AUGUSTA, Maine — A member of a well-known family who advised former Gov. Paul LePage on energy policy will be the next leader of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.
Patrick Woodcock, who led the governor’s energy office from 2013 to 2016 and recently served in a similar Massachusetts position, will take over as the chamber’s new leader on Monday, according to a message to chamber members from leadership.
“Patrick is a trusted and respected consensus builder, and widely recognized for his ability to broker compromises on policy work at both the state and federal level,” Luann Ballesteros, the chamber board’s chair and a senior leader at The Jackson Laboratory, wrote in the message.
Woodcock will hope to provide stability at the top of Maine’s largest industry group. Longtime leader Dana Connors retired at the end of 2022, and Julia Munsey, his replacement as CEO, lasted only a few months before resigning due to personal reasons in June.
Even a few months is a long time to go without a permanent leader at a large organization like the chamber, which lobbies on behalf of a wide and complex constituency of 5,000 businesses in Augusta and works closely with governors and the congressional delegation.
The chamber is conservative on economic issues, often leading the fight against Democratic efforts to increase the minimum wage and boost unions. But it also supports initiatives aimed at growing the workforce by supporting immigrants, which has drawn criticism from hard-line conservatives.
Since Gov. Janet Mills and Democrats took control of Augusta in the 2018 election, the chamber has maintained a significant level of influence. It worked with Mills to craft a paid leave compromise with progressives in 2019, although it broke with the governor before she signed a sweeping paid family and medical leave program into law this year.
Though he worked for the stridently conservative LePage, Woodcock is in line with the center-right orientation of the chamber. He was respected across party lines as energy advisor and later worked under moderate former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker. Woodcock left his position as commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources there this year.
The chamber’s announcement drew plaudits from the head of a group that engages businesses on climate issues, saying despite LePage’s “hostility toward clean energy companies and climate solutions,” Woodcock supported businesses of all types if they were good for Maine.
“I’m looking forward to working with Patrick again to harness the tremendous influence of the business community to meet Maine energy, economic and workforce development needs,” Jeff Marks, the executive director of ClimateWork Maine, said in a statement.
Patrick Woodcock’s father, John A. Woodcock Jr., is a semi-retired federal judge who was born in Bangor to a prominent doctor. The family has produced more lawyers and others who have been active in civic life.