Maine
A Maine resident is leading a complaint against Trump administration over DEI firings
Mahri Stáinnak at Fisherman’s Point in South Portland on Wednesday. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald
Mahri Stáinnak fell in love with being a federal worker after more than a decade spent overseeing sewage systems and keeping public waterways clean with the Environmental Protection Agency.
Stáinnak, who lives in the Portland area, was honored in 2021 to join the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees the federal workforce, and then was shocked earlier this year when they learned they were being placed on paid administrative leave following a pair of executive orders targeting programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Especially because Stáinnak’s current job had nothing to do with DEI.
“I just felt fear,” Stáinnak said in a phone interview Wednesday, recalling when they received the news in the middle of dinner. “My wife was there, my toddler was picking up on the stress and crying. I started panicking because I’m the sole breadwinner right now.”
Stáinnak, who uses they/them pronouns, had just taken the job in talent recruitment less than a month before and is now appealing their removal in a complaint filed Wednesday before the Merit Systems Protection Board.
Stáinnak argues that their firing was an attempt to unlawfully punish them for their perceived political affiliations and their previous work on DEI, “without regard to the worker’s skills or current job assignment.”
President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Jan. 20: one for “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit Based Opportunities” and the other for “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferences.” Trump has accused these programs of being discriminatory against non-minority groups, such as white men, and unnecessary.
Stáinnak’s lawyers say this violates Stáinnak’s First Amendment rights, and that the firings had an impact on marginalized workers in particular.
“The First Amendment prohibits retaliating against people for their political beliefs or their perceived political beliefs,” said Scott Michelman from the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, D.C. “He went after folks like Mahri, not for what they were doing when they were put on leave and then fired, but for what they used to do.”
At least three other people plan to join Stáinnak’s appeal, including two fired employees from the Department of Labor and one from the Federal Aviation Administration. None of whom were working in DEI-related jobs when they were fired.
Their attorneys suspect the actual number of plaintiffs will be much higher if they are granted class-action status.
In addition to an appeal hearing, Stáinnak’s lawyers have also requested that the government turn over its lists of employees who were fired under Trump’s DEI orders, as well as “communications and guidance from OPM to agencies related to the identification of positions” that were targeted.
When asked about Stáinnak’s appeal, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice wrote in an email that they have “vigorously defended President Trump’s actions, including the order to end radical wasteful government DEI programs, and will continue to do so.”
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said that Trump has the authority to manage personnel across the executive branch.
It’s unclear how soon Stáinnak’s appeal will be considered. It will first be heard by the Merit Systems Protection Board, a quasi-judicial agency whose primary function is to protect federal workers “against partisan political and other prohibited personnel practices.”
“Unfortunately, the Merit Systems Protection Board is not the fastest moving agency, and they are likely to be flooded with claims, particularly right now, with all the disruptions to the federal work force brought about by Trump and Musk,” Michelman said.
If Stáinnak and the rest of the class are unsuccessful in their appeal, Michelman said they have a right to file their case in federal court.
In the meantime, Stáinnak said Wednesday was their last day of paid administrative leave. Over the last couple of months, they have worried about how they’ll afford their mortgage and support their family.
But Stáinnak also believes there’s a greater toll for thousands of nonpolitical career civil servants who have benefited from OPM’s work on expanding their health insurance benefits and working conditions.
“This is patently unfair, unjust,” Stáinnak said. “I want to get back to work on a job that I feel so passionate about, and excited for. I am a proud federal employee, and I know so many other proud federal employees. Let us get back to work.”
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This story will be updated.
The Maine Department of Transportation is moving to slash up to $400 million in projects from its agenda, a shocking and abrupt cutback that is rattling the state’s construction industry at the start of building season.
Roughly $50 million across six pavement projects have already been delayed, according to a memo exclusively obtained by the Bangor Daily News. The agency plans to cut or delay another $150 million in bridge, highway, intersection and multimodal projects later this month. A further $200 million or more in cuts are planned in the next three-year work plan.
Those figures were outlined by Transportation Commissioner Dale Doughty in the May 18 memo to Gov. Janet Mills that has since circulated widely in the transportation sector, which has been getting drip-by-drip details on the wide scope of the cuts over the past three weeks.
It comes at the beginning of the state’s relatively narrow construction season. Companies have hired workers and ordered materials for projects they expected to begin this summer. The severity of the transportation budget problems was not raised to lawmakers during the 2026 legislative session.
Kelly Flagg, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Maine, called the shortfall “deeply troubling” in a statement.
“We stand ready to work with policymakers, stakeholders, and industry partners to identify both immediate and long-term solutions,” Flagg said. “Maine cannot afford to fall further behind.”
Insiders saw this first.
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The cuts stem from a structural funding gap of at least $130 million in the state’s current work plan, according to Doughty’s memo. Losses are magnified because state money from the gas tax and other revenue sources is matched by federal funds. Lawmakers have long grappled with politically difficult long-term problems with the state’s transportation budget.
