Milliken pleads ‘not guilty’ to electioneering charge
By Tricia Thomas
ELLSWORTH—State representative Nina Milliken (D-Blue Hill) has pleaded ‘not guilty’ to a misdemeanor charge that she allegedly electioneered inside the Blue Hill town hall during municipal elections last April.
Milliken was scheduled to be arraigned on the charge at the Hancock County Courthouse on October 7. However, that arraignment was cancelled after her attorney, William H. Ashe of Ashe Law Offices in Ellsworth, entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf on September 9, said Hancock County superior court clerk Terry Harding.
“The Defendant asks to enter a plea of Not Guilty to the charge of illegal Electioneering,” Ashe states in the plea document.
Milliken was charged on September 5 with one count of attempting “to influence another person’s decision” within 250 feet of a polling place during municipal elections on April 4. If found guilty of the Class-E charge, Milliken could face a fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail. She denied the charge in a recent news report.
The case has been scheduled for a dispositional conference on December 12, at which time the defense and prosecutor will meet with a judge to discuss the case and next steps, including whether the case will proceed to trial. Assistant superior court clerk Trisha Cary said that the upcoming conference will likely be closed to the public.
“Most of the time, the conferences happen behind closed doors,” Cary said.
According to a topical blog on Ashe’s website, a dispositional conference “helps facilitate better resolution of criminal cases by addressing the unique circumstances of each particular case. In Maine, it is often set after a defendant has entered a plea of not guilty and before any trial dates are finalized.”
Knox County District Attorney Natasha C. Irving is prosecuting the case, as Hancock County District Attorney Bob Granger has recused himself due to a conflict of interest. Neither Granger nor Irving responded to requests for comment on the case or the reason for Granger’s recusal.
Ashe and Milliken also did not return calls seeking comment. A Blue Hill resident, Milliken is in her second legislative term, and serves the towns of Blue Hill, Brooksville, Castine, Sedgwick, Surry and Trenton. She also serves on the state house’s Criminal Justice, Public Safety and House Elections committees.
