Women’s lobbyist tapped to head Labor

AUGUSTA – A State House activist who has lobbied for years on women’s health and economic issues was nominated by Gov. John Baldacci on Wednesday to become Maine’s next commissioner of labor.

Laura Fortman of Nobleboro, executive director of the Maine Women’s Policy Center and Maine Women’s Lobby, will succeed Valerie Landry as head of the Labor Department if her nomination is confirmed by the state Senate.

Fortman first faces review by the Legislature’s Labor Committee.

A familiar face in the halls of the State House, Fortman had met with a group from the Women’s Economic Agenda Project when her nomination was announced by Baldacci’s office. Her nomination also fell on a day Baldacci had proclaimed as Women’s Economic Security Day.

Fortman said her primary goal, if the appointment becomes final, is to find ways to integrate services and form partnerships where possible with other state departments in order to save money under the current difficult economic conditions.

“We need to try to be as creative as possible with limited resources,” said Fortman.

Baldacci said in a prepared statement that Fortman “has extensive experience building coalitions and gaining bipartisan support for meaningful legislation. This experience will help Maine employers, workers and government come together to create the skilled work force needed for a 21st century economy.”

Acknowledging hundreds of job losses in Maine’s paper industry, Fortman said the state needs to press ahead to bring new kinds of occupations into Maine.

The Labor Department oversees Maine’s Career Centers and administers unemployment, job safety and workplace safety laws.

It also oversees work force training and education and gathers statewide labor statistics. The department has 644 employees.

Fortman’s nomination was one of the last pending Cabinet appointments for Baldacci, who took office in January. The Democratic governor still has not put forth nominees to head the departments of Defense and Veterans Services or Economic and Community Development.

A 1985 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Fortman has been executive director of the Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Center and has served on statewide committees studying family medical leave, health care issues, unemployment and poverty among working families.