Baldacci Wants To Merge 2 State Departments

Morning Sentinel, February 13, 2007

(excerpt) Gov. John Baldacci's plan to merge two state departments and create a new Maine Department of Commerce holds a lot of symbolic value for the governor. While fighting to press school districts to consolidate, he can show that he's putting the consolidation squeeze on state agencies, too.

But some worry that the merger of the departments of Economic and Community Development and Professional and Financial Regulation will create a conflict of interest without providing real savings.

The two departments have very different missions. One promotes the state's business climate. The other protects Maine consumers.

"One is growth and one is regulation, and they serve different masters," said Sen. Lynn Bromley, D-South Portland, co-chair of the Legislature's Insurance and Financial Services Committee. "They are two separate functions. They need to be held in tension."

Bromley added that she doesn't see how the merger could deliver any substantial savings.