As Dwight alluded to in comments a few posts down, along with tying up all the loose ends of last Sunday's Portland Caucus, I'm currently working on a new project, one which has been keeping me a tad busy.
Two weeks ago, I finally received the news which I'd been waiting months for, news which could effect our lives for the next few months, and hopefully, the next few years. My state legislator and next-door neighbor, an exceptionally nice, competent and progressive lawmaker, Bill Norbert, decided not to run for re-election to the Maine Legislature. Recently married, ready to start a family and jump-start his criminal-defense practice, he determined that six good years as a public servant was enough.
In addition, after the 2000 Census, Maine legislative districts were redrawn, and Bill lost a good section of our district, including the more upscale and conservative area, North Deering, in which he grew up. The new district encompasses all of the Riverton neighborhood, along with Nason's Corner and the University of New England-Portland area, and is considerably more middle-income than the previous one. It also includes two of the city's larger subsidized housing communities and a number of city-run assisted living facilities.
I am now officially running for the legislative seat in this new district, renumbered as 116.
The challenges we Mainers face, underfunded schools, cuts in critical services, devastating job losses, an exodus of our young people, unsupported small business and skyrocketing health care costs, have led me to conclude my experience and energy is better served AS the candidate at this time, rather than my managing the candidate, as I've done for the past twenty years.
In addition, Portland is represented in Augusta by eight House and two Senate seats. Currently, these are held by nine Democrats and one Green Independent. All ten legislators are male. I'm the only woman, and only person of color, running from the largest, most ethnically diverse city in Maine. Sadly, in a city with the first openly lesbian mayor, we haven't sent a female representative to Augusta since 1998. I hope to start a new trend.
I'll still be writing here at Wampum, and in fact, with work at Bean slowing down post-holiday, I hope to return to my pre-November pace of publishing. There's lots of news on the jobs/energy/autism/Indian/yadda-yadda front. In addition, I'll be opening up a campaign website/blog in the next week or two, where I'll be posting more Maine-centric articles and updates, as well as campaign-related news and fundraising goals.
Update: I should have noted above that my first hurdle is the Democratic primary on June 8th. I currently have one opponent, former-city council member and Chevrus guidance counselor Charlie Harlow.
Update2: I have put a contribute/donate button on the sidebar, utilizing Paypal Secure Server technology. This will be updated to our own software when the campaign site is finished. According to Maine law, all contributions over $10 cannot be anonymous, and are limited to $250 per person. Maine does have public financing of elections, but I have chosen to opt out for the primary, namely due to my belief that the $2 million going into the "Clean Elections" fund should be used instead to prevent the devastating cuts to Early Intervention and the Katie Beckett Medicaid Waiver programs. I strongly believe in public funding of elections, but not at the expense of our children and disabled residents. When the state is flush with cash, I'll run "Clean Elections" again.
[Note: Many thanks to Kevin Hayden for cleaning up my campaign button on my sidebar. My daughter Grace suggested the pine trees, as Maine is the Pine Tree State, but Kevin made the entire image more legible.]
good luck! i hope to blog about your election victory later this year.
Posted by: Magpie at February 15, 2004 12:56 PMPlease let us know when you have a online fundraising thing set up, and good luck. You will be a marvelous legislature.
Posted by: kevin at February 15, 2004 01:02 PMThanks, Magpie! You did remind me, though, that I should let people know the primary election is June 8th and I have opposition. Off to make that update now.
Posted by: MBW at February 15, 2004 01:05 PMThe very best of luck in your race! I'm quite sure we'll all be pulling for you!
Posted by: sq1 at February 15, 2004 01:22 PMGood luck, from one Portland to another.
Posted by: Kip at February 15, 2004 01:32 PMHey, congratulations! How exciting!
Posted by: emily at February 15, 2004 02:45 PMThe first sane politician I ever heard of. :-)
Posted by: P6 at February 15, 2004 04:21 PMGood luck, Mary Beth!
Posted by: Elayne Riggs at February 15, 2004 04:35 PMKnock 'em dead, Mary Beth. You can count on my support, for whatever that's worth.
Posted by: Kevin Hayden at February 15, 2004 04:37 PMWow. It must be tiring being Wonder Woman.
Upside: voters dig bulletproof bracelets, invisible plane.
Let us know how we can help, k?
Posted by: julia at February 15, 2004 05:10 PMBest of luck Mary Beth, from Denmark, Maine.
Posted by: marden at February 15, 2004 05:42 PMGo Mary Beth! I'm originally from Waterville. My parents lived there. Wish they lived in Portland so they could vote for you. I'll let 'em know you're running.
Posted by: Greg at February 16, 2004 02:58 AMBingo!
Posted by: joe at February 16, 2004 06:25 AMThis is really cool. Good luck, Mary Beth.
Posted by: Trish Wilson at February 16, 2004 08:31 AMWay to go! I wish you a fun and of course a very successful campaign! All the best!
Posted by: Judi Glamb at February 16, 2004 08:44 AMGood luck, from a Boothbay Maine blogger.
Posted by: Mike at February 16, 2004 08:46 AMBest wishes from a blogger who once, 35 years ago, visited a friend in Cape Elizabeth...
The whole image should be clickable - not just the donate button.
$0.02
One quick disagreement....I think now is precisely the time to get behind publicly financed elections. First of all, it's those who get elected during times of recession that ultimately control where the influx of money goes to....if these people are all those who benefitted from opting out, the system will die. Number two, the benefits from a drop in "corruption" (as being defined in a note I am writing, which I will eventually try to get published maybe this summer) will outweigh any direct costs to the system.
Good luck, and get James Tierney's endorsement. He's one of the good guys.
Posted by: Justin at February 16, 2004 12:19 PMWow! Good luck, MB. You'll be great, and your state would be lucky to have you.
Posted by: natasha at February 16, 2004 01:07 PMYour ROCK! (as always!)
Good luck and go get em!!!!
Hugs,
Phyllis
Good luck from NH!
Posted by: cereffusion at February 16, 2004 05:43 PMJustin:
I agree that on the face value, public funding of elections seems like a no-brainer. And it probably is, in the abstract. Problem is, the financial crisis in Maine, and the subsequent cuts in programs, will have a direct impact on my family. There will be no respite care for us - all funds cut from the budget. Early intervention, cut by over a million; our younger son Jonah attends therapeutic nursery school every day. Our children receive medical care under the Katie Beckett Medicaid waiver, a program also slated for drastic reduction.
Thus, I have a difficult time taking the $1,370 dollars Maine Clean Elections allocates for contested primaries when I certainly can raise that money, either from friends and supporters, or from my own pocket. I also object to the hundreds of dollars per candidate the Clean Elections fund distributes to candidates who are running uncontested. I want to see Clean Elections succeed, and to be honest, in Maine, it already has, though it hasn't in fact led to more diversity in the Legislature: At this time, the Legislature is the least egalitarian it's been in 30 years, with men outnumbering women two to one (at one time, there were more women than men in the House.) But over 75% of candidates are publicly funded, so if one measures success by that, it's a success. I still believe we need to prioritize our spending in tough economic times, and Clean Elections is down the totem pole from education and early intervention. But I do appreciate your view. It probably was my view at one time as well.
Posted by: MB at February 16, 2004 09:32 PMMB,
I found this place quite by accident. Say hello to Eric for me. All I can say is its about time for some new faces in the Maine Legislature and I can't think of a better person for the job.
Greetings from the big apple,
Jack K
Hey Jack!
How's the campaign? We wanted to send you a life raft after Iowa and New Hampshire.
I managed to do something. I made The Note. Twice. Putting holes in someone's fancy no-Injuns yachet.
Glad you're home safe.
Eric
That's certainly an acceptable position, MB. As I said, you should see if you can get James Tierney to get behind you at some point. He really is one of the good guys, and he knows a thing or two about Maine politics :).
Posted by: Justin at February 16, 2004 11:56 PMGlad to hear it, MB. If there's anything I can do to help, you've got my info. :-)
Posted by: rusty at February 17, 2004 12:39 AMGood Luck from Lewiston.
Posted by: Aurelientt at February 17, 2004 08:49 AMI live in East Deering, and I find out about your candidacy by reading Kos and Tom Tomorrow. I wish you luck, and hopefully some financial support.
I ran for state senate in 1998 in District 34, so I know what you are about to go through. I strongly suspect that you will do much better in Portland than I did in rural York County.
Maybe the guy in the seat right now should have been allowed to announce that he was running first. Moreover, now that he's be "outed" and before the candidate filing deadline....expect a tough republican candidate. Otherwise...good job/luck
Posted by: Hamlet at February 17, 2004 06:38 PMAlas, I'm in CT...
Good luck! Maine would be lucky to have you working on its behalf.
Hi, Mary Beth ~~
I swear I'm not trying to pull a fast one here.
I was all set to make a small contribution to your campaign; maybe $20. I'm a former Mainer who moved down to Virginia to, y'know, escape the cold (although I suspect at some point I'll move back: I *always* move back) -- but before I give, I really have to know why there's no link on your site to Howard Dean's campaign.
I support Dr. Dean, but I am most definitely *not* a NBD (nobody but Dean). I will enthusiastically (if not necessarily happily) vote for Edwards or Kerry come November, and I will be contributing what I can afford to the eventual nominee's campaign.
Since you link to all the other candidates, I have to assume there's a reason for such and that it's not simply an oversight.
I certainly would like to see more progressive Democrats in the Maine legislature, but what looks to be an outright dismissal of Dean depresses me a little bit.
Thanks for listening.
Mike Perry
Mike,
It's not at all a dismissal of Dean, but a direct political statement which honestly transcends the current Democratic primary.
I am an Eastern Abenaki Indian, bound by treaty to support other members of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Western Abenaki of Vermont are also Wabanaki Confederacy members. Dean successfully urged the Vermont Legislature not to provide the Western Abenaki with state recognition. Since January of 2003, I have requested that the Dean campaign clarify his position on recognition of the Abenaki, and despite being assured personally by Joe Trippi that this would occur, it hasn't yet happened.
It's not personal, but political. When Dean recognizes the Abenaki, the Abenaki will recognize Dean. It has nothing to do with supporting or not supporting Dean's campaign, his issues or his supporters. I believe the campaign has added much to the Democratic process and hope both Dean and his supporters continue to do so. But as I said, this transcends the primary.
Colonized peoples have few methods of protest at their disposal - this is one which I can wield in my own way, and I hope you understand and appreciate my reasons.
Posted by: MB at February 18, 2004 10:11 AMHi, Mary Beth ~~
Can't say fairer than that, and props for the quick follow-up. *Exactly* the sort of thing I'd appreciate and expect from a representative. :-)
Contribution made.
Best of luck in your race.
Mike Perry
Posted by: Mike Perry at February 18, 2004 11:26 AMMary Beth--
Best wishes as your campaign gets underway. It's been great chatting now-and-again as this other race progresses (the one that keeps me busy every day). I'll certainly be keeping an eye on the campaign site!
-aaron
Posted by: Aaron Myers at February 18, 2004 10:06 PM