John G. Richardson
| John G. Richardson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development | |
|
In office January 2007 – November 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Jack Cashman |
| Succeeded by | Thaxter Trafton |
| 97th Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives | |
|
In office December 2004 – December 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Patrick Colwell |
| Succeeded by | Glenn Cummings |
| Maine House Majority Leader | |
|
In office December 2002 – December 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Patrick Colwell |
| Succeeded by | Glenn Cummings |
| Member of the Maine House of Representatives from the 49th & 63rd district | |
|
In office December 1998 – December 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Reginald G. Pinkham |
| Succeeded by | Charles R. Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 29, 1957 Washington, DC |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Dr. Stephanie Grohs |
| Children | John A., Glenn, Madeline |
| Residence | Brunswick, Maine |
| Alma mater | Creighton University School of Law, University of Maryland |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Website | John Richardson for Maine |
John G. Richardson is a Maine politician. A Democrat, Richardson sought the Democratic Nomination for Governor of Maine in 2010.[1] He formerly served as Commissioner of Economic and Community Development and the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.[2]
In the Legislature
In 1998, Richardson beat an incumbent Republican to win election to the Maine House of Representatives.
As a freshman on the Banking and Insurance Committee, he led the effort to enact a Patient Bill of Rights. The following term, as chair of the Business and Economic Development Committee, he sponsored and wrote the economic development bond bill that passed on the June 2002 ballot. He also led the effort to pass a $12 million affordable housing bond to stimulate affordable housing in Southern and Mid-coast Maine.
In 2002, John was elected House Majority Leader in the 121st Legislature, where he was the political spokesperson for the House Democratic caucus.
Richardson was elected the 97th Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2005. As Speaker, he successfully led efforts eliminate a $1 billion budget deficit and to balance the budget, brokered legislation to cut taxes, and reformed the Business Equipment Tax Reimbursement law to help small businesses and create jobs. He earned a reputation as a consensus builder - helping to end a long stretch of partisan budget battles with bipartisan agreement on a supplemental spending plan. But he also built and broadened his party's influence, leaving the House with a solid Democratic majority after it came within a couple votes of falling to the opposition.[3]
Committee assignments
- Business and Economic Development (Chair)[4]
- Banking and Insurance [5]
- Rules and Business of the House (Ex Officio)[6][7]
2010 gubernatorial bid
On April 26, 2010, just 6 weeks prior to the Democratic primary, Richardson ended his run for Governor. He did not qualify for Clean Elections funding after allegations that campaign workers forged many $5 checks needed to obtain public funding.[8]
Election History
| Year | Office | Election | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | State Representative District 49 | General[9] | John Richardson | Democratic | 1,351 | 51.1 | Reginald G. Pinkham | Republican | 1,294 | 48.9 | |||
| 2000 | State Representative District 49 | General[10] | John Richardson | Democratic | 2,399 | 65.6 | William J. Donovan | Republican | 1,259 | 34.4 | |||
| 2002 | State Representative District 49 | General[11] | John Richardson | Democratic | 1,884 | 63.3 | Ronald G. Dumont | Republican | 1,094 | 36.7 | |||
| 2004 | State Representative District 63 | General[12] | John Richardson | Democratic | 2,920 | 61.5 | Amy L. Mckenna | Republican | 1,827 | 38.5 |
References
- ↑ Welcome to the Public Campaign Finance Page for the State of Maine. Web. February 4, 2010. <http://www.mainecampaignfinance.com/public/candidate_office_sought_list.asp?Type=CAN&YEAR=2010>.
- ↑ "Maine House of Representatives: Past Leadership." Maine.gov. Web. 04 Feb. 2010. <http://www.maine.gov/legis/house/history/leaders.htm>.
- ↑ "About John | johnrichardsonformaine.com." Proven Leadership Proven Results | johnrichardsonformaine.com. Web. 04 Feb. 2010. <http://www.johnrichardsonformaine.com/bio>.
- ↑ "Maine House of Representatives: John Richardson." Maine.gov. Web. 05 Feb. 2010. <http://www.maine.gov/legis/house/history/120th/120bios/richjg.htm>.
- ↑ "Maine House of Representatives: John G. Richardson." Maine.gov. Web. 05 Feb. 2010. <http://www.maine.gov/legis/house/history/119th/119bios/richjg.htm>.
- ↑ "Maine House of Representatives: John Richardson." Maine.gov. Web. 05 Feb. 2010. <http://www.maine.gov/legis/house/history/121st/121bios/richjg.htm>.
- ↑ "Maine House of Representatives: John Richardson." Maine.gov. Web. 05 Feb. 2010. <http://www.maine.gov/legis/house/history/122nd/122bios/richjg.htm>.
- ↑ Miller, Kevin (April 26, 2010). "Richardson ends bid for Blaine House — Politics — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
- ↑ "General Election Tabulations - November 3, 1998 - State Representative (Secretary of State, State of Maine, U.S.A.)." Maine.gov. Web. 04 Feb. 2010. <http://www.state.me.us/sos/cec/elec/gen98sr.htm>.
- ↑ "Maine General Election, November 7, 2000 - Tabulations - State Representative (Secretary of State, State of Maine, U.S.A.)." Maine.gov. Web. 04 Feb. 2010. <http://www.state.me.us/sos/cec/elec/2000g/gen00sr.htm>.
- ↑ "General Election, November 5, 2002 - Tabulations - State Representative (Secretary of State, State of Maine, U.S.A.)." Maine.gov. Web. 05 Feb. 2010. <http://www.state.me.us/sos/cec/elec/2002g/gen02sr.htm>.
- ↑ "General Election, November 2, 2004 - Tabulations - State Representative (Secretary of State, State of Maine, U.S.A.)." Maine.gov. Web. 05 Feb. 2010. <http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/2004n/sr.htm>.