Maine Gov. Paul LePage has withdrawn his nominations for positions on dozens of state boards and agencies, and he vows to not present any more nominations before he leaves office. This move comes a day after two of his nominees were rejected by a bipartisan majority of the Legislature’s Transportation Committee.
The committee Wednesday rejected Jonathan Nass, a Republican and former LePage staffer. Nass currently serves as deputy commissioner of the Department of Transportation and was nominated to the board of the Maine Turnpike Authority. It also rejected former GOP state Sen. Doug Thomas from membership on the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority. While the vote to reject was bipartisan, Gov. LePage blamed Democrats and said it’s a pattern.
“Because the Democrats came in and they were passing Democrats, you know people that were nominated that were Democrats," said LePage. "The Republicans, they were throwing them out and others. Look, that is not what this is about.”
The governor says he is tired of partisanship and is pulling the more than three dozen nominations to various state boards, agencies and commissions that have yet to be considered by various legislative committees. They range from the boards of trustees at the state’s higher education institutions to the Finance Authority of Maine and the Board of Environmental Protection.
“There is none that are going through this time,” LePage said. “None. I pulled them all this morning. Everybody is gone.”
LePage indicated he would not be making any more nominations as governor, saying that the next governor can deal with the partisanship.
Rep. Michelle Dunphy, a Democrat from Old Town who chairs the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, said the governor’s decision inconvenienced his nominees and others who came to testify on those nominations. She also said that she rejects LePage’s claim that the nomination process has been partisan.
“[I’m] disappointed to hear that, because in my committee of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, that is not the case, at all,” said Dunphy. “In fact I can only think of maybe a couple of votes we have taken in confirmation hearings where we have had any divide.”
The governor’s action appears to have little practical impact. In most cases, a current member of a board or commission continues in office until their successor is confirmed by the state Senate.
Sen. Paul Davis, a Republican from Sangerville who co-chairs the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, said that some boards may not have their full complements, so if the current members can’t agree on an issue, any action on it may have to be postponed until the new Legislature and governor can fill the vacant positions.
Originally published Sept. 6, 2018 at 4:57 p.m ET.
