The Maine Senate today approved dozens of the governor's nominations to various posts with little or no discussion -- until it came time to take up assignments to the University of Maine System Board of Trustees. Most of the Senate's 15 Republicans opposed the nomination of Kurt Adams to the UMS board after raising concerns that his former role as chair of the Public Utilities Commission and current job with energy company First Wind present the appearance of a conflict of interest. But majority Democrats beat back the opposition.

Maine Senate President Libby Mitchell was gaveling through dozens of Gov. John Baldacci's nominations -- ranging from cabinet and judicial posts to commissions and boards -- with the skill of a Broadway director. But when the name of Kurt Adams was presented for confirmation to the University of Maine System Board of Trustees, Republican state Sen. Carol Weston, of Montville, rose to her feet.

"Mr. Adams answered on his application that he sought this nomination, and today under the circumstance, I wish he had not," Weston said.

Weston first objected to the former Public Utilities Commission's chairman's nomination earlier this month before the Legislature's Education and Cultural Affairs Committee. During that hearing, she referenced e-mails and letters that she other legislators had received from Mainers who questioned Adams' decision to leave his PUC post to take a job with the wind energy company, First Wind.

Adams' critics maintain that he used his former position as chairman of the PUC to help First Wind and had conflict of interest issues as a result. A review of those activities by Maine Attorney General Janet Mills concluded that Adams had no conflicts in his role as PUC chairman.

And Adams has said that he was so concerned over the potential of a perceived conflict involving the expansion of a Central Maine Power Co. line near his home that he resigned from the PUC. But Weston says that explanation falls short.

"To sit on the board of trustees is just not to prove that you have not done anything illegal, that you are ethical, but there should be no appearance of anything that would bring a cloud to that favored institution of the University of Maine," Weston told her colleagues.

State Sen. Gerald Davis, a Falmouth Republican, agreed. "I think there's a clear conflict of interest here," he said. "When you're a public utilities commissioner, and then you go to work for the wind power company and now the University of Maine, there are millions of dollars involved. If this is not a conflict of interest, then I just don't understand the term. If it's not legally the wrong thing to do then it certainly ethically is."

But not all Senate Republicans opposed Adams' nomination. State Sen. Peter Mills, of Cornville, says Adams had already demonstrated his concern over perceived conflicts of interest when he resigned from the PUC.

"The very reason for Mr. Adams early departure from his position as chair of the Public Utilities Commission was that he perceived an inconsistency in his fulfilling that role and his owning a house that he had where one of the proposals was that there be a power line running behind. So it was out of his concern for maintaining an appearance of propriety that he gave up his job," Mills said.

"Clearly, there are some people, as I've been in political life myself, some think I'm wonderful and an angel from heaven, and some think I'm the axis of evil," said State Sen. Elizabeth Schneider, an Orono Democrat.

Schneider says that those in public service become accustomed to the scrutiny of various interests, and that in Adams' case, much of the opposition to his nomination was voiced by Mainers who are simply opposed to wind power.

"We sat through testimony at the public hearing regarding Mr. Adams' nomination and there was not one person who came forward in opposition -- to speak in opposition -- on his appointment," she said. "Though there were some emails that urged us against, most of them revovled around the opposition to wind power."

The Maine Senate ultimately confirmed Adams' nomination to the UMS board by a vote of 21 to 10.