This guest column, written by Richard Cleary, was originally published in the MDI Islander.
I served two terms in the Maine House of Representatives. While I was there, I voted for Hannah Pingree as Majority Leader and then as Speaker of the House. I will vote for her twice more, in the June 9 primary and in the general election, to be Maine’s next governor.
I want to tell you why.
When Hannah was Speaker, the Legislature passed a budget with two thirds of the House and Senate voting yes, Republicans, Democrats, Greens and Independents alike. That does not happen by accident. It happened because Hannah listened, because she was fair, and because people on both sides of the aisle trusted her. Not everyone agreed with her all the time, but they respected her.
Maine is in real trouble right now. People cannot find housing they can afford. Families struggle to get basic health care. And too many of our leaders seem more interested in picking fights than solving problems. Mainers deserve better.
Hannah has been through this before. She led the Maine House during the 2008 financial collapse, when the housing market fell apart and the state budget was a mess. She kept people working together and got things done.
That is exactly what we need today: someone who knows how to lead, who does not back down from hard problems, and who treats people with respect. Hannah Pingree is that person.
