The Governor of Maine is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine earned statehood in 1820, the Governor of Massachusetts served as the top executive.

The current governor of Maine is John Baldacci, a Democrat. The Governor’s current salary is $70,000 annually, the lowest in the nation.

Eligibility

The office of the governor is established in the Maine Constitution, which provides in Article V, Part 1 that:

• At the beginning of the governor's term the governor must be at least 30 years of age; a United States Citizen for at least 15 years; a Maine resident for at least five years, and a resident of Maine at the time of election and during the term for which elected (Section 4).
• No person holding any other office under the United States, Maine, or any other power, shall become governor (Section 5).
• The governor shall receive a compensation which cannot be increased or decreased while that governor is in office (Section6).

Elections and terms of office

• The governor is elected directly and has a term of office of four years. There is a term limit of two consecutive elected four-year terms (Section 2). There is not, however, a limit on the number of total terms a governor may serve.
• The gubernatorial election is conducted in the same manner prescribed for members of the Maine Legislature. The Secretary of State of Maine receives votes and delivers the lists (and the ballots if the Legislature so elects) to the Maine House of Representatives and Senate. The Legislature determine the number of votes duly cast for governor, and declares the plurality of all of the votes returned. If there is no plurality and there is a tie between the two persons having the largest number of votes for governor, the House of Representatives and the Senate meet in joint session and elect one of the two persons governor (Section 3).

Executive Powers

• The governor acts as commander-in-chief of "the army and navy of the State, and of the militia" (the Maine National Guard), "except when the same are called into the actual service of the United States" (Section 7).
• The governor has the power to appoint officers, to appoint all judicial officers subject to confirmation except probate judges and justices of the peace if their manner of selection is otherwise provided for by the constitution or by law, and to appoint and all other civil and military officers whose appointment is not by this constitution, or otherwise provided for by law (Section 8).
• The Governor will have power to grant reprieves, commutations and pardons, unless impeached. The power to grant reprieves, commutations and pardons also includes juvenile offenses (Section 11).

Succession

Under current law, if the governor suddenly leaves office, the immediate successor is the Senate President. Currently, this is Democrat Elizabeth Mitchell.

Official Residence

The Blaine House in Augusta is the official governor’s mansion. It became the official residence in 1919, and is named after James G. Blaine. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964, and it was built by Captain James Hall in 1833. The home is located directly across the street from the Maine State House.

References

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Governors_of_Maine
2. http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=207914
3. http://janus.state.me.us/legis/const/
4. http://www.maine.gov/legis/senate/about/generalinfo/Students/questions_students_ask-1.htm
5. http://www.blainehouse.org/

See also

• List of Governors of Maine