, illegally paid recruiters based on the number of students they enrolled, the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday. The government, in most cases, forbids such incentive compensation for colleges accepting federal aid because of concern the practice will encourage companies to enroll unqualified students.

McKernan is the chairman of the board of directors of Education Management Corp. McKernan was CEO of the company from Sept. 2003 until 2007. He first joined the company in 1999 as vice chairman and a member of the board, according to the company.

McKernan, 62, was the governor of Maine from 1987 until 1995, and was one of the state’s congressmen in the 1970s. He is the husband of U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and remains an active member of politics in Maine, having been a keynote speaker at the State Republican Convention last year.

The Justice Department action in federal court in Pittsburgh follows scrutiny by Congress and the federal Education Department of sales practices, student-loan defaults and job placement claims at for-profit colleges, which can receive as much as 90 percent of their revenue from federal financial aid. Several states intend to join the Justice Department’s civil action in federal court, Education Management said.

Neither McKernan’s Portland office nor Snowe’s Senate office had an immediate comment for this story.”

See entire article.
                                              

   ***********************

WCSH News Center Channel 6 reports — “The U.S. Justice Department, 11 states and the District of Columbia are backing an employee whistleblower lawsuit against Education Management Corp. (EDMC), a company once run by former Maine Governor John McKernan. McKernan continues to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He also is the husband of Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine).

The complaint alleges that the for-profit college chain was illegally paying recruiters based on the number of students they could sign up. EDMC allegedly based recruiter salaries on their sales abilities and also gave recruiters prizes, including expensive trips, based on their ability to bring students in. Federal law bans for-profit colleges that accept federal aid from compensating employees based on their ability to recruit students. Harry Litman, an attorney for the two former employees who are serving as whistleblowers in this case, said EDMC’s violations were obvious.

“It did it flagrantly,” Litman said. “It did it for many years. It lied to the federal government about it. And [employee incentives] fueled their explosive growth to $2.5 billion a year, almost all of which is taxpayer money.”

Litman said the whistleblowers do not plan to file any complaints directly against McKernan. The lawsuit is seeking damages to be paid back to the federal and state governments that paid grants for students to go to colleges run by EDMC.”

SEE NEWS REPORT

U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe’s Financial Disclosures (partial) 1, 2, 3, 4. Does this not constitute “illegal gotten gains?”

Is the reason Senator Snowe has ignored the pleas of the people, continues to refuse to assist her constituents, refused to help a veteran in a 50 year battle for his VA disability compensation, refused to initiate an investigation into evidence of Medicaid fraud, refused to initiate an investigation into workman’s compensation fraud (at the time her husband was governor and created a blue ribbon commission in which to do so) because she was too busy running to the bank?

A full stomach has no conscience!

Published in: on May 4, 2011 at 9:57 pm  Comments (3)