In the case of Becky Wyke, perhaps you’ll remember that I nominated her to become the head of the Finance Authority of Maine, which includes a fixed term that would have carried her employment beyond my administration. The current chief executive officer was appointed by me. Clearly, she did not move to the university system because she was concerned about future employment.

I was unaware that Becky was looking for employment outside of my administration, and had no role in her hiring. But I was pleased that she had decided to put her talents to work for the state university system. And I think she has demonstrated that she is an asset to the system.

Ryan Low served as state budget officer, my deputy chief of staff and the commissioner of (the Department of Administration and Financial Services) and is one of the smartest budget and financial professionals in the state. He successfully managed a two-year state budget approaching $6 billion, while also fully implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which required painstaking reporting and transparency requirements.

I learned of Ryan’s hiring at the University of Maine at Farmington after the decision had been made and played no part in the decision-making process. I was sorry to see Ryan leave state government, but also understood his desire to return to his alma mater.

I’m certain Ryan had numerous career opportunities, including offers from the private sector. Ryan is incredibly talented and his reputation is such that he likely could have continued his work in the (Gov. Paul) LePage administration. After all, he was a member of Gov. LePage’s budget transition team and filled in for (Finance) Commissioner (Sawin) Millett, who was forced to take a leave of absence for surgery while the LePage budget was being negotiated. Like Wyke, and all the people you have listed, Ryan has a deep commitment to public service, which you are now attempting to punish him for.

Ellen Schneiter was also a state budget officer and commissioner of DAFS. She was hired after I left office, when it’s fair to say any influence I might have had over the board of trustees shifted to the new governor. She is incredibly qualified to work as a CFO and did a tremendous job at DAFS. To suggest otherwise is to ignore evidence to the contrary. And to suggest politics play a role in her hiring is ridiculous. The president of the University of Maine at Augusta is a former member of a Republican administration in Kentucky. Ellen was hired because she is highly qualified and has the skills and experience to help the University of Maine at Augusta grow.

Chip Gavin managed (the Bureau of General Services) during my administration, which included an enormous amount of responsibility for the state government’s fiscal plant, contracting, energy efficiency programs, fleet management and other responsibilities. He was hired after I left office, and I played no role in the process. Chip was an incredible asset to state government, helping to make us the first state in the country to switch government facilities to 100 percent renewable energy. He navigated complex procurement rules to protect taxpayer money and was open and accessible to the public.

Dick Thompson was (chief information officer) of the year and managed all the information systems for the state, including complex data systems, radio communications and technology. Dick left state government to work in the private sector.

And Meg Weston was never part of my administration.

I could go on about the others, but I recognize that you are not particularly concerned with the facts.

These folks are highly qualified and committed to public service. They have shown that time and time again. Your implication that their hiring is a question of patronage is off base and without merit. The tone of your questions suggests that you intend to malign good people doing tough jobs in the service of our state.

As for your comparison with Gov. (Angus) King’s administration, you might also remember that a number of his commissioners remained as commissioners during my time in office. And a smaller number of political appointees from my administration continue to serve in the LePage administration. The implication that highly qualified and skilled people would be without a job during a gubernatorial transition is inaccurate.

You also seem to argue that these people are not qualified for the jobs they hold. That is a ridiculous assertion. They are well-respected and acknowledged experts in their fields. The university system is lucky to have them.

— John Baldacci