AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Democratic Gov. Janet Mills’ chief legal counsel is leaving the position at month’s end and will be replaced by the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, she announced Friday.
Mills called Chief Legal Counsel Derek Langhauser a “trusted advisor and cherished friend.”
“His wise counsel throughout my administration, and particularly during this pandemic, has been truly invaluable,” she said.
He’ll be replaced by Maine DEP Commissioner Jerry Reid, who served in the state attorney general’s office for a dozen years before serving as the environmental commissioner.
Langhauser said he’s grateful to have served for the governor “whose thoughtful and pragmatic leadership I have always admired, and to have served the state during a time of such consequence.” He said he plans to spend more time with family.
Melanie Loyzim, deputy commissioner of DEP, will serve as acting environmental commissioner.
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