LEWISTON – Gov. John Baldacci on Tuesday named former state Rep. Elaine Makas to succeed Androscoggin County Commissioner Helen Poulin – who refused to vacate her seat after moving out of her constituents’ district.

Only hours after the appointment, Makas took the oath of office at the Secretary of State’s office in Augusta. She announced plans to attend Wednesday’s meeting of the three-member commission, sparking a possible showdown with Poulin.

It’s uncertain what will happen if both women attend the meeting.

“I’m being an optimist,” Makas said Tuesday morning. “I hope the psychodrama is over. The commission has important work to be done.”

Poulin declined to comment on the Makas appointment. However, her lawyer, Bryan Dench, said Poulin intends to fight to keep her seat.

By Wednesday, Dench planned to file a complaint in court, forcing a judge to rule on the contested position. He also planned to make a request that would preserve Poulin’s place on the commission until the judge’s ruling.

Dench’s aim: “To avoid an unseemly situation for all concerned, including Elaine Makas.”

The controversy around Poulin has been building since summer, when she moved from Lewiston to Auburn. Voters in Lewiston elected Poulin to a four-year term in November 2006. When she moved to Auburn, she left her home district and entered another.

In November, state Attorney General Steven Rowe issued a formal eight-page opinion finding that Poulin technically vacated the job when she moved. Baldacci then issued a call for nominations.

In a citywide caucus of Democrats on Dec. 7, Makas drew nearly two-thirds of the votes for the job. Also nominated were Richard Grandmaison and former Lewiston Mayor Kaileigh Tara.

“Elaine will make a strong addition to the Androscoggin County Commission, and I’m sure she will do well representing the people of Lewiston,” Baldacci said in a statement. “This has been a difficult time for the commission, and it is my hope that this appointment will help the county move forward.”

Following the appointment, Dench insisted the commission seat still belonged to Poulin and the governor was wrong.

Dench hoped the controversy would end “quickly and orderly.”

Makas said she, too, wanted a fast resolution. The ongoing squabble has distracted people. Too few people understand the commission’s role, she said.

Going forward, part of her job will be to restore respect to the county and make the workings of county government more visible, she said.

Among her plans are to work with incoming commissioners Jonathan LaBonte and Randall Greenwood to offer meetings at a time when more people might attend and to create a county Web site, she said.