AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage announced the names of his nominees for commissioners of the Department of Corrections and the Department of Transportation during a press conference this morning.
LePage, a Republican, named David Bernhardt to head the Department of Transportation. Bernhardt is a Maine DOT veteran, currently serving as the director of engineering and operations.
LePage selected Joseph Ponte to lead the Department of Corrections. Ponte previously served as a warden for the Corrections Corporation of America, a private sector corrections company. He also has served in three state Departments of Correction, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Idaho.
LePage said he was looking to increase efficiencies in both systems.
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