WARREN — Bill Pluecker, a Warren farmer and a sitting independent State Representative, has announced he will be seeking a third term in the Maine State Legislature.

“As I grow deeper into this work in the State House, I have realized that at its heart, it is about service. Service to our community, and service to the State,” said Pluecker. “So many politicians in Augusta want to fight, get big egos, and forget the people that put them in that position. Those dynamics don’t move us forward as a State. What moves us forward is the power of showing up, not ducking the fight, but being a constant presence that can be relied upon.”

Pluecker will run for the House District 44 seat which, under redistricting, will represent Hope, Union and Warren.

“My identity as a farmer, and now as a State Representative, is about that too, showing up, and doing an outstanding job,” he said. “The cooperative work of community that must replace the partisan fighting in Augusta, is not done yet. I look forward to continuing the hard work of representing the people of Warren, Union, and Hope.” 

Pluecker, who has served two terms on the Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry Committee has been the statewide leader on tackling the Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) crisis farmers have been facing by getting legislation passed to extend the statute of limitations on seeking benefits for harm caused by being poisoned by PFAs, and also to work with the University of Maine to develop alternative economic means for farmers who have found PFAs pollutants in their soil, a news release touted.

Pluecker is in the process of getting legislation passed this year to fully prohibit the application of PFAs sludge on farmlands and other legislation to require the testing of public drinking water for PFAs and ensuring safe drinking water limits are established. 

“We’ve been talking about supporting small farms for years, and this PFAS crisis puts all of that work in jeopardy,” said Pluecker. “We have built small farms in Maine with the promise of clean land and water and strong markets. Young families are making their living from the land, and this contamination is threatening all they hold dear. If we believe in small local farms, we must confront this issue head on, and fight for our small agricultural businesses.”

Pluecker has been one of the most successful legislators in Augusta, the release stated, by working above party lines as an independent legislator working with Republicans and Democrats to see 11 bills become law in 2021 and has been working tirelessly to see another nine bills become law in 2022 that was drafted in collaboration with local residents and will directly benefit local residents.

Among his work on the Criminal Justice & Public Safety Committee in collaboration with the hardworking men and women who are employed at the State Prison and Bolduc Correctional Facility in Warren, Pluecker has worked with them to tackle staffing issues with correctional officers and correctional management to ensure safe working hours for staff and rehabilitation programming for incarcerated residents of the state correctional system.

“The State wants to forget what happens behind the walls of our prisons. They don’t want to think about those who work or live there,” he said. “Living in our community, we have professionals who work every day in the prisons to keep us safe and keep our criminal justice system functional. In recognition of their professionalism, we must pay and support them in line with the tremendous job they do.”

Pluecker has been recognized as a leader statewide by being named to the Maine Board of Agriculture which works in collaboration with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension to identify research and programming based on the needs of the agricultural community in Maine, according to the release.

In April of 2021, Pluecker was appointed to serve on the Agriculture Task Force with the National Conference of State Legislatures where together with state legislators across from the county, they are working collaboratively to find a pathway forward for a successful agriculture industry which is facing issues of unnecessary regulation, market competition dumping, and inflation causing the prices of fertilizer to fuel to skyrocket.

“Inflation is threatening our community and our agricultural businesses. In normal years, the stress of keeping our farms running is enough,” he said. “As we recover from the pandemic, our farms and small businesses are now faced with labor shortages and rising prices that threaten us in all new ways. We must work collaboratively to lift up the opportunity and promise of entrepreneurship to deal with these issues and come out of this crisis stronger than when we went in.”

Since Pluecker’s first foray in politics, he has always wanted his candidacy to be accessible and communicative to all residents of his district. He has regularly held office hours in libraries, cafes and gazebos to hear from his constituents feedback on how they agree or disagree with the future of the state. Primarily, Pluecker has wanted to cut through the endless levels of bureaucracy in the state to deliver answers and help for anyone who has needed it, according to the release.

“The first job of a State Representative is to listen. Listen to how the people of your district are not getting the access to  work, education, housing, and health care that they need. Only after you have been present and really heard what the issues are can you begin to take any sort of action. I look forward to continuing the constituent meetings, and talking to as many folks as possible over the coming months,” said Pluecker.