The campaigns of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and former Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders still owe money to the city of Portland for events dating back to March for Trump and Sanders and last September for Clinton.
But city spokeswoman Jessica Grondin said Portland officials are not holding their breath that the bills for police overtime will be paid.
“I don’t think we’ve ever been reimbursed,” she said. “But the (police) chief feels like we have a responsibility to bill the campaigns for these costs.”
Grondin said Tuesday that the Trump campaign has not paid the city $1,583 to cover the cost of overtime provided to police officers who were stationed at a March rally at the Westin Harborview hotel.
The Clinton campaign still owes $262 dating back to a private fundraiser the candidate held on Sept. 18 at King Middle School.
The campaign for Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator and Democratic candidate who dropped out of the race before the Democratic National Convention and has since endorsed Clinton, has not paid its bill to Portland for a March rally he held at the State Theatre. His campaign owes $675.50.
Neither the Sanders or Trump campaigns responded Tuesday to requests for comments about the non-payments.
Lindsay Crete, Clinton’s Maine communications director for the Hillary for America campaign, said the campaign does not control or request additional security beyond Secret Service security.
Grondin said that when campaigns contact the city about hosting events, they ask about venues. If it’s a municipal venue, the city draws up a rental contract and the campaigns pay upfront. However, depending on who the candidate is or where the venue is located, the Secret Service will request extra police presence and the city makes some of its officers available. If those officers end up working overtime, which is common, Grondin said the city bills the campaign.
Otherwise, she said, the city is on the hook.
In 2014, when President Obama came to Portland to stump for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Michaud, the city provided an estimated $26,000 in overtime police presence, for which it never billed the White House. Much of that was to accommodate the presidential motorcade through the city.
Portland will have another opportunity to bill the Trump campaign this week. The Republican candidate, who appears to be making Maine a part of his electoral strategy, visited Bangor in June, and will return to Portland on Thursday for a town hall event at Merrill Auditorium. The Trump campaign will pay $6,200 upfront to rent Merrill – the standard commercial rate – but it’s not yet known how much police presence will be required by the city.
Bangor City Manager Catherine Conlow said her city doesn’t bill campaigns for police overtime.
“The police and fire departments receive significant funding from federal government such as homeland security. In exchange, it is expected that we help when they need us,” she said. The extra costs incurred by Trump’s visit to Bangor were about $2,500, she said.
“We got a nice letter from the Secret Service thanking us for the assistance and our professionalism,” Conlow said.
Grondin said whether or not the Secret Service requests local police officers’ presence in Portland, the police chief will detail officers as he sees fit to ensure the safety of residents and visitors.
For instance, she said, the city will close Myrtle Street – where the entrance to Merrill is located – to both vehicles and pedestrian beginning early Thursday morning. Additionally, the city will section off a portion of City Hall plaza for anticipated protesters but will make sure people can still use the front steps to access City Hall.
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