Maine entrepreneur alleges state retaliation against small business

Rick Savage, founder of the Sunday River Brewing Company in Bethel, has accused the administration of Governor Janet Mills of engaging in punitive overreach against small businesses in Maine.

Savage claims that after he publicly criticized state officials during the 2020 pandemic reopening process, state agencies—including the Department of Health and Human Services and liquor licensing enforcement—targeted his establishment. He alleges that regulators stripped his business of its health and liquor licenses in a retaliatory manner. Savage estimates that the state utilized nearly $500,000 in taxpayer resources to pursue legal and enforcement actions against his brewpub.