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Governor Janet Mills announced today that she will nominate accomplished small business owner, attorney, and former lawmaker Heather Sanborn of Portland to serve as Public Advocate for the State of Maine.
If confirmed, Sanborn will succeed current Public Advocate Bill Harwood, who announced recently that he will retire at the end of January.
"As a small business owner, Heather Sanborn knows just how important it is to have stable, affordable energy costs for Maine people and businesses, and, as a lawmaker, she has championed bipartisan legislation to make energy costs more affordable and to improve energy efficiency across the state," said Governor Janet Mills. "She is a person of great talent, integrity, and compassion, and she brings the right combination of experiences to this important job. I am pleased to nominate Heather to serve as Maine's next Public Advocate, and I am confident that she will do an outstanding job protecting Maine ratepayers and consumers."
"My experiences as a small business owner and as a legislator have made me acutely aware of the burden of high energy prices on Mainers," said Heather Sanborn. "I am excited about the opportunity to return to Augusta to work on behalf of the people of Maine and grateful to the Governor for nominating me for this important role. I look forward to earning the trust of Maine legislators through the confirmation process."
The Office of the Public Advocate's primary responsibility is to represent the interests of Maine utility consumers, primarily in proceedings before the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and in cases before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
From 2016 to 2022, Sanborn represented parts of Falmouth, Portland, and Westbrook as a member of the Maine House of Representatives and the Maine State Senate. During her service, Sanborn successfully championed legislation to reduce energy costs for Maine people and small businesses and to help the state reach its energy efficiency goals.
For the last fourteen years, Sanborn has been the Director of Business Operations at Rising Tide Brewing, a craft brewery she co-founded with her husband Nathan. Respected throughout Maine's craft brewing industry, Sanborn was selected by her industry peers in 2014 to serve as President of the Maine Brewers Guild, a trade association representing more than 80 craft brewers across the state.
Earlier in her career, Sanborn practiced law at Brann & Isaacson in Lewiston and Ropes & Gray in Boston, served as a Law Clerk to U.S. First Circuit Court Appeals Judge Kermit V. Lipez, and taught at Cape Elizabeth High School. Sanborn holds a law degree from the University of Maine School of Law and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern Maine. She graduated summa *** laude from Middlebury College, where she was Salutatorian.
The Governor will formally post Sanborn's nomination in the coming weeks. Her nomination is subject to confirmation by the Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee, as well as the Maine State Senate.