January 7 Gov. Paul LePage announced the nomination of Phil Congdon, of Round Pond, to a cabinet post in his new administration. If confirmed, Congdon will head up the Dept. of Economic and Community Development (DECD).
Congdon, 69, said he is “honored and extremely excited” by the opportunity to serve in the Governor’s cabinet.
Along with Bristol residents Ralph Hassenpflug and Dana Dyer, Congdon served as a member of LePage’s transition team focusing on regulatory reform as it pertains to Maine’s business environment.
Congdon said one of his goals as DECD Commissioner is to reduce the time between a business first expressing interest in moving to Maine, and completing the permitting process.
In order to make Maine a more business-friendly place, Congdon said he expects to work closely with his fellow commissioners.
His goal, Congdon said, is not to dismantle Maine regulations but to ensure those regulations are applied in an even-handed manner.
During a press conference Jan. 7, in the Hall of Flags at the Statehouse in Augusta, LePage announced Congdon’s cabinet nomination, along with two others.
LePage also nominated Darryl Brown of Livermore Falls to serve as Dept. of Environmental Protection Commissioner, and Norman Olsen to serve as Commissioner of Dept. of Marine Resources.
Congdon is a longtime businessman and, most recently was Director of Systems Technology Laboratories at Texas Instruments.
