By Jonann Brady
The advertisement appeared in a journal for the Conservative Party's annual dinner dance on June 5, offering best wishes from the Baldwin Public Library, and it set off alarm bells for some who saw it.
Kevin Kamen, the library board president, is running as a Republican for the Fifth District legislative seat, and under state law, it is illegal for a state agency to pay for campaign materials for any political party or candidate. Baldwin resident Stuart Lang made an appearance at a sparsely populated library board meeting last Wednesday night to ask who authorized the ad.
Bill Cullen, the attorney for the board, told Lang, "That's not library business."
"It's purporting to represent the library board," Lang responded, pointing out that the ad was against the law. "I'm worried about where my tax dollars are being spent."
Kamen, who did not receive the endorsement of the Conservative Party, and the other six board members said they had no knowledge of the ad and, in fact, had never seen it before. "Nobody from the board authorized the ad or knew about it," said Kamen. "That's the end of the discussion."
But the discussion didn't end there. In an interview the next day, Kamen said, "I suspect there are shenanigans going on from my opponent's side. Whoever it is, I'm going to hold them accountable for their actions."
Kamen's opponent, Democratic Legislator Joseph Scannell, denied having any knowledge of the ad. "I didn't send the ad in," he said. "My main concern is, something inappropriate happened. Whether he sent it in or not, he's spinning it back towards me."
The Conservative Party is also at a loss to explain where the ad came from. Chris Mistron, the vice chairman of the Conservative Party, who oversees the journal publication, said he never saw the ad before its publication. The full-page ad was apparently faxed directly to the printer on the day the journal was being printed, along with ads from the Assembly Republicans, the Senate Republicans and another legislative candidate, said Mistron.
Mistron said that ads were being solicited by just a handful of Conservative committee members, but none of them recall receiving an ad from the Baldwin Public Library. Kamen had purchased a half-page ad, which costs $150, a few weeks before the journal was printed on June 1. A full-age ad costs $200, and Mistron said he has yet to go over the billing for ads in the journal. No one has been billed for the library ad, and the printing company, Sir Speedy, did not keep a copy of the fax transmission.
Mistron said he takes responsibility for the snafu. "We screwed up on our end," he said. "I suspect it was an innocent mix-up."
Roger Bogsted, the Conservative Party chairman, sent a letter of apology to Kamen. In the letter, Bogsted wrote, "I have canvassed my executive committee and no member of the committee recalls placing that ad in your name. I realize you did not authorize the ad and I apologize for its appearance in our journal. I will continue to make every effort to determine the source of the ad and I will keep you apprised of any findings."
But Mistron also dismissed the notion that an operative from the Democratic Party sent the ad as a campaign tactic. "That's a hell of a conspiracy," he said, adding that it would have been impossible, since he and a small number of committee members were the only ones who knew which printer was being used and its fax number.
For now, the case of the mystery ad remains open, and all parties involved are shaking their heads. "I never saw something create so much trouble," said Mistron.
