Doracon and Smith

By Bryan P. Sears
Posted: June 24, 2008

Ronald H. Lipscomb, a Baltimore developer who is tied to an investigation of Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, donated $11,000 through four companies to County Executive Jim Smith.

Smith’s campaign received a $1,000 donation from RHL Strathdale, $2,000 from Arizona Crossing, and two donations of $4,000 each from RHL Development and Doracon Development LLC on Dec. 9, 2005, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Maryland State Board of Elections. All four companies list an address at 3500 E. Biddle Street, the headquarters of Doracon Contracting, the company founded by Lipscomb.

Lipscomb did not make any personal donations to the campaign.

The relationship between Lipscomb and Dixon is the apparent focus of a state prosecutor investigation. Investigators are looking at whether Dixon accepted gifts from Lipscomb while voting on contracts that may have benefited Doracon, according to published reports in The Sun.

Smith is not a target of the investigation and none of the donations appears to violate state campaign finance laws. None of the companies related to Doracon and Lipscomb donated again after the 2005 donations.

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