Business continues as usual at the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, the agency charged with converting the former Brunswick Naval Air Station and its Topsham annex to civilian use.
That is, despite the fact that two out of 11 seats on MRRA’s board of directors will remain vacant for the foreseeable future.
MRRA’s board is one of several across Maine with vacancies, due to Gov. Paul LePage’s decision to delay nominations to boards and commissions until January instead of allowing the Maine Senate to take them up this fall, according to a report in The Associated Press. LePage originally withdrew dozens of nominations toward the end of the last legislative session after criticizing lawmakers for failing to act on his taxreform proposals.
According to Levesque, Daggert resigned due to his new job requirements and Dorrer resigned for health reasons. The vacancies take the MRRA board down to nine and with only six members necessary for a quorum, Levesque says his vacancies are much ado about nothing and that he is awaiting those positions to be filled in January.
A clash of words erupted Tuesday between Senate Democratic leader Justin Alfond of Portland and LePage’s office following a release from Alfond saying “LePage must stop playing games and do his job.”
The Alfond release cited an MPBN report on Monday that LePage would not fulfill his obligation to make nominations, asserting that LePage withdrew several nominations for boards and commissions earlier this year because he didn’t get his way.
“Now, LePage says he won’t make any nominations until January, if he makes them at all,” the release read.
However, it’s not as simple as plugging people into positions, says LePage spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett.
“Finding individuals of the highest quality who represent the best interests of the people of Maine is a priority. Overseeing these boards and commissions is a responsibility the governor and his staff take very seriously and we have found and will continue to find people willing to serve on behalf of the citizens of our great state. Considerable effort goes into the process of identifying qualified candidates and in fact last year the (Bangor Daily News) had a story in which the governor was praised for judicial appointments,” Bennett said.
Alfond said that the holdup of the drug court judges “is the most shocking of all.” Alfond said LePage is actively holding up the filling of two new drug court judge positions created in this year’s legislative budget deal — an allegation Bennett says is false.
“Much effort and consideration goes into these nominations and there actually are more than two up for consideration at this time and there will be more in the spring,” Bennett responded.
“The governor talks a big game about his commitment to fighting the state’s drug crisis, but he alone is standing in the way of two new judges taking posts in drug court,” Alfond said.
Bennett reasserted that the governor has not held up any nominations of judges.
Alfond also called out the governor on holding up other boards and commissions that “issue licenses or resolve professional disputes” such as the Board of Corrections, the Real Estate Commission, the boards of trustees for the University of Maine and Maine Community College systems, the Board of Environmental Protection and the Workers Compensation Board.
Bennett said the Real Estate Commission is a personal appointment and that no licensing boards are affected.
The Land for Maine’s Future Board is an example of what can happen because of unfilled vacancies.
It’s been unable to reach a quorum to vote because several replacement members have not been named and the governor’s cabinet has chosen not to attend the past couple of meetings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
dmcintire@timesrecord.com
Board ‘games’
MRRA’S BOARD is one of several across Maine with vacancies, due to Gov. Paul LePage’s decision to delay nominations to boards and commissions until January instead of allowing the Maine Senate to take them up this fall, according to a report in The Associated Press.
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