This guest column, written by Megan Mansfield-Pryor, was originally published in the Maine Trust for Local News.
In November 2023, I was elected to the Bath City Council and hired to join the climate team at the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF). Working directly under Hannah Pingree gave me a front-row seat to her leadership — and why she is the right choice for governor.
Hannah isn’t just smart; she is decisive. From being elected to the Maine House at just 26 and later serving as Maine’s second female speaker of the House to spearheading essential infrastructure investments and working waterfront protections at GOPIF she has a proven track record of delivering results. She tackles big, complicated issues — like housing affordability, healthcare costs and workforce shortages — with the expertise and determination they require.
As a municipal leader, I’ve seen firsthand how vital state resources are to our communities. Programs like the Community Resilience Partnership and Community Action Grants, championed by Hannah, provide the funding communities like Bath need to recover from storms and build resilient infrastructure. Without her work, these lifelines simply wouldn’t exist.
I am proudly biased in supporting Hannah. Not only because I know from experience that she is a caring, principled public servant, but because she is a fierce leader who will grow our economy and improve quality of life. At a time when bipartisan collaboration is crucial, Hannah has the experience and resolve to unite Mainers around shared challenges.
Maine faces tough choices ahead. We need a governor who knows how to get things done. That is Hannah Pingree.
Megan Mansfield-Pryor
Bath
