Conservative news site sues Janet Mills for her December storm schedule

The news arm of the conservative Maine Policy Institute filed a lawsuit Monday against Gov. Janet Mills, claiming the governor has disregarded the state’s open records law by not turning over her schedule during December’s wind storm .

The suit filed in Kennebec County Superior Court claims the Democratic governor’s administration has violated Maine’s Freedom of Access Act by not responding to a Maine Wire request for her schedule for three days in December, when a destructive storm killed two people and knocked out power for a broad swath of the state.

The storm just ahead of Christmas caught many Mainers and state officials off guard. But forecasters accurately predicted the storm, with some of them criticizing Mills after she falsely characterized the forecasts at a news conference. The National Weather Service took the rare step of issuing a response, calling the storm “well forecasted and communicated.”

In a news release, Maine Wire editor Steve Robinson brought up how Mills, as attorney general in 2014, chided then-Republican Gov. Paul LePage after he did not respond within 22 days to a request for records tied to a controversial state contract .

“Janet Mills is not above the law,” Robinson said in a statement.

The complaint, filed by North Yarmouth lawyer Patrick Strawbridge, says Robinson made the request on Dec. 19 and a state official later responded to estimate that the request would take two staff hours. The Maine Wire alleges that Mills is violating parts of the open-records law that require timely responses and good-faith efforts to fully produce documents.

Spokespeople for Mills did not immediately respond Monday afternoon to a request for comment on the lawsuit. State agencies generally don’t comment on pending lawsuits.

BDN writer Michael Shepherd contributed to this report.