Janet Mills nominates former Bernstein Shur CEO to utilities commission

May 24—Gov. Janet Mills on Monday nominated a Maine energy lawyer to be one of the three commissioners at the state's top energy regulator.

The governor nominated former Bernstein Shur CEO Patrick Scully, 64, to a six-year term to replace R. Bruce Williamson, an appointee of former Gov. Paul LePage whose term ended in March. This is the Democratic governor's second nomination to the regulatory agency following that of Phil Bartlett in May 2019 to serve as the commission's chair.

Scully's nomination is subject to review by the Legislature's Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology and final confirmation by the Maine Senate.

Scully was with Bernstein Shur for more than 36 years focusing on municipal, energy and utility regulations and with significant experience in renewable energy. Mills said his perspective and depth of experience will be an asset to the commission.

Scully joined Bernstein Shur in 1984 and was named CEO in January 2014 before retiring at the end of 2019. He has degrees from Dartmouth College in biology and environmental studies and a law degree from the University of Maine School of Law.

He lives in Naples with his wife, former WMTW news anchor Tory Ryden. Scully ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate for Maine House of Representatives in 2020, losing narrowly to Republican incumbent Richard Cebra. He has donated to Democrats in the past, most notably giving $1,400 to the 2018 campaign of Adam Cote, a fellow energy lawyer who was the runner-up to Mills in that year's gubernatorial primary.