Alan Caron (“Note to governor: Maine’s attorney general doesn’t work for you”) writes in the Feb. 26 Portland Press Herald: “The governor apparently believes that the attorney general of Maine (Janet Mills) works for him and should do his bidding.”

Caron is confused. If that is true, why is it that the governor, the state’s chief executive, asks the attorney general, a lesser official, for permission to hire outside counsel to represent the state in court when she refuses to do so? Governing is difficult enough without an internal impediment.

Gov. LePage was recently re-elected by the people. Elections do have consequences.

Maine is the only state in which the attorney general is elected by the Legislature. The attorney general is popularly elected in 43 states and appointed by the governor in six others.

In the vast majority of states, the governor and the attorney general are of the same party. When they are of different parties, disputes are common and are almost always along partisan lines.

Twenty-six states have sued the federal government to block President Obama’s allegedly unconstitutional executive action to grant amnesty to some 5 million illegal immigrants. Democratic U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder works for the president and will defend him in court.

Gov. LePage has reconciled himself to the present situation in which, when thwarted by the attorney general, he must employ outside counsel. Why should he be prevented from carrying out his constitutional responsibilities in what he deems to be the people’s best interests? If you’re not on his team, get out of the way.

Caron, unfortunately, resorts to personal attacks on the governor. I had hoped that the Press Herald and its columnists would clean up their act.

Maine needs to catch up with the other states by having the people elect their attorney general.

Walter J. Eno

Scarborough