Down East 2013 ©
Norm Olsen, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources for the past six months, cited lack of support from Governor Paul LePage and his staff as a reason for his resigntion.
The Cherryfield resident, a former U.S. State Department official and son of a fisherman, told the Bangor Daily News [1] that he had faced antagonism from the fishing community and resistance to his initiatives by DMR staff. He said he was told that he had to improve his relationship with the state’s commercial fishing industry by the end of the summer, or he would be fired.
“This administration is more interested in pacifying special interest groups than in responsibly managing Maine’s marine resources for the benefit of the entire state,” Olsen wrote in a prepared statement. “I cannot be a part of that.”
Meanwhile, according to MPBN [2], Portland Mayor Nicholas Mavodnes has requested a meeting with Gov. LePage as a result of Olsen's claim that LePage rejected his proposal to collaborate with the city of Portland on bringing groundfishing boats back to the city because "Portland was against him."
Links:
[1] http://bangordailynews.com/2011/07/20/politics/maine-department-of-marine-resources-commissioner-resigns/
[2] http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/17323/Default.aspx