Peter Mills is stepping down as director of Maine Turnpike Authority

Peter Mills is stepping down as director of the Maine Turnpike Authority.

Mills revealed Thursday he will not seek reappointment as executive director at the end of his current term in September, according to the Portland Press Herald .

Mills cited his age and health for reasons for resigning in an interview with the Press Herald. Mills, 81, had bladder cancer three years ago and recently had abdominal surgery.

His departure from the Maine Turnpike Authority, which manages the stretch of highway from Kittery to Gardiner, comes as it faces stiff opposition over the proposed Gorham connector and as an internal report revealed that former Chief Financial Officer Doug Davidson created a hostile work environment.

Peter Merfeld, the authority’s chief operations officer, was appointed deputy executive director to help with the transition, according to the Press Herald.

Mills was first appointed to lead the agency in 2011 following revelations that then-Executive Director Paul Violette stole thousands of dollars from the authority. He was sentenced to more than three years in prison in 2012. Violette was released from prison in late 2013 and allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence at his brother’s home in Orrington.