It has been a great honor to serve as State Legislator for Bowdoin, Bowdoinham and Richmond since November
of 2006. My goal as your Representative is to be a strong voice for our shared values, and for the shared futures
of our children and grandkids.
In addition to serving as your Representative, I am a husband, a father of two boys, and a consulting
teacher in MSAD 75 and in other Maine schools. Teaching here, raising my sons here, and having grown up here in
Bowdoinham all give me great pride in the people, history, and resources of our region -- and great hopes for our future.
In my teens and twenties, my interests in teaching and learning led me to
In my late teens and twenties, I was fortunate to see the other side of the mountain -- to
spend time in Massachussetts, Rhode Island, New York City, Washington, D.C., and even South America. As
much as I enjoyed these places, the experience only deepened my appreciation for cutting firewood in snowy
woods outside my home, or making maple syrup, or floating down the Kennebec to Merrymeeting Bay. This is why I
want my children to grow up in Maine, and why I plan to grow old here.
Public service is one way I choose to give back to Maine and to our region.
Before becoming your Representative, I served as Bowdoinham Selectman between June 2002 and December
2006, including a year as Chair. In this role, I was fortunate to lead a team that controlled spending, promoted
economic growth and proactive land-use planning, and improving services from codes enforcement to firefighting.
Since then, I have served on the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy, where I was able to shape
many important bills. Our Committee worked together to usher Maine into a ten-state compact to drastically
reduce CO2 emissions from large electricity generators, extended or established important programs to assist in energy
conservation and renewable generation, streamlined permitting for new wind installations, and defended Maine's ratepayers
and manufacturers from costs imposed by southern New England energy consumers. In addition, we adopted rules that
established the new ConnectME Authority, which ensures Maine's rural residents are not left behind in a high-speed internet
future.
In my first term, I have personally sponsored and passed important measures relating to fiscally
responsible economic development, a better coordinated mental health policy, greater social security equity for Maine
public employees and taxpayers, reasonable nuclear waste oversight in Wiscasset, protections for contractors, taxpayers
and others against runaway scrap metals theft, cleaner and more efficient wood heat, and new rules to protect Maine telephone
consumers from past overcharges totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
My years in public policy have been rewarding, and I am grateful to those who've placed their trust in me
and worked with me for the common good, regardless of party or personal gain.
Today our challenges are great. We must grow Maine´s economy, without losing
our quality of life. We must invest in a diverse, local economy, make health care affordable for all, and manage our
fiscal, human and natural resources responsibly. Your support and input is helping me tackle these great challenges.
Thanks to your efforts, I believe we are now moving Bowdoin, Bowdoinham and Richmond -- and Maine as a
whole -- toward a more prosperous and sustainable future.
Yours,
