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Governor LePage Thanks DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew for her Service

May 24, 2017

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Contact: Adrienne Bennett, Press Secretary, 207-287-2531

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage announced today that Mary Mayhew, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, will be leaving the administration effective Friday, May 26.

“Commissioner Mayhew has done an exceptional job in managing DHHS and reforming Maine’s welfare system,” said Governor LePage. “She spearheaded the many important welfare reforms developed under my administration, and she was the lightning rod for constant criticism from the media, liberal legislators and the special interests who wanted to protect and grow Maine’s entitlement programs. But she handled it all with grit and grace. More importantly, she had the fortitude and the competence to finally bring accountability and fiscal responsibility to Maine’s formerly out-of-control welfare system. Maine taxpayers, as well as those who have found success moving from welfare to work, should thank Mary for a job well done. We are truly sorry to see her go, but we wish her all the best.”

As commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services, Mayhew led the LePage Administration’s mission to reform the department by controlling spending, transitioning welfare recipients to self-sufficiency through employment and reprioritizing services for the most vulnerable elderly and disabled Mainers.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to work for Governor LePage and to serve the people of Maine in this capacity for the last six and a half years. I am incredibly proud of the hard working and dedicated staff at DHHS. Together we have worked to restore clear priorities within the Department to effectively support the needs of our most vulnerable,” said Mayhew. “With our financial house in order over the last several years, we have focused on improving the quality of health care, increasing financial support for our elderly and disabled, prioritizing the needs of vulnerable children and at risk families and paving effective pathways to employment and self-sufficiency for families and individuals. None of this would have been possible, had the department stayed on its unsustainable path of uncontrolled spending. We’ve seen the positive outcomes of these reforms and how it helps strengthen Maine’s economy by reducing the tax burden through more accountable social services spending and by incentivizing employment to support Maine’s workforce. It is imperative that Maine stay on this course of financial accountability; prioritizing the needs of our most vulnerable, restoring a work ethic that best promotes economic prosperity for Mainers and a brighter future for our children,” she said.

Before being appointed commissioner, she served as the Senior Health Policy Advisor for the LePage Administration. Prior to that, Mayhew served for over a decade as vice president of the Maine Hospital Association, where she was responsible for state and federal government relations, as well as policy development and advocacy. Before joining MHA, she provided association management and federal and state public affairs services in Maine over eight years to a number of clients.

She also managed State Government Relations for the Equifax Corporation in Atlanta, GA and served as a legislative assistant in Washington, D.C. for Congressman William Alexander.

An acting commissioner of DHHS will be named later this week.

 

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