Dear Community,

My name is Chloe Maxmin, and I am the new State Senator representing almost all of Lincoln County, plus the towns of Washington and Windsor in the Maine Senate. I spent the past two years as the Representative for Chelsea, Jefferson, Whitefield and part of Nobleboro, and now I am serving my first term in the Senate. I grew up on my family’s farm in Nobleboro and graduated from Lincoln Academy and Harvard College before returning home to Lincoln County. I’m honored by the opportunity to represent you in Augusta.

Our democracy is facing a reckoning. The events of Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, were beyond shocking. To me, they are the result of a divisive politics that has been perpetuated for far too long. Violence is not how we move our democracy forward or best serve our communities. As we seek accountability for the attempted insurrection at the Capitol and look for a way to heal, I have found inspiration in our community. Living in rural Maine, we know what it takes to get by: collaboration, respect, and being a good neighbor — even when we disagree. As your state senator, I pledge to lead with these values and to listen to all people in our community. This is how we build a new kind of politics that is by and for all of us.

In the Legislature, the House and the Senate collaborate on 17 joint standing committees, each of which is responsible for overseeing legislation on a set of topics. For the next two years, I will be serving on the Marine Resources Committee as well as the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. These two committees manage legislation on fisheries, aquaculture, marine science and research, animal welfare, pesticide use, agriculture, public lands and more. I wanted to make sure that my committee work reflects the needs of District 13, and I’m excited to work on bills around many of Maine’s heritage industries that are essential to our economy and our way of life.

I have sponsored thirteen pieces of legislation this session, and almost all come directly from you.

One bill would expand transportation assistance for seniors on MaineCare for non-medical basic needs. Transportation is a critical issue for many people in rural communities, especially our seniors, and expanding this existing infrastructure to provide additional help to those who need it most just makes sense. I’m working on green jobs, election reform, recovery programs, open primaries, and so much more. You can see a list of the bills I’ve sponsored on my Facebook page, Senator Chloe Maxmin, though this is by no means a complete list of the issues I’ll be working on these next two years.

One of my biggest priorities as your State Senator is to be as transparent and accessible as I can be. I will be writing regular columns like this for our local papers. I also host “Coffee with Chloe” every month, a space where you can ask questions, share ideas and hear legislative updates. For now, these gatherings are on Zoom. You can find the date, time, and link at www.facebook.com/ChloeForSenate. My next Coffee with Chloe will be from noon to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30, and you can join me here: https://tinyurl.com/JanCoffee.

I truly mean it when I say: You can always email me at Chloe.Maxmin@legislature.maine.gov or call me on my cell phone at (207) 200-6224.

I’m excited to get to work on your behalf and honored that you have placed your trust in me. Working together, I’m confident we can get good work done these next two years and build something we can be proud of.

Senate District 13 includes the towns of Alna, Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta, Edgecomb, Hibberts Gore, Jefferson, Louds Island, Monhegan Island Plantation, Newcastle, Nobleboro, Somerville, South Bristol, Southport, Waldoboro, Washington, Westport Island, Whitefield, Windsor, and Wiscasset.