LONG

MIDDLETOWN — Longtime Middletown Rep. Bruce J. Long raised $10,350 in campaign contributions in the three-month period ending June 30, more than any Newport County lawmaker netted in the same season.

But Long, a Republican, failed to detail who gave him the money.

Instead, he attached a hand-written note to his filing with the state Board of Elections, reading: “I have misplaced all of the supporting data to my campaign report. I am recreating it through my bank and will submit an amended report.”

Long’s note didn’t satisfy Middletown Democratic Town Committee members Eileen Spillane and Richard P. Adams, who have filed a complaint with the state Board of Elections to protest Long’s “neglecting to publicly list his contributors.”

Spillane, who ran unsuccessfully in the last two elections for the Senate seat held by Republican June R. Gibbs, said Long, a 14-term Republican lawmaker, should be well-versed in filing complete campaign-finance reports.

“He’s been there a quarter of a century,” Spillane said last week. “It’s a lot of money to raise in this area. No one has that amount in his war chest, especially when a campaign isn’t going on.”

Long said that he received $10,350 in donations at a fundraiser, but lost copies of the checks. He said he’s ordered copies from his bank and will file an amended report. The gross figure is accurate, he said.

“I have filed every one of my reports on time and complete,” Long said. “I did not have the information so I wanted to report what I did have.”

Long, a 26-year House of Representatives veteran who represents Jamestown and part of Middletown, out-raised all Newport County legislators in the reporting period for April 1 to June 30, including Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed, of Newport, who raised $5,150.

(Portsmouth Democrat Rep. Amy G. Rice’s report is past due.)

He also grabbed more contributions than House Speaker William J. Murphy, who raised $5,350, and House Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox, who raised $6,210. (Senate President Joseph A. Montalbano reported raising more than $18,000.)

Long’s $45,955 balance — after deducting for money he spent on newspaper advertisements, stamps and donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Rhode Island, the Ali Dunn Parker Memorial Fund and the Conanicut Island Arts Association, among other expenses — is, however, considerably less than that of top lawmakers Murphy ($60,304), Montalbano ($82,841) and Fox ($92,512.)

Richard E. Thornton, director of campaign finance for the Board of Elections, said Long’s contributions are not “atypical,” if he had a particularly successful fundraiser in the reporting period.

“At $100 a ticket, it adds up pretty quick. It does seem a little high, but sometimes candidates have one major fundraiser instead of many throughout the year,” Thornton said.

Long said his growing campaign account is not indicative of fears of facing competition in the November 2008 election. (Long ran unopposed in 2006.)

Still, he said, “I want to make sure I can focus my campaign on delivering a message and not spending all of my time literally begging for money.”

Long’s personal matters have been subject to media attention since before the last election.

He and his ex-wife, Valerie H. Long, who divorced in 2004, sparred over child-support payments for their teenage daughter and charges that Long failed to file corporate income-tax forms for several years. Long told The Journal in an interview last fall that most of what his ex-wife said in media reports was untrue.

He said last week, “I have no dispute with my ex-wife. I wish my ex-wife well. All of the [financial] issues are being dealt with.”

“I have nothing to hide. I’ve had some issues. I’ve made some mistakes and that’s all I can say,” said Long, who has acknowledged being in recovery for seven years after a battle with “substance addiction.”

Long’s recent remarriage has raised questions about whether he lives permanently in the district he represents. His wife, Jane, lives in Westerly, where her daughter attends Westerly High School. Long contends that he lives in Middletown, where he owns a Del’s frozen-lemonade franchise.

“We see each other as much as we can,” he said, noting that eventually, the couple will decide whether he’ll run again in ’08 and where they will live together.

“This,” Long said of his district, “is where I live, this is where I work, this is where I do my community service.”

mwims@projo.com