A Paris Republican thinks Mainers should elect — rather than let the majority party of the Legislature choose — who serves as attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer.
And though his bill has been in the hopper for months, Rep. John Andrews thinks last week’s disclosure by Attorney General Aaron Frey of a relationship with a subordinate highlights the importance of the bill.
“Recently we’ve seen our attorney general embroiled in a sex scandal,” Andrews told members of the Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee. “Would that have happened if he had to face re-election with every Maine voter instead of a select few Augusta party insiders?”
Frey announced last week that he has been in an eight-month relationship with someone who reports to him. He said last Tuesday that he has now changed that person’s supervisor to Chief Deputy Attorney General Christopher Taub.
Although Taub determined the consensual relationship did not breach laws, rules or policy, Frey has said he wants to work with lawmakers to put a policy in place to “preserve the integrity of the Office of the Attorney General."
Following the disclosure, Senate President Troy Jackson (D-Allagash) and House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) said Frey’s actions would undergo a review.
Jackson’s spokeswoman said via email Tuesday that there is no update regarding the probe.
A spokeswoman for Frey said he is not taking a position on Andrews’ legislation.
Maine is one of only seven states that does not elect the attorney general and is the only one in which the majority party of the Legislature chooses who serves in the two-year term.
The Maine Constitution also requires the Legislature to choose a secretary of state and treasurer. The auditor is also chosen by the Legislature because of state law.
Andrews is sponsoring separate legislation to call for the auditor to be elected as well.
Current state Auditor Matt Dunlap testified neither for nor against the bill, but offered a list of potential concerns if the positions are subject to statewide elections.
A former secretary of state, Dunlap was forced to resign his position as auditor in 2021 because he had not yet passed an accounting exam. He later passed the exam and was reinstated as auditor by Jackson.
Dunlap said turning the positions into elected posts would lead to campaigns, which would put someone like the attorney general in the position of asking for money from law firms they may be facing in court.
And he said most Mainers don’t know much about what the secretary of state or auditor does.
“What is it you’re trying to achieve?” said Dunlap, a former lawmaker. “I think that’s always the thing I like to look at when I’m looking at new legislation.”
Republicans say they have tried for years to get bills passed to directly elect the positions. And this time around, Andrews’ bill has the support of a handful of Democrats, including Sen. Joe Baldacci of Bangor and Sen. Craig Hickman of Hallowell.
Bill co-sponsor Sen. Trey Stewart (R-Presque Isle) said he’s not satisfied that Democrats are taking strong action to follow up on the situation with Frey.
He said lawmakers chose Frey as attorney general in December shortly after being sworn in. Given that Frey said the relationship started in August, Stewart said lawmakers should have been made aware of it at that point.
“Wouldn’t that have been nice to know at the time?” Stewart said. “We’re called in, we’re sworn-in and immediately we select these people. There’s no accountability there.”