When my family moved to midcoast Maine in 2003, I knew we were home. This community has nurtured our family as our children grew up and attended local schools, and I have been proud to work and volunteer here ever since.

In 2005 and 2006, I helped lead a grassroots effort to prevent Wal-Mart from building a Supercenter in Damariscotta by passing a 35,000-square-foot cap on new retail development. That campaign taught me what makes this community thrive, and what it takes to protect the unique quality of life we cherish: deep local roots, a strong small-business economy, excellent schools, access to quality health care, and the natural resources that sustain us, including our working waterfront.

After that campaign, I spent eight years as a Children’s Librarian at Skidompha Library, supporting families and fostering a love of reading in young people. Since 2014, I have served as Director of Communications at Lincoln Academy, where I work every day to strengthen connections between the school and the broader community.

I’m running because I believe we can protect what makes this place special while ensuring that every family has access to affordable health care, housing, and childcare, as well as real opportunity to build a life here in midcoast Maine.