A Mills spokesperson said Wednesday morning that the administration was working on a response to questions from the BDN. The department says it needs roughly $240 million more in state capital funding annually to maintain the existing system, and that anything less than $200 million will erode it over time.
Doughty’s memo the only near-term solution is a series of bonds beginning as soon as possible. Lawmakers would have to return to Augusta to authorize that if one is going to appear on the November ballot.
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Michael Capeci is the former chairman of the Bangor GOP.
Let’s be honest about Maine’s current state.
For many families, the cost of living has become unsustainable. Housing is out of reach for many young people. Energy bills keep rising. Many small businesses are struggling under taxes and regulations that make it harder to grow. Rural hospitals are under strain and despite years of increased state spending, the results are not showing up in people’s daily lives.
Concurrently, Maine continues to lose young workers to other states. That is not a statistic, it is a warning sign.
To me, the question in this Republican primary for governor is not about slogans. It is whether we continue with a political approach that has failed to reverse these trends, or whether we nominate someone with new ideas. I think that someone is Owen McCarthy.
Owen is not a political insider. He is an entrepreneur from Patten, a small town where opportunity is not assumed, it is built. He grew up in a working-class family, became the first in his family to graduate from college graduating from the University of Maine, and founded MedRhythms, a healthcare technology company focused on neurological treatment.
He didn’t just talk about opportunity. He built it. That distinction matters, because Maine’s problem is not a lack of debate it is a lack of results. We have seen the trajectory: higher costs, slower growth, and a steady outmigration of young workers. I believe Owen McCarthy represents a break from that pattern.
His Maine 2040 plan focuses on creating 50,000 new jobs in sectors where Maine has real advantages — maritime and defense, advanced forest products, and life sciences. These are export-driven industries tied directly to Maine’s workforce, geography, and institutions. What sets Owen apart is not only what he proposes, but how he approaches governing.
He prioritizes modernizing permitting so projects do not stall. He supports using technology to reduce costs and increase efficiency. He focuses on making it easier to build, hire, and expand in Maine.
That same practical mindset extends to healthcare. Expanding telehealth, strengthening EMS systems, improving provider flexibility, and shifting toward earlier intervention are not abstract reforms. They are system upgrades designed to improve access while controlling costs.
Maine voters consistently respond to competence. They reward candidates who understand problems and present plans to solve them. I believe they are tired of rhetoric that does not translate into results, and skeptical of politics that prioritizes messaging over execution.
Owen’s approach is grounded in solving the issues that shape daily life — affordability, healthcare access, job creation, and government efficiency. That is not just policy positioning. It is a governing model that speaks directly to voters.
Some will point to his lack of political experience. But I believe Maine’s core problems are not the result of insufficient political experience; they are the result of policies that have failed to deliver measurable improvement. Experience inside a broken system, by itself, is not a solution.
If Republicans want to win, this primary must be taken seriously. From my perspective, it is not about choosing a nominee for governor who can energize the base. It is about selecting someone who can compete in a broader electorate that is frustrated and looking for change.
That requires a candidate who can speak beyond the base, not by abandoning principles, but by demonstrating competence and a credible plan to address Maine’s challenges. I believe Owen McCarthy offers that combination. He represents a shift away from managed decline and toward economic execution.
This is not just another primary. It is a decision about whether Republicans position themselves to win Maine or whether they remain trapped in a cycle of repeating the same strategies and expecting different outcomes.
If Republicans want to compete for Maine’s future, they cannot afford to nominate a candidate who only motivates part of the electorate. They need someone who expands it.
I believe Owen McCarthy is that candidate.
And if the goal is to win Maine, then the choice should be unmistakable
The only notable change in the top-seven of the Varsity Maine baseball poll is that Gorham now has eight first-place votes, two more than last week. The order of the seven teams is identical. In fact, the only change in the top-seven over the past three polls is the swap at the top after Gorham’s win over South Portland on May 19.
Furthermore, Gorham, South Portland, Oxford Hills, Cheverus, Bangor, Mt. Ararat and Fryeburg have been ranked in the top seven for four straight weeks, and six of those squads have been among the top seven in every poll this spring.
Meanwhile, Scarborough is ranked for the first time since May 5, and Ellsworth and Thornton swapped spots.
The Varsity Maine baseball poll is based on games played before June 2, 2026. The top 10 teams are voted on by the Varsity Maine staff, with first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points.
1. Gorham (8) 89
2. South Portland 79
3. Oxford Hills (1) 75
4. Cheverus 55
5. Bangor 42
6. Mt. Ararat 41
7. Fryeburg Academy 30
8. Ellsworth 27
9. Thornton Academy 25
10. Scarborough 12
Also receiving votes: Washington Academy 8, Monmouth Academy 4, Cony 4, Leavitt 2, Falmouth 2.
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