Running for state legislature is hard work - even for a schoolteacher with several weeks off in the summer.

 

Lately, I'm up at 4:10 a.m. to grab some coffee and catch up on email and other correspondence.  The kids wake up at 5:30 or so, so I spend an hour or so with them before having breakfast, then eat,  shower, and start my day.  My goal is to make it to every home in Bowdoin, Bowdoinham and Richmond before November 7th.  That takes time, since there are now more than 4,000 homes.

 

Once in the car and going door to door, I'm in the groove.  It's fun to meet people, hear their concerns, and take notes on their priorities and ideas for Augusta.  I'm happy to say that what I'm hearing, for the most part, are common-sense ideas such as those I've outlined in the Legislative Agenda page on this website. 

 

Starting this week, I'm back at work -- my paying job, that is -- for a couple of weeks.  I'll need to leave at 6:30 am for that, but since late afternoons are the best possible time to catch people at home I can still have lots of "quality time" with potential constituents after work, and before heading home in the evening to eat, read a couple of books to the boys, and put them to bed.

 

The sacrifice of missing quality time with the kids is a real one -- far greater than the financial toll it will take to be a legislator, or the lost beauty sleep.  I believe it's worth it because they will see their father engaged in helping to create a more secure and sustainable future for them -- and for all Mainers.

The hoped-for debate at Richmond Days was a bust, with my opponent not in attendance and poor weather to boot.  We'll keep trying!   Imagine a good old-fashioned, community debate in the fall - say September 9th on the new gazebo at Celebrate Bowdoinham...

 

The next day more than made up for it, as volunteers turned out in full force to walk the Richmond Days parade.  Tough to say which was best: the little-kid bikes, Regine's ululations, the big-kid bikes, the art-deco redneck DemoTruck, the donkey-dogs, Milo's fiddling, or Pippa with the Cutko's "In November pick this local Berry" sign!

 

All for now - Seth