AUGUSTA – Former Green Party gubernatorial candidate Pat LaMarche of Yarmouth is facing $400 in fines for improper record keeping in her campaign.

Paul Lavine, assistant director of the Maine ethics commission, said LaMarche’s publicly financed campaign relied too much on vendors to keep records. She received $1 million in public funds.

All of the 2006 candidates for governor have faced some kind of violation for improper record keeping, Lavine said.

According to the audit, findings on LaMarche’s campaign include incomplete media expense documentation, improper invoicing, duplicate billings for media services and erroneous billing of an amount refunded by a vendor. The report also cites unsupported payments and misreported seed money expenditure.

In addition, auditors called into question if 124 expenditures for food totaling $5,044 is a “reasonable amount.”

The commission will take up the audit results at their meeting Tuesday, and decide whether to fine LaMarche, 44.

In a letter to the commission, LaMarche said she followed ethics commission guidelines to the best of her ability, though she had trouble with some vendors in attaining the proper documentation. She did admit to some “human error,” according to her response.

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