Michaud hires election opponent for staff post

AUGUSTA – Senate President Pro Tem Michael Michaud, the winner of last month’s Democratic 2nd Congressional District primary, has hired one of his rivals in that six-way contest to join his legislative staff.

Michaud, whose legislative term runs until early December when the new Legislature will be seated, has brought on board David Costello, who finished back in the pack in the 2nd District voting June 11.

“I was very impressed with David Costello throughout the whole campaign,” said Michaud.

Citing Costello’s previous work in state government, Michaud called him “extremely qualified.”

Costello began work last week as a legislative aide at an annualized salary of around $44,400, according to legislative officials.

The Lewiston activist worked in Maine’s Secretary of State’s Office before leaving to work overseas as a foreign aid officer in 1994.

Costello signaled his intention to join the congressional nomination race last July and throughout his campaign promoted the establishment of a single-payer health insurance system.

In winning the 2nd District Democratic nomination, Michaud bested a field that included two fellow state senators, Susan Longley of Liberty and John Nutting of Leeds.

Unofficial returns from 99 percent of state voting precincts gave Michaud 12,075 votes, or 31 percent, to Longley’s 10,627 votes, or 27 percent.

Filling out the rest of the Democratic field were former state legislator Sean Faircloth of Bangor, who won 20 percent of the vote; Nutting, who took 13 percent; Costello, who had 5 percent; and educator Lori Handrahan of Sorrento, who received 4 percent.

Michaud, a veteran lawmaker and millworker from East Millinocket, will face Republican nominee Kevin Raye of Perry in the November general election.

The 2nd District incumbent, Democrat John Baldacci, is running for governor.

Only last week was Raye, a longtime aide to U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, declared the winner in the 2nd District Republican primary as Tim Woodcock conceded the contest on the fourth day of a recount.

Revised totals, according to state election officials, were 11,861 for Raye and 11,542 for Woodcock, a former Bangor mayor.

Further back in the four-way GOP contest were state Rep. Stavros Mendros of Lewiston, who had 8,022 votes and carried Androscoggin County, and former state Rep. Dick Campbell of Orrington, whose vote total was 7,383.

Michaud presided over the numerically deadlocked state Senate as president last year.

Under a power-sharing arrangement reflecting the chamber’s 17-17-1 composition coming out of the 2000 elections, Michaud switched positions for the second half of the two-year term with Republican Sen. Richard Bennett of Norway, who initially took the auxiliary pro tem post.

Democrats took majority control of the state Senate in March after a special election in District 27, composed of Falmouth, Long Island and part of Portland, but by prior agreement the power-sharing arrangement was unchanged.