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 futures of our children and grandchildren.

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 taught me to take great pride in the people and resources of our region, and to have great hopes for our future.  In my teens and twenties, my interests in teaching and learning led me to travel and experience the world, spending 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.  Our unique quality of life 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 give back to Maine for all it has given me.  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. 

During the 123rd Maine Legislature, I served on the Legislature's Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy.  Our committee helped to usher Maine into a ten-state compact to drastically reduce CO2 emissions from large electricity generators, to extend or establish conservation and renewables programs, to streamline permitting for wind installations, and to defend Maine's ratepayers and manufacturers from costs imposed by competing multinational and regional interests.  We also adopted rules to establish the new ConnectME Authority, which helps increase internet access for Maine's rural residents.

In that first term as your Representative, I also sponsored and passed measures relating to fiscally responsible economic development, a better mental health policy, greater social security equity for Maine public employees and taxpayers, reasonable nuclear waste oversight in Wiscasset, protections against runaway scrap metals theft, cleaner and more efficient wood heat, and future protections for Maine telephone consumers against 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. 

In November of 2009, I was elected Majority Whip of the Maine House of Representatives by my peers in the 124th Legislature.  In this leadership role, I focus on support for new representatives, and moving forward the legislative priorities of our caucus.  As a member of the three-person leadership team in the House, I serve as copilot to House Speaker Hannah Pingree and to Majority Leader John Piotti.  In this role, I have worked with them to negotiate with Senate and with Republican leadership, as well as with the Governor.  While my job as Whip has been to move the agenda rather than to shape it, my role has given me unique training for future legislatures and leadership positions.  Though both Hannah and John are unfortunately term-limited after 2010, their selfless dedication and savvy leadership will serve for me as a model for my remaining five years in the House.

For all the guff we give it, Maine's Legislature is a proud institution with immense importance to us all.

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 Maine toward a more prosperous and sustainable future.

Yours,