Being Green

In search of a campaign office

by Sam Smith

GREEN SPACE Ben Meikeljohn and Ben Chipman check out offices.

Like a lot of people in housing-crunched Portland these days, Ben Chipman and Ben Meiklejohn need a place to rent. And on this sunny Tuesday, the two slightly scruffy young men are eyeing a place on Preble Street, across from the Public Market. Like most would-be renters, they're excited about their potential new place. They're more excited than most, though, because this first floor space could be the new campaign office of the Green Independent Party in Portland. The Greens had some donated space on Congress Street during Pat LaMarche's bid for governor in 1998, but this would be the first self-sustained campaign office the party has ever had in Portland for a presidential nominee.

"This is a significant breakthrough in our party's history," says Chipman, the public outreach coordinator for the Maine Green Party. "To have a campaign office for a recognizable presidential nominee in the biggest city in the state is a big step for us."

The Nader 2000 campaign told Maine's Green Party three weeks ago that the national organization would pay for the first month's rent on a space and the first month's salary for a full-time field coordinator. Chipman and Meiklejohn have been looking for a space since last week, but have run up against the realities of renting in Portland: there's not much space.

"We need a place that's ready to rent," says Chipman. "They need to be willing to lease for two months, so it's short term, and it has to be within our budget."

After crossing off a number of potentials, they've found themselves outside 26 Preble Street. It's 800 square feet, with three room, a bathroom, four phone jacks, and it's ready to rent for a short-term lease.

"It would be perfect, really," says Meiklejohn, co-chair of the Green's state steering committee, staring at the office.

The Green Party's hope is to secure at least 10 percent of Maine's votes for Ralph Nader. The goal in Portland is to have 1000 registered Greens by election; they have 322 right now. With a campaign office from which to organize canvassing, make calls for contributions, and distribute campaigning materials, the goals are reasonable, they feel.

"People know who Ralph Nader is," says Chipman. "They know what he stands for. That's a real advantage we have over other third parties."

"It's an exciting time for us," adds Meiklejohn. This is the first chance he's had to vote straight Green all the way down the ticket, he says, voting Nader for president, Green candidate Derrick Grant for legislature, and himself for a newly opened at-large seat on the Portland school committee, for which he's currently gathering signatures to be placed on the ballot. (Meiklejohn fell short of the required number of signatures in his previous two attempts at the school committee. He's got until September 26 to gather signatures this go around.)

As the two talk about placing banners and signs on the storefront, a truck lumbers loudly up Preble Street. Meiklejohn's eyes light up. "Did you see that?" he asks. "That truck had a LaMarche '98 bumper sticker."