Governor Mills withdraws nomination of former state senator from Human Rights Commission
Local residents reached out to judiciary committee about lack of diversity on the commission.
AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) - The judiciary committee will no longer be considering former state Senator Nichi Farnham for the Maine Human Rights Commission.
The hearing was supposed to take place this morning, but Governor Mills withdrew Farnham’s nomination.
This comes after several people reached out to the judiciary committee, concerned about the lack of diversity on the commission.
“When looking at the commission itself it’s not really representative of a lot of different kind of people,” said Orono resident Meghan Gardner. “In particular, the members of the board and the nominee that the governor had put forward didn’t seem to represent any of the protected classes who rely on the Maine Human Rights Commission for equity and justice.”
A spokesperson for Governor Mills says she withdrew Farnham’s name so she can select another nominee to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Commission.
The governor did not give a timeline for presenting a new slate of nominees at some point in the future.
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