A Lewiston native will lead the state Department of Defense, Veterans and EMA.
By Lindsay Tice
Staff Writer

Gov. John Baldacci is expected to announce tomorrow that Bill Libby, a Lewiston native, is his choice to head the state’s Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management.

As commissioner, Libby would oversee the state’s Air and Army National Guard and the Maine Emergency Management Agency.

Libby is currently the department’s deputy commissioner. If approved by the state Senate in January, he would replace current commissioner Joseph Tinkham, who was appointed as part of Gov. Angus King’s administration.

Tinkham plans to retire, said a spokesman for Baldacci’s office.

Raised in Lewiston, Libby graduated from Lewiston High School in 1961 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in secondary education from the University of Maine. He joined the Army in 1966, serving until 1975. He completed one combat tour in Vietnam.

In 1979 he joined the Maine Army National Guard, serving as operations officer and chief of staff. He was also commander of Task Force Dirigo, where he coordinated the construction of schools, roads and bridges during a sixth-month deployment in Guatemala.

In 1995 he was appointed director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency. In 1999 he was appointed deputy commissioner of the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management.

As commissioner, Libby said he would like to bring to Maine some National Guard programs that have proven successful in other states, such as a boot camp-style program for at-risk youths.

Although the National Guard already assists Maine’s civilian community by providing leadership courses to high schools and engineering assistance to towns, Libby believes new programs could have an even greater impact the day-to-day lives of Mainers.

ltice@sunjournal.com

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