Governor of Maine
Seal of the governor
Seal of the governor
Incumbent
Janet Mills
since January 2, 2019
Government of Maine
StyleThe Honorable
StatusHead of state
Head of government
ResidenceThe Blaine House
SeatAugusta, Maine
AppointerPopular vote
Term length4 years, renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrumentConstitution of Maine
PrecursorGovernor of Massachusetts (District of Maine)
Inaugural holderWilliam King
FormationMarch 15, 1820
Salary$70,000 [1]
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. 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 Janet Mills, a Democrat, who took office January 2, 2019.

The governor of Maine receives a salary of $70,000, which is the lowest salary out of all 50 state governors, as of 2022.[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

Further information: Elections in Maine

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 to 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] The governor 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. Their 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 January 2019, the cabinet is as follows:[4]

The Mills Cabinet
Office Name Since
Governor Janet Mills 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Administrative & Financial Services Kirsten Figueroa[5] 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Amanda Beal[6] 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Corrections Randall Liberty[7] 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management Douglas Farnham[8] 2016
Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development Heather Johnson[9] 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Education Pender Makin[10] 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection Melanie Loyzim[11] 2021
Commissioner of the Department of Health & Human Services Jeanne Lambrew[12] 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Judy Camuso[13] 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources Patrick C. Keliher[8] 2012
Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety Michael Sauschuck[7] 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Transportation Bruce Van Note[14] 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Labor Laura Fortman[15] 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Professional & Financial Regulation Anne Head[8][16] 2008
Executive Director of Workers' Compensation Board John Rohde[17] 2019

Succession

Maine is one of five states that does not have an office of lieutenant governor.[18] Under current law, if there is a vacancy in the office of governor, the president of the Maine Senate becomes governor. As of December 5, 2018, the Senate president is Democrat Troy Jackson.[19]

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.[20]

List of governors

For the period before statehood, see Governor of Massachusetts.

Main article: List of governors of Maine

References

  1. ^ "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  2. ^ Davis, Dominic-Madori; Ward, Marguerite (April 20, 2020). "Here's the salary of every governor in all 50 US states". Business Insider. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Maine Constitution Article V, maine.gov.
  4. ^ "Cabinet | Office of Governor Janet T. Mills". www.maine.gov. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  5. ^ Thistle, Scott; Herald, Press (2018-12-17). "Mills picks official from Attorney General's Office to be Maine's finance chief". Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  6. ^ @onlinesentinel (January 18, 2019). "Mills chooses head of farmland preservation group as agricultural commissioner: Amanda Beal grew up on a dairy farm in Litchfield and has served as president and CEO of Maine Farmland Trust since 2016. #mepolitics @JanetMillsforME bit.ly/2swObWM" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ a b Miller, Kevin (2018-12-21). "To lead Department of Labor, Mills picks someone who's done it before". Lewiston Sun Journal. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  8. ^ a b c Overton, Penelope (2019-01-03). "Gov. Mills wants fisheries commissioner, 2 others to stay on in her administration". Press Herald. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  9. ^ Thistle, Scott (2018-12-27). "Nominee for Mills Cabinet sees broadband access as key to Maine economy". Press Herald. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  10. ^ Thistle, Scott (2018-12-26). "Mills nominates Brunswick school administrator to be Maine's education chief". Press Herald. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  11. ^ "Maine Senate Confirms Nomination of DEP Commissioner". Press Herald. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  12. ^ Thistle, Scott (2018-12-14). "Mills names Mainer with White House experience to lead state's 'most important department'". Press Herald. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  13. ^ "Janet Mills nominates first woman to serve as commissioner of DIF&W". Bangor Daily News. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  14. ^ Thistle, Scott (2018-12-20). "Mills wants turnpike official to change lanes and lead transportation department". Press Herald. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  15. ^ Miller, Kevin (2018-12-21). "To lead Department of Labor, Mills picks someone who's done it before". Lewiston Sun Journal. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  16. ^ "Anne Head | Office of Governor Janet T. Mills". www.maine.gov. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  17. ^ AP (21 December 2018). "Maine Gov.-elect Taps Former Labor Chief To Head Department". www.mainepublic.org. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  18. ^ "Governor of Maine | Vacancies". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  19. ^ Russell, Eric (November 10, 2018). "Maine Senate Democrats and Republicans choose new leaders". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  20. ^ "Blaine House - Maine's Governor's Mansion".
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