Bangor lawyer nominated for state ethics committee

AUGUSTA – A Bangor lawyer and managing partner at the Rudman & Winchell firm was nominated Tuesday to fill the fifth slot on the state Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices.

Gov. John E. Baldacci named Michael P. Friedman, a political independent, to fill the position that has been vacant since April 2005.

“Having been handed the names of three very qualified individuals, a thorough process was put into place,” Baldacci said in a prepared statement. “The statute requires the candidate to demonstrate judgment, integrity and objectivity. These are qualities that Mike has demonstrated during his professional career. I am pleased that Mike has agreed to be the nominee to this important commission.”

Last week, the legislative leaders forwarded Friedman’s name along with Donald Miskill, a retired naval captain from Orrs Island and Philip Worden, a lawyer from Seal Cove for the governor’s consideration. Friedman and Miskill are independents while Worden is a member of the Green Independent Party.

The five-member ethics panel reviews complaints concerning state candidate campaign finance reports, violations of election laws and lobbyist and political action committee registrations. It has been operating as a four-member panel with two Democrats and two Republicans. By law, the fifth member has to be an independent or a Green.

Friedman practices labor and employment law, specializing in workers’ compensation disputes. The Old Town native is a graduate of the University of Maine, and received his law degree from Northeastern University School of Law.

In discussing the extended deliberation period for the selection of the fifth panelist, House Speaker John Richardson said last week that overriding state issues, schedules for Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, and leadership’s inability to find appropriate candidates prolonged the process longer than he had expected. Richardson said he wanted to have the panel up to its full complement before the fall campaign season starts to heat up.

“This has taken longer than any of us expected,” said Richardson. “The process as laid out in statute is exceedingly cumbersome, and doesn’t even say who is supposed to take charge of getting the other parties to agree on a list of names. We have been actively working on this for close to a year.”

Staff in Richardson’s office contacted the University of Maine, the Maine Bar Association, the state Chamber of Commerce and others seeking suggestions for individuals who would be eligible and qualified, and advertised in several newspapers seeking nominees, but received only one inquiry. Staff members pointed out that politically active and knowledgeable citizens often tend to be a member of one of the major political parties, and finding an appropriate person – and one who is willing to serve on the commission – is harder than it might seem.

Richardson said he would welcome a review by the Presiding Officers’ Advisory Committee on Legislative Ethics of the statutes that deal with appointing the fifth member, adding that the committee itself decides what it will take up. Several members of that committee expressed an interest in taking up the issue at their first meeting on June 21.

Friedman’s nomination will be reviewed by the Legislature’s Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee and will be subject to confirmation by the full Senate. No date has been set yet for either the hearing or the confirmation vote.