Abbott will replace outgoing Athletic Director Blake James, who is leaving UMaine to take a position in athletic administration at the University of Miami in Florida. James will leave the position permanently on Sept. 7.

“I am delighted that President Kennedy has given me the opportunity to serve this institution — a place that has meant so much to me personally and that means so much to the entire state,” Abbott said in a statement. “Under his direction I intend to run an athletics program that will continue to reflect the values of the university, provide coaches with the support they need to win, and provide our students with an exceptional educational experience through sports.”

Abbott is an Orono native and a graduate of Harvard University, where he played quarterback on the football team and became the team’s captain. During his four years playing football at Orono High School, his teams went undefeated. Abbott served as chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, from 1997 to the end of 2009, just before he announced his candidacy for governor.

Abbott finished in fourth place in the Republican primary election for Maine governor in June 2010, garnering about 13 percent of the vote. Respectively, he finished behind Republican nominee Paul LePage, businessman Les Otten, and State Sen. Peter Mills.

“Political acumen is one of the things that President Kennedy thought was impressive about Steve – one of the many things,” UMaine spokesman Joe Carr said Tuesday.

Abbott’s father, Walter, recently retired from his position as a physical education and kinesiology professor at UMaine after a 50-year career at the university. He served at different times also as head football coach and athletic administrator.

“Steve exemplifies the characteristics I was looking for in an interim athletic director,” Kennedy said.  ”He understands the nature of the University of Maine and its athletics department, having been so close to both for much of his life.  He also brings integrity, intelligence and a real appreciation for the important role of an athletics operation within an academic community.  I expect the university and Black Bear sports to benefit significantly from his leadership.”

In an April gubernatorial profile in The Maine Campus, Abbott said the University of Maine System “could offer better value” to its students, but praised the value of a state education in Maine. He also suggested that the university and community college systems combine many administrative duties.

Abbott’s first day on the job will be Sept. 6. The search for a permanent athletic director will take place after Kennedy’s replacement is chosen. Kennedy will leave his position on June 1. Abbott’s appointment is subject to approval by University of Maine System Chancellor Richard Pattenaude and the Board of Trustees.

James, who has been UMaine’s athletic director since receiving the interim position in July 2005, will serve as senior associate director for external affairs at Miami. He will be responsible for key components of Miami’s athletic operations, including marketing, development, ticket sales and ticket operations. He will leave UMaine in early September.

“I truly appreciate the opportunity I have been given here at UMaine,” James said in a press release. “My family and I have enjoyed our time here immensely and we will always treasure our experiences as part of the UMaine community.”

The University of Maine qualified for the NCAA Tournament in football, men’s hockey and baseball during James’ tenure. Athletes received a mean grade point average above 3.0 over that time.

“Blake has done an outstanding job managing the UMaine athletic department, and we will miss him,” UMaine President Robert Kennedy said in a press release.

UMaine spokesman Joe Carr, reached Tuesday by phone, said Kennedy would select an interim athletic director before James departs. After that, a national search for a permanent athletic director will begin. Carr couldn’t give a timetable on how long the search would take.

James came UMaine in 2003, at first serving as senior associate athletic director. After ten months as interim athletic director, he was given the permanent job in May 2006 following a national search. He worked at Miami in athletic administration from 1998 to 2001. He has also worked at Providence College in Rhode Island and the University of Nebraska.

“There wasn’t one person that I ran into who said ‘I’m not going to sign that. Everything’s going great.’ Not one person. So that’s how deep the political unrest is,” Moody said. “They think that politics – not just at the state level, but nationwide – has turned into a shin-kicking contest.”

The candidate, who calls himself “as apolitical of a person as you’ll find” is the owner of Moody’s Collision Centers, with five locations in Cumberland and York counties. He started the business in 1977 – when he was just 17 years old.

“I didn’t go on to college. I started the business when I was young, knew what I wanted to do and didn’t see that need at that time,” Moody said. “The thing that Maine has right now is they have an aging population – close to the oldest in the nation. We’re worried about pension, benefits, 401(k) [plans] and retirement. What we’re not worried about is an entrance strategy [to the job market]. That’s what we need to be focused on – our young people. They’re healthy. They’re vibrant. They’re creative. They’re our future.”

The Gorham native said the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System must combine administrative duties to reduce overhead and to better understand the functions of each system.

“There’s no sense having redundancies in bookkeeping, human resources, insurances, business managers, deans, and things of that nature. There’s a tremendous amount of savings there,” Moody said.

The candidate also said the university system has lost enrollment due to the cheaper, two-year programs offered by community colleges.

“I think the university system has kind of lost its way. They’re tucking themselves up against Colby, Bowdoin or Bates. The university system was designed for an affordable, quality education,” Moody said. “Now, their tuition is so high that their enrollment is softening and dropping so they’re having a revenue problem.”

According to a University of Maine System report, the number of first-time, first-year students enrolled in the system dropped by 12 percent from Fall 2008 to Fall 2009.

Moody said his business adopted a program where young apprentices learn the auto body trade from older, skilled technicians – something he says could benefit Maine’s business community and educational systems.

“It’s a real powerful connection. I think I can bring that philosophy to education and state government,” Moody said. “I think we have voids in the workforce where we need good trained workers. Health care is a great example of that. But at the university level, we have waiting periods for people to get into nursing programs.”

The candidate applauded University of Maine System Chancellor Richard Pattenaude’s “New Challenges, New Directions” initiative to restructure the system, but says educators may be out of their range of expertise when it comes to managing the business operations of the system.

“I don’t know if educators are the best equipped to tackle those challenges that revolve more around organizational, operational changes, not educational changes. We certainly need the expertise of people who have had success in streamlining and consolidating services and operations,” he said.

Moody applauded Gov. John Baldacci for not supporting tax increases to help balance state budgets, but he said Baldacci “will be remembered more for what he didn’t do.”

The candidate called the June passage of five bond issues “a fingerprint of Maine’s people,” although many are concerned with the borrowing of money at an interest rate.

“They know we have to inject some capital and create some jobs. So, they kind of took it upon themselves, even though they know they don’t want to borrow money and we have to pay it back. Maine voters are smart, they’re compassionate and they did the right thing in a sense, to say, ‘Look, we need to get this economy moving,’” Moody said. “I don’t think anyone was going down that ballot and checking those boxes going, ‘Yippee.’”

The candidate said more private sector competition for the health care market in Maine would lower the costs of plans. He said car insurance in Maine is cheaper because companies are highly competitive and coverage is more selectable. He wants to see “a la carte” health plans, heightening consumer choice through customized plans.

Moody did not give his position on same-sex marriage, but said he would not have signed the bill legalizing gay marriage that Baldacci signed in May 2009. The law was suspended by people’s veto and voted down by a 53-47 margin that November.

“I think the Maine people have made it clear that they don’t want that issue being decided by the governor or the legislature,” he said. “Either side is going to go out and get the necessary signatures to veto.”

The candidate praised the “experience” and “compassionate” leadership of Maine Senate President and Democratic nominee Libby Mitchell and the business experience of Waterville Mayor, Mardens Surplus and Salvage lead executive and Republican nominee Paul LePage, but said he represents the best of both candidates.

“I’m really compassionate about people and social safety nets and education, yet I have the business acumen and the wherewithal to grow. I know what it takes to grow business,” Moody said. “I bet 80 percent of the people who got signs [from his campaign] have never had a political sign on their lawn before. They’re not backing a politician. They’re backing a hard-working person.”