The Maine Senate will convene Thursday to consider nominees for several high-profile positions, including a new health commissioner and a state fire marshal.

The session is set for 10 a.m. at the State House.

Last month, the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee voted 10-2 in favor of Sara Gagne-Holmes, who’s been nominated by Gov. Janet Mills to lead the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

Gagne-Holmes is currently a deputy commissioner of the department, which employs 3,500 people and provides services to one-third of the state’s population.

If confirmed by the Senate, Gagne-Holmes will replace former DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew, who left earlier this year for a job in Washington D.C.

Gagne-Holmes got support from seven Democrats and three Republicans on the DHHS committee, with two Republicans voting in opposition.

Another position — state fire marshal — could be filled by former Waterville Fire Chief Shawn Esler. On Sept. 27, the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee unanimously supported his nomination to the post.

If confirmed, Esler will be stepping into a job vacated in August by Richard McCarthy, who faced intense scrutiny during his yearlong tenure as state fire marshal.

In May, McCarthy told lawmakers he was working to rebuild trust among staff following allegations of misogyny and a hostile work environment, problems he inherited when he took over the job in March 2023.

During Esler’s confirmation hearing last month, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck described Esler as someone with “excellent communication and collaboration skills.”

“Chief Esler is a dynamic problem solver who is driven to work with all the members of his team to tackle challenges,” he said.

The Senate will also consider nominees to the District and Superior courts, University of Maine System Board of Trustees, Maine Turnpike Authority, Ethics Commission, Harness Racing Commission, Land Use Planning Commission and Board of Pesticides Control.