Governor of Maine

Governor of Maine

Incumbent
Paul LePage
since January 5, 2011
Style The Honorable
Residence The Blaine House
Term length 4 years, renewable once
Inaugural holder William King
Formation March 15, 1820
Salary $70,000 [1]
Website maine.gov/governor

The Governor of Maine is the chief executive of the State of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the Governor of Massachusetts was chief executive.

The current Governor of Maine is Paul LePage, a Republican, elected in the 2010 elections, and was re-elected in 2014. The next election is in 2018.

The governor of Maine receives a salary of $70,000, which as of 2016 is the lowest by $20,000 of the 50 state governors.[2]

Eligibility

Under Article V, Section 4, a person must as of the commencement of the term in office, be 30 years old, for 15 years a citizen of the United States, and for five years a resident of Maine. A governor must retain residency in Maine throughout his or her term. Section 5 provides that a person shall not assume the office of Governor[3] while holding any other office under the United States, Maine, or "any other power".

Elections and terms of office

Governors are elected directly for four-years terms, with a limit of two consecutive elected terms. Thus, a governor can serve an unlimited number of terms, as long as they serve no more than two in a row (Article V, Section 2).[3] Elections are by popular vote, but if two people tie for first place, the Legislature meets in joint session to choose between them (Article V Section 3).[3]

Executive powers

The governor is commander-in-chief of "the army and navy of the State, and of the militia" (the Maine National Guard) except when under federal control (Article V Section 7).[3] The governor generally has the power appoint civil, military, and judicial officers (aside from probate judges and justices of the peace) subject to confirmation by the Legislature unless the Maine Constitution or a statute has provided another means of appointment (Article V, Section 8).[3] He or she also has the power to grant pardons, reprieves, and commutations except in cases of impeachment. This clemency power also includes juvenile offenses (Article V, Section 11).[3]

Cabinet

The Governor oversees the executive branch, which includes Maine's state agencies. His cabinet is often considered to be the state's commissioners, which are generally nominated by the governor but legally chosen by the Maine Legislature.

Current Cabinet

As of April 2014, the current cabinet is as follows:[4]

The LePage Cabinet
Office Name Since
GovernorPaul LePage2011
Commissioner of the Department of Administrative & Financial ServicesRichard Rosen[5] 2014
Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and ForestryWalter E. Whitcomb2011
Commissioner of the Department of CorrectionsJoseph Fitzpatrick [6]2014
Commissioner of the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency ManagementDouglas Farnham2016
Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community DevelopmentGeorge Gervais2011
Commissioner of the Department of EducationRobert Hasson[7] (see below*)2016
Commissioner of the Department of Environmental ProtectionAvery Day (acting)[8]2015
Commissioner of the Department of Health & Human ServicesMary Mayhew2011
Commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries & WildlifeChandler Woodcock2011
Commissioner of the Department of Marine ResourcesPatrick C. Keliher2011
Commissioner of the Department of Public SafetyJohn Morris2011
Commissioner of the Department of TransportationDavid Bernhardt2011
Commissioner of the Department of LaborJeanne Paquette2012
Commissioner of the Department of Professional & Financial RegulationAnne Head2011
Director of Office of Policy and ManagementJonathan LaBonte[9]2014
Executive Director of Workers' Compensation Board Paul H. Sighinolfi 2011

* Education commissioner Jim Rier has been on medical leave. The Governor's office initially said he might return in 2015,[10] but later said that Rier officially retired on April 17, 2015. [11] LePage nominated Acting Commissioner William Beardsley as permanent commissioner, but pulled the nomination in the face of Democratic opposition. He announced on February 11, 2016 that he would leave Beardsley in place as Deputy Commissioner once his Acting role expired(which does not require confirmation) and be the Commissioner himself. LePage said he did so out of a desire to not put Beardsley through being rejected by the Legislature and to keep him running the Department of Education.[12] On May 26, 2016, LePage appointed Debra Plowman, a former State Senator, as "temporary deputy education commissioner" and LePage empowered her to perform the function of a commissioner for the six months allowed by law for temporary appointments. Her first official act was to reappoint Beardsley as Deputy Commissioner[13] and he remains the cabinet member for the department on the Cabinet website.[4] In November 2016, LePage appointed Robert Hasson, a longtime educator, as a new temporary deputy education commissioner, replacing Plowman.[7]

Succession

Maine is one of six states that does not have an office of lieutenant governor. Under current law, if there is a vacancy in the office of governor, the president of the Maine Senate becomes governor. The current Senate president is Republican Michael Thibodeau as of December 3, 2014.[14]

Official residence

The Blaine House in Augusta is the official governor’s mansion, and is located across the street from the Maine State House. It became the official residence in 1919, and is named for James G. Blaine, who once owned the mansion. The house was built by Captain James Hall in 1833 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  2. ↑ Burnett, Jennifer (July 19, 2016). "Governors' Salaries 2016". The Council of State Governments. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Maine Constitution Article V, maine.gov.
  4. 1 2 "Cabinet", maine.gov/governor/lepage.
  5. ↑ "Senate installs LePage's pick for budget chief". Kennebec Journal. 2015-02-03. Retrieved 2015-02-03.
  6. ↑ Dolan, Scott, "LePage names acting corrections commissioner", Portland Press-Herald, March 24, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Gallagher, Noel K., "LePage makes move to keep his pick in charge of education department", Portland Press-Herald, November 21, 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  8. ↑ Cousins, Christopher, "DEP commissioner quits LePage Cabinet to work for Susan Collins", Bangor Daily News, August 31, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Auburn Mayor LaBonte to take lead at LePage's policy office". Kennebec Journal. 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
  10. ↑ http://www.wcsh6.com/story/news/education/2014/12/29/rier-replacement-desjardin-education/21004391/
  11. ↑ Cousins, Christopher, "Why Maine could go 12 months without a permanent education commissioner", Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  12. ↑ "gov-paul-lepage-names-himself-state-education-commissioner" (subscription access only), sunjournal.com, February 11, 2016.
  13. ↑ Cousins, Christopher, "LePage taps another temp, continues refusal to nominate education commissioner", Bangor Daily News, May 26, 2016.
  14. ↑ Moretto, Mario (2014-11-07). "Republican lawmakers pick Thibodeau for Senate president, restore Fredette as House leader". Bangordailynews.com. Retrieved 2014-11-07.
  15. ↑ "Blaine House - Maine's Governor's Mansion".
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