Roger J. Katz (born c. 1950s) is an American politician and lawyer. He graduated from Cony High School in Augusta, Maine, where he played on the boys' basketball team which won the 1973 state championship. He then went on to

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

and

Boston University Law School Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an e ...

. Katz is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

State Senator from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

's 15th District, representing Augusta, China, Oakland, Sidney and Vassalboro. He was first elected to the

Maine State Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constitution ...

in 2010 after serving from 2006 to 2010 as mayor of state capital Augusta. He is chair of the Government Oversight committee in the State Senate. A practicing lawyer, he is a partner in the law firm Lipman & Katz in Augusta. In 2010, Katz defeated State Representative Patsy Crockett. Following re-election in November 2012, Katz was elected as Republican Senate assistant minority leader after his party lost majority status to the Democrats. When the Republicans regained the majority in the Senate after the 2014 election, Katz decided not to seek a leadership position in the following legislative session.

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Paul LePage Paul Richard LePage (; born October 9, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 74th Governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, LePage served two terms as a city councilor in Waterville, Maine, before being ...

has called for Katz to resign his chairmanship of the Government Oversight Committee, which is investigating LePage for using state funds to force a nonprofit to reverse its hiring of Democratic

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

Mark Eves. LePage said that Katz has a clear conflict of interest due to past public statements against LePage and having already arrived at some conclusions in the investigation. Katz responded by noting that the committee vote to begin the investigation was unanimous. LePage also said Katz was conducting a "witch hunt" against him.

Senate President President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...

Michael Thibodeau and Majority Leader

Garrett Mason Garrett Paul Mason (born June 19, 1985) is an American politician from Maine. A Republican, Mason formerly served in the Maine State Senate from the 22nd District, representing part of Androscoggin County, including his residence in Lisbon Falls ...

each issued statements of support for Katz. His father, Bennett Katz, served as state senator in the 1960s and 1970s, including a stint as Senate Majority Leader. The American Legion's Maine Department awarded Katz its Legislator of the Year award on January 17, 2016, citing what they termed his tireless work for veterans. Katz opposed

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

in the 2016 election, calling him "not fit to be president". Katz is Jewish.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Mayors of Augusta, Maine Maine lawyers Maine Republicans Majority leaders of the Maine Senate Jewish mayors of places in the United States Harvard College alumni Boston University School of Law alumni 21st-century American politicians Jewish American state legislators in Maine 21st-century American Jews {{Maine-politician-stub