AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage announced Friday he’s appointing former Rep. Patsy Crockett to the vacant District 1 Kennebec County commissioner’s seat.

The appointment comes nearly four months after the Kennebec County Democratic Committee submitted the names of Crockett and Augusta City Councilor Pat Paradis to the governor for consideration.

Crockett will complete the term of the late Beverly Daggett, who died in September. The term runs through the end of this year.

District 1 consists of Augusta, Chelsea, China, Manchester, Sidney, Vassalboro and Windsor.

Crockett said Friday she was surprised to learn she had been appointed. She had not received notification from the governor’s office.

“I’m delighted to hear it,” she said. “Obviously, I wanted the appointment, and I hoped for it.”

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She said Daggett was an outstanding commissioner and she’s pleased to be following in her footsteps.

Crockett served two terms in the Maine House of Representatives and is a former lobbyist for the Maine Sheriffs’ Association and Maine county commissioners. A resident of Augusta and a Cony High School graduate, Crockett is married to Robert Crockett, a former Kennebec County treasurer.

The county commissioners, who are responsible for the fiscal operations and policy decisions of the county, had sent a letter to LePage in December, urging him to act on the appointment. The commissioners could not meet in November because they didn’t have a quorum. The commissioners and Robert Devlin, the county administrator, said with only two sitting commissioners, scheduling conflicts have forced the cancellation of several commissioners’ meetings, leaving important financial and operational issues on the table.

On Friday, Devlin said having a third commissioner will be good for the commission.

“It deepens the debate on issues,” he said. “She brings a lot of experience to the position, and having a third commissioner will be much easier for scheduling.”

The commissioners are expected to meet next on March 4. Devlin said Crockett is likely to be sworn in then.

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On Thursday, the governor announced he is appointing Ken Mason to the vacant Kennebec County sheriff’s position, but the county Democrats had sent the name of Kennebec County Interim Sheriff Ryan Reardon for consideration. On Friday, some elected county officials said they do not think LePage followed the law in making the appointment.

Jessica Lowell — 621-5632

jlowell@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @JLowellKJ


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