On December 3rd we, the members of the 124th Legislature were officially sworn in. The oath ofwas administered by Gov. Baldacci f which we elected leadership for the next two years and in the course of this we made some history. Sen Elizabeth Mitchell was selected as President of the Maine Senate making her the first woman in the nation to serve as both Speaker of the House and President of the Senate Rep. Hannah Pingree became the second woman to serve as Speaker and Janet Mills was elected as the first female Attorney General to serve the State of Maine.
Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, State Treasurer David Lemoine and State Auditor Neiria Douglass were all re-elected. It should be noted that Maine is the only state to elect all constitutional officers by vote of the Legislature.
Following lunch in the hall of flags we were invited to a reception at the Blaine House hosted by Governor Baldacci and the First Lady, Karen Baldacci. My mother, father and sister had come to the ceremony along with my wife Gwen.
It was a special day for those of us who are elected to serve and it was a treat to have family and friends there to share it with us. The day was a good time to get to know our fellow members and to reflect on the special privilege that we have all been granted to serve our friends and neighbors.This was a nice respite before we go to work on some important issues facing our state.