A hush washed over the bustling chamber of the House of Representatives Dec. 2 as Sen. Libby Mitchell stepped to the microphone to name Maine’s first-ever female attorney general.
“Janet Mills,” she announced, and the assembly of democratic representatives and senators jumped to its feet in a crash of applause. Mills began a celebratory and historic walk down the center aisle.
Mitchell, who herself is set to make history today as the first Maine woman to become Senate president after being speaker of the House, leaned to a nearby reporter.
“First woman attorney general. Woo hoo!”
Mills, a Democrat from Farmington entering her fourth term in the House of Representatives, awaits final confirmation by the House and Senate this afternoon. Republicans, who met in a separate caucus Tuesday, signaled that they would join the Democrats in support of Mills.
A string of nominating speeches Tuesday placed three Democratic representatives on the ballot for Maine’s top lawyer: Sean Faircloth of Bangor, John Brautigam of Falmouth and Mills, of Farmington.
The speeches wound through the candidates’ records of service, their ideas about the role of the attorney general and their face-to-face demeanors. For Mills, the portrait that emerged was of a tough but fair multi-tasker whose 32-year career in Maine has wound through many important cases and lofty positions.
She served as assistant attorney general after law school and in 1980, became the first female district attorney in New England, representing Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties for the next 15 years. In recent years she has served on the Legislature’s judicial and appropriations committees.
“She’s dedicated her life to the law and upholding the law,” said Sen.-elect Deborah Simpson, D-Auburn. “She’s tough and she’s going to need to be. She’s the most prepared and has the best resume.”
Rep. Thom Watson, D-Bath, said Mills has already served the state well as a wise and guiding voice in the House of Representatives.
“She has an encyclopedic memory of Maine’s laws,” said Watson. “She rarely takes a political stand. She’s interested in the truth.”
On her own behalf, Mills touted her experience and intimate knowledge of Maine issues.
“When my name goes on that door in the attorney general’s office, you’ll have not only my name but my experience, my intelligence, my passion and my devotion to the people of Maine who I love so dearly,” she said.
The nomination took two votes. The first narrowed the field to Faircloth and Mills. While ballots were being cast in the second vote, Brautigam stood in the rear of the house chamber. Asked what put him out of the race, he said he failed to articulate his philosophy of the attorney general’s role. A close friend of Mills, he expected many of his supporters to vote for her in the run-off.
“I have a great deal of respect for Janet,” he said. “She’s very, very capable of running the office.”
When the caucus was over, an emotional Mills stood in the doorway of the House clerk’s office accepting congratulations from a stream of legislators. One of her five step-daughters, Lisl Mills, whom she had invoked during her speech, weaved through the throng and embraced her.
“It’s a proud moment,” Lisl Mills told a reporter. “Not only for me, but also for the entire state and women in general. It wasn’t always easy for her to be in her role as district attorney and representative. She’s a major role model for all of us.”
Also nominated by the Democrats Tuesday were candidates for three uncontested offices: Matthew Dunlap for secretary of state, David Lemoine for state treasurer and Neria Douglass for state auditor.
(State House News Service)
