Gov. Janet Mills plans to nominate a brewery owner and former Portland lawmaker to become Maine's next public advocate.
Heather Sanborn is an attorney who co-founded Portland's Rising Tide Brewing with her husband, Nathan, more than a decade ago. She represented the Portland area in the Maine House and Senate for six years but opted not to seek re-election in 2022.
If confirmed by the Maine Senate, Sanborn would take the lead role in representing Maine's utility ratepayers before the Public Utilities Commission, federal regulatory agencies and in front of her former colleagues in the Legislature. Maine's current public advocate, Bill Harwood, plans to retire when his term ends next month.
“As a small business owner, Heather Sanborn knows just how important it is to have stable, affordable energy costs for Maine people and businesses, and, as a lawmaker, she has championed bipartisan legislation to make energy costs more affordable and to improve energy efficiency across the state,” Mills said in a statement. "She is a person of great talent, integrity, and compassion, and she brings the right combination of experiences to this important job."
Mills' office said the governor will formally post Sanborn's nomination in the coming weeks. The Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee will then hold a confirmation hearing and make a recommendation on the nominee to the full Senate.
As a senator, Sanborn co-chaired the Legislature's Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee and also served on the Judiciary Committee. She was the lead sponsor of numerous bills dealing with insurance and health care policy but also put forward multiple bills dealing with energy policy. Before co-owning and running business operations at Rising Tide Brewing, Sanborn practiced law at several firms and was a law clerk to U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Kermit Lipez.
"My experiences as a small business owner and as a legislator have made me acutely aware of the burden of high energy prices on Mainers," Sanborn said in a statement. "I am excited about the opportunity to return to Augusta to work on behalf of the people of Maine and grateful to the Governor for nominating me for this important role."
If confirmed, she would be the first woman to lead Maine's Office of the Public Advocate during its more than 40-year history. Harwood has held the position since 2022.
