John G. Richardson (June 29, 1957 – June 16, 2020) was an American politician and consultant from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he served as Maine's Commissioner of Economic and Community Development and the

Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives The Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives is the speaker and presiding officer of the Maine House of Representatives, the lower house of the Maine Legislature. List of speakers {{Years in Maine * Maine Speakers Speaker may refer to: ...

. Richardson unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Maine in 2010. In February 2018, the Portland Press Herald reported that Richardson was involved in a potential conflict of interest case regarding the University of Maine and a $100 million redevelopment plan for the nearby Old Town mill. On February 9, 2018, the Portland Press Herald reported that there weren't any conflict of interest issues involving UMaine or Richardson.

Background

Richardson was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He received his bachelor's degree from

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

in 1983 and his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from

Creighton University School of Law Creighton University School of Law, located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, is a component of the Jesuit Creighton University. According to Creighton's official 2019 ABA-required disclosures, 75% of the Class of 2019 obtained full-time, long-t ...

in 1987. He practiced law in Brunswick, Maine.

Political career

In 2002, Richardson 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. Richardson also sponsored the legislation which created the Mid Coast Regional Redevelopment Authority(MRRA) and served on its planning and implementing committees. In January 2007, he was appointed Commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, a position that he held until November 2009. He also served as a board member on the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME). Committee assignments *''Business and Economic Development '' (Chair) *''Banking and Insurance '' *''Rules and Business of the House'' (Ex Officio)

2010 gubernatorial bid and public appearances

On April 26, 2010, just six weeks prior to the Democratic primary, Richardson ended his run for governor. He was denied failed public financing after the state ethics commission discovered hundreds of falsified or otherwise improperly collected $5 qualifying contributions which were required of candidates to obtain public funding. Richardson was a political commentator on

WCSH WCSH (channel 6) is a television station in Portland, Maine, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Congress Square in Downtown Portland, and its transmitter is located on Winn Mountain in ...

, Southern Maine' NBC affiliate. He also gave the political rebuttal to Governor Paul LePage's weekly radio address on

WCME WCME (900 kHz; "Radio Midcoast") is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Brunswick, Maine, and serving Maine's Mid Coast; on-air, the station is currently known as "Radio Midcoast WCME 99-5 FM & 900 AM". Established in 1955, the station i ...

Death

Richardson died on June 16, 2020, at the age of 62, from an apparent heart attack.

Election history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, John G. 1957 births 2020 deaths Speakers of the Maine House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Majority leaders of the Maine House of Representatives Politicians from Brunswick, Maine Politicians from Washington, D.C. University of Maryland, College Park alumni Creighton University School of Law alumni State cabinet secretaries of Maine American political commentators Maine lawyers