Troupe Stays in Step For Plum Creek

1/11/08 column by Bill Nemitz in the Portland Press Herald:

Troupe Stays in Step for Plum Creek

It's no secret that Plum Creek Timber Co. has hired all kinds of local talent -- lawyers, lobbyists, beefy security guys with little plugs in their ears -- to help pitch its proposed mega-development around Moosehead Lake.

But a choreographer?

It happened last month in Portland, at the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission's hearing on the Plum Creek proposal. And the award for best stage management goes to Barton & Gingold, a Portland-based public relations firm hired by Plum Creek to, shall we say, keep supporters in step.

"We have a large team of foot soldiers tomorrow," exulted Elizabeth Swain, a partner with Barton & Gingold, in an e-mail sent to nine co-workers on the eve of the Dec. 15 hearing at the Holiday Inn by the Bay. It was one of four public hearings to be held around the state by LURC to gather input on Plum Creek's plans for two resorts and 975 house lots in the northern Maine woods.

Swain's e-mail -- reportedly recovered from a waste basket at the hotel and circulated since among Plum Creek's opponents, offers a rare glimpse into just how carefully the LURC hearings -- the last comes Jan. 19 in Greenville -- have been orchestrated by those on Plum Creek's payroll.

There's this advice from Swain to the "B&G people" who might testify to LURC:

"In the VERY unlikely chance you are asked where you work (the commission never asks public witnesses questions, but let's be prepared) you should say that you are speaking in your capacity as a (fill in the blank) resource economist, former journalist, community development specialist, or whatever, and that you work for Barton & Gingold but others in the firm have been much more directly involved in the project than you ..."

There's this assignment for Tobey Williamson, a Barton & Gingold associate, regarding the numbered tickets handed out by LURC on what was intended to be a first-come, first-speak basis:

"Tobey -- help trade tickets in order to accommodate speaking requests ..."

And this for Randy Seaver, another associate:

"Randy -- help match up speakers with tickets for time slots, keep track of comments to ensure all our points get made."

And this for associate Jim Cyr:

"Jim -- identify and watch media and make sure we have as much interview time as the press is giving to the opponents."

To be fair, both sides in the Plum Creek debate have engaged to some degree in message manipulation. But Judy Berk of the opposing Natural Resources Council of Maine said her group's efforts included no talk of "foot soldiers" and ticket swapping.

"Basically, we'd ask you if you'd like a button," Berk said. "Then we'd know you're on our side."

Contacted Thursday, Barton & Gingold's Swain said none of the firm's current employees ended up testifying after all. She also took issue with the suggestion that Plum Creek's presentation was choreographed from the moment supporters arrived to the moment they stepped up to the microphone.

"I would like to think of us as organized," Swain said. "Not choreographed, but well organized."

So is a chorus line.

Comments

[Prudence]

When one hears news like this, it makes one wonder what else a $5 billion is doing and getting away with. This is an outrage. Please make sure LURC knows about this!