Running For Re-election

In January, I filed my Declaration of Intent with the Maine Ethics Commission, the first step in my run for re-election for District 92 of the Maine House or Representatives, under the Maine Clean Election Act. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve you and with your support, I hope to return to Augusta for the 125th Session of the Legislature and continue to serve you in this capacity.

State and local economies are severely challenged as the entire nation climbs back from the brink of a second Great Depression. Early signs of recovery are encouraging -- but economists are warning that jobs are always the last things to recover when we have a major economic upheaval like what we have experienced over the last eighteen months. The state’s budget has suffered and until our economy and particularly jobs start to recover, we will continue to face many difficult choices in Augusta. Next year promises to be as difficult in terms of the budget as this year, and I have certainly learned a great deal about the issues over the last two years of service.

Against this challenging backdrop, I have been honored to serve the people of District 92 and have done so to the very best of my ability. During the year of campaigning before the last election and in the sixteen months since I was elected, I have spent thousands of hours in meetings, sessions and one-on-one conversations -- listening to my neighbors in District 92 and trying my best to represent your interests and your values in Augusta. As soon as the session in Augusta is over, I will be back going door to door to meet and talk with as many citizens in the River Valley as possible in order to better represent you in the next session.

I am pleased with some of my accomplishments in the last session -- including being the prime sponsor of a bill that will that will lead to comprehensive changes in our long term care system to serve seniors and people with a disability -- giving them more options to remain in their own homes. I also sponsored and was able to get enacted the bill that makes mixed martial arts legal and regulated in our state. That second bill will bring new business and new jobs to our state. In this next session, I want to focus on things that will help us turn around the sluggish economy in the River Valley and bring down our unemployment rate. That is the only way we can really turn the corner on our state’s budget. I have been spending many hours meeting with business and community leaders to find economic development solutions that are right for our towns. With the support of my friends and neighbors in the River Valley, I will continue this important work.

Once again, I will be running as a “clean” candidate meaning I will abide by strict campaign financing limits and leverage the resources of the state’s Clean Election Fund against the dollars that I raise locally. I need at least sixty of my River Valley neighbors who live in District 92 to contribute $5 to my campaign in order to qualify for state matching funds for the campaign. Beyond the early seed money that I have already collected, I cannot accept more than $5 from anyone. In addition, they must be registered to vote in District 92, and the funds must be drawn on a personal bank account since I cannot accept funds from any business.

Once I have gathered the sixty contributions, they must be certified by the Secretary of State. It is a somewhat complicated process for the candidate and for my Treasurer, Wayne Gallant, who has agreed to serve in that capacity again this year, but it is fairly straight forward for you. You can easily make a $5 contribution online by visiting the following link:

Click here to contribute

I must have at least sixty qualified contributions from registered voters in the District by April 21st.

It is a very humbling experience to serve in Augusta. Having lived in Rumford all my life, I am deeply tied to the fabric of this community -- with those roots extending back for generations. Our community and our whole state is constantly changing, and I want to make sure that these changes are for the better. I look forward to continuing to earn the support of all the citizens of the River Valley as the Representative from District 92.