For Sunday

Eds: Possibly run with 1st five Senate mugs (Mills, Nutting, Diamond, Hobbins)?

Senate encores

Some of the “new” state senators elected earlier this month:

• Peter Mills, R-Cornville: lawyer and brother of state Rep. Janet Mills and Maine Bureau of Health Director Dora Mills. Served eight years in Senate, then two years in House – much of that time on the powerful Appropriations Committee – before winning back his Senate seat.

• John Nutting, D-Leeds: Dairy farmer who served six years in the House, six years in the Senate and in 2002 ran for Congress. Took two years off from politics before running again this year.

• Bill Diamond, D-Windham: No newcomer to politics, former secretary of state, in 1986 ran for governor. Also served six years in House, four years in Senate.

• Barry Hobbins, D-Saco: Another political “war horse,” ran for Congress in 1984; won the Democratic primary but lost election to John McKernan. Former state chairman of Democratic party. Served 12 years in House, two years in Senate.

Other new senators, all of whom have served in the House:

Libby Mitchell, D-Vassalboro, served 18 years in the House, rising to speaker in 1997; she was the first woman in Maine to hold that post. Also, former hairdresser and social worker Lois Snowe-Mello, R-Poland; salesman Joseph Perry, D-Bangor; teacher Nancy Sullivan, D-Biddeford; innkeeper Scott Cowger, D-Hallowell; Casinos NO! campaigner Mary Andrews, R-York; business owner Jonathan Courtney, R-Sanford; merchant Richard Rosen, R-Bucksport; business owner Debra Plowman, R-Hamden; and retired state police captain Dean Clukey, R-Houlton.

Fewer returns in the House

Of the 151 House members who will be sworn in this December, only seven – maybe six – are non-incumbents who served before in the House. They are:

• Charles D. Fisher, D-Brewer, a retired teacher who served eight years, then was termed out in 2000.

• Herbert E. Clark, D-Millinocket, a mill worker who served 16 years before being termed out in 1996.

• Vaughn A. Stedman, R-Hartland, a retired educator who served eight years before being termed out in 2002.

• H. Stedman Seavey, R-Kennebunkport, who served eight years in the 1980s (prior to term limits).

• John L. Tuttle, D-Sanford, an emergency medical technical who served 14 years in the House, 2 years in the Senate. Tuttle was termed out in 2000.

• David N. Ott, R-York, a lawyer who served for eight years before being termed out in 1998.

• Possibly Michael McAlevey, D-Waterboro, former Republican and retired law enforcement officer who served four years beginning in 1995. A recount is going on in his race with incumbent Rep. Lawrence Jacobson, R-Waterboro.