A former Maine district attorney who lost reelection after he was caught lying during a candidates forum about whether he had ever been investigated by the state attorney general’s office is running for Hancock County probate judge.
Matthew J. Foster is the only candidate to file to run for Hancock County probate judge, a seat currently held by William B. Blaisdell IV, who is facing an arrest warrant and suspended law license over repeated unpaid child support payments to his ex-wife.
Foster was investigated by state officials in 2017 and 2018 for allegedly inappropriately touching a 13-year-old child living with him at the time.
Yet Foster said during a 2022 candidates forum held by the League of Women Voters that he had never been investigated by the attorney general’s office. He later acknowledged he had been investigated, saying he couldn’t comment on the matter because it was against the law to release investigative information.
Foster later denied the allegations, and the attorney general’s office never filed any charges against Foster, who lost his 2022 reelection bid to current District Attorney Robert Granger.
The filing deadline for primary elections for county and state positions is 5 p.m. Monday. Foster — who, like Blaisdell, is a Republican — filed to run Friday. No other candidates have filed to run in any party primary for the position, though the filing deadline for independents to run in the November general election is not until June 1.
Foster hung up on a reporter when contacted Monday morning by the Bangor Daily News. The reporter did not have time to ask about the probate judge race before Foster terminated the call.
Marcia Myers, chair of the Hancock County Democratic Committee, said she knew of no Democrat planning to file by the 5 p.m. deadline. The lack of a Democratic candidate for probate judge is a concern, she said.
“We have a very active candidate recruitment group, and they have been working very hard across the county to recruit candidates for all offices,” Myers said. “Unfortunately, in this case, we have not been able to connect with a Democrat willing to run.”
Myers declined to comment on Foster’s decision to run for probate judge.
Blaisdell was issued an arrest warrant on March 12 after he failed to appear in Belfast District Court for a contempt hearing over unpaid child support payments to his ex-wife, according to court documents. A Waldo County judge set bail at $16,929.50.
Although Blaisdell is still listed as the county’s probate judge on the county’s website, he’s been suspended from practicing law and presiding over the probate bench. His term runs through the end of 2026.
Blaisdell has served on the probate bench since 2014. He was narrowly reelected in 2018, an election that required a recount by the secretary of state’s office, and then won again in 2022 without opposition.
During Blaisdell’s suspension, Hancock County has relied on an inter-county agreement that allows probate judges from nearby counties to adjudicate its probate matters. Unlike most other courts, probate judges oversee matters not considered public: adoptions, guardianships, conservatorships, name changes and estates.
Candidates not enrolled in a party have until June 1 to file with the state and to run as an independent candidate in the general election in November.