President

Oxford County sheriff Wayne Gallant said Tuesday that he may be interested in the U.S. Marshal post, although he has yet to hold any conversations about the job.

He called the opportunity "intriguing" and said he'd be happy to consider a job that would involve serving the President.

The U.S. Marshal post is one of several local presidential appointments. U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud (D-East Millinocket) is in charge of making the recommendation.

York County District Attorney Mark Lawrence is gunning for the U.S. Attorney job.

He said he has spoken to people close to the process, and is “definitely considering the job.”

However, he said he is also happy serving as district attorney.

Lawrence is serving his second term as district attorney, and he will be up for reelection in 2010. This year he also ran an unsuccessful primary campaign for the 1st Congressional District earlier this year.

It was a six-way race in which Chellie Pingree (D-North Haven) prevailed, and she later won the general election.

The next U.S. Attorney will be appointed by president-elect Barack Obama, and U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud is in charge of making the recommendation.

See also: Representatives say migration of out-of-staters caused voter shifts in two towns

In Maine, 91 towns turned from red to blue in the past election season. While many of these towns are small – thus the difference could have been the result of a family or two moving in or out of town – some towns saw major changes between the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections.

In addition, ten towns turned from blue to red, and nine towns that tied one year went one way or the other the other year.

The spreadsheets below detail the towns the changed color this year.

Towns that went from red to blue:

• Androscoggin and Aroostook counties:
• Cumberland and Franklin counties:
• Hancock, Kennebec and Knox counties:
• Lincoln and Oxford counties:
• Penobscot, Piscataquis, Sagadahoc and Somerset counties:
• Washington and York counties:

Towns that tied in 2004, and went blue in 2008:

Towns that went from blue to red:

Towns that tied in 2004, and went red in 2008:

See also: From 04 to 08, 110 towns shift color on Maine map

Of the 91 towns that turned from red to blue this year, Rangley and Kennebunkport saw two of the largest jumps.

State representatives for these areas attribute the change to an influx of out-of-staters.

Rangeley, a small Franklin County town, saw the following changes:

Kennebunkport, a southern Maine town which is home to former President George H.W. Bush’s estate, saw the following changes:

Adam Cote (D-Sanford), a former Congressional candidate, has been floated by several sources as a possibility for U.S. Attorney and Small Business Administration regional director.

He has ruled out taking both positions, he told PolitickerME.com Monday. Both the U.S. Attorney and SBA administrator jobs will be appointments under President-elect Barack Obama, along with the U.S. Marshal and EPA administrator posts. 

U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud is in charge of making recommendations for the posts. He will be aided by Rep.-elect Chellie Pingree (D-North Haven) and Gov. John Baldacci.

Cote is also a PolitickerME.com columnist.

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Falmouth) met with President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team last week to discuss her proposal to elevate a Small Business Administration post to a cabinet level position.

She said this adjustment will allow small businesses to weather the difficult economy.

In a letter to Obama, she wrote:

PolitickerME.com has surveyed most of Maine’s 16 sheriffs to see who might be interested in being the state’s next U.S. Marshal.

The post is a presidential appointment. U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud (D-East Millinocket) is in charge of making the recommendation, aided by Rep.-elect Chellie Pingree (D-North Haven) and Gov. John Baldacci.

Traditionally the job goes to a top law enforcement officer in the state who belongs to the president-elect’s political party. We have decided to survey all sheriffs in the state, however.

This list will be reprinted periodically as we get more responses.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe got a mention in a New York Times column this weekend concerning their role in the upcoming Senate term.

Columnist Gail Collins said “the nexus of power” will lie with the Maine senators. When interviewed by the Times, Snowe was quick to include Sen. Arlen Spector (R-Pa.)

“I like thinking of next year’s senate as a kind of mythic quest movie in which a Democratic hero in need of a stimulus package or a Supreme Court confirmation is told: ‘Go forth and seeketh the Women of Maine,” who would both be played by Cate Blanchett,’” the columnist wrote.

Chellie Pingree

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. - Congresswoman-elect Chellie Pingree said Thursday that she has been impressed by President-elect Barack Obama's selections for his cabinet.

"It seems like the adults are back in charge, honestly," Pingree told Politicker.com. "I have to tell you, as someone who has waiting a long time for the change in administration it feels a lot like we've put a completely different group of people in charge who, at least in the short run, we're going to have a lot of confidence in their ability to do this."

"I think these are people of good intent, a lot of experience, very practical, and are good at working with Congress," she added.

With President-elect Barack Obama taking office, there will be a number of local appointments to make, such as U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshall, Small Business Administration director and Environmental Protection Agency director.

U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud (D-East Millinocket) is in charge of making these appointments, along with Gov. John Baldacci (D-Bangor) and Congresswoman-elect Chellie Pingree (D-North Haven